Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake w/ Chocolate Ganache

You ever do something so great that you seriously have to step back and be like, "Yea, I'm pretty freaking awesome."

Well, that's how I felt after I made this delicious cheesecake/cake, but this blog post is not about that.

While I want to tell you how EVERYBODY who ate it had nothing but rave reviews to say about it, I won't because this fabulous cake that you-must-make-as-soon-as-possible was not the star of the event I made it for.

The star of the night was my older brother Che who was graduating with his graduate degrees in business from Johns Hopkins this past Tuesday.

The Graduate at dinner!

Now, back to that issue of doing something so great that you need to step back and admire yourself.

Che is not like that at all.

He doesn't ever mention his many accomplishments, rarely wants to be celebrated on his birthdays and generally has a low key kind of swag.

I usually allow him to be nonchalant about certain things, but I was NOT letting him be blasé about this.

This was an accomplishment!

This used to be my favorite picture of Che and I...

Our family didn't even know he was hustling double time to get both his Masters in Marketing Science as well as his Masters in Business Administration in 2 years.

We showed up and saw in the program that his name was printed under both degrees and our jaws dropped.


He is so cool! I love that guy! 

I can't tell you how proud we are of him and I cannot wait to see his success play out in the business sector because he seriously has such a knack for it. :)

...but now this one definitely is

I made this red velvet cheesecake/cake becuase I thought it was a special enough dessert to make for such an important day, and let me tell you it did not dissapoint.

All  of the flavors went together perfectly and the added layer of chocolate ganache made the cake even that much more decadent.

Make it for the next special event or person in your life and they will love you for it.  :)

Dee. Lish. No, like for real.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

Cheesecake Filling: From Cheesecake Factory Secret Recipe

4 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

½ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet (that the cheesecake pan will fit inside) filled with about ½-inch of water into the oven while it preheats. This will be your water bath.

Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Blend mixture for a couple of minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs.

Carefully place the cheesecake into the preheated water bath. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. Cover and chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Red Velvet Cake recipe: From Cakeman Raven

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 - 8 inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper and flour.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart.

Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.


Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 oz white chocolate chips melted (optional, I just always add white chocolate becuase I like the flavor)

In a mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add the vanilla and mix briefly until fluffy. If you choose to, add in 1 oz or so of white chocolate chips.

Chocolate Ganache:

In a medium saucepan melt 1/2 cup of heavy cream with about 8 oz. of semisweet chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly until it glossy and melted. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, stir it again and then pour over the cake letting it drip naturally. I added a really tiny bit of corn syrup in it to make it glossier. 

Assembly:
Place the first layer of red velvet cake on the bottom of the cake plate. Add frosting to use as glue and then place the frozen cheesecake on top. Put more frosting on top of that followed by the last layer of red velvet cake.

Ice the cake. (I did a crumb coat first, placed the cake in the fridge to harden a little, and then iced it fully)

Pour the ganache on top  and thenstick it in the fridge until ready about 30 minutes before you're ready to serve. (I actually let this sit in the car for about 2 hours during the ceremony and it was fine!)

Linked To:
Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Mangoes and Chutney
Something Swanky
Well Seasoned Life
Cupcake Apothecary