When it comes to red velvet, it seems to be a very popular flavor…and to the ones who love it, they don’t just love it. They adore it. Obsess over it. Worship it. Okay fine, so maybe not worship, but I’ve noticed that when the flavor is even mentioned around some people, I can almost see their knees buckle at just the thought of it. I’m definitely a big fan of it, and since I’m also a big fan of cheesecake, it seemed like the best idea to combine the two. When my family and I went out to dinner one night, we were talking to our server about cheesecakes, because the restaurant offered several different flavors. When I mentioned that I was going to make a red velvet cheesecake the following week, he asked me if it was actually a red velvet cheesecake, or if it was the red velvet cake layered with cheesecake. “No, it won’t be the layered cake and cheesecake, it’ll actually be a red velvet flavored cheesecake.” He stared at me in awe, and asked me to let him know how it turned out, because he’d never had a red velvet flavored cheesecake before. Neither had I, so the excitement of trying it out forced me to jump on this project.
My neighbors across the street also LOVE red velvet and cheesecake. So, I called to ask if I could bring some over. “Of course!” she cried when I asked. “Okay, we’ll be right over,” I told her. My daughter got her shoes on and was squealing to go out the door to visit. I literally cut the entire cheesecake in half and put it on a plate to carry over to their house. When we showed up with such a big chunk. they fussed at me for bringing over so much, but they immediately pulled out some forks and started picking away at it like a bunch of vultures. They loved it. Oh yeah…and I loved it too. 😉
For the Crust:
25 Oreos
1/2 stick butter, melted
For the Filling:
5 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
8 oz. sour cream
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon red food coloring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 25 of the cookies in a food processor or food chopper. Cover and process until finely ground. Add butter, mix well. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add cocoa, vinegar, and food coloring to bowl and mix on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Wrap aluminum foil around edges of pan, so that all of the bottom and sides are completely covered (to make sure it’s completely covered, wrap the pan with two pieces of foil in opposite directions). Place inside a larger pan, pour water to make a 1 inch water bath around the outside of springform pan (this will keep the cheesecake from cracking during the baking process). Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, until cheesecake is puffed up, the edges are a light golden brown, but the center is still a little jiggly. Remove from oven, cool on cooling rack for 1 hour. Place in refrigerator and to let set overnight. After set, spread cream cheese icing on top of cheesecake.
For the Icing:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients at medium speed until smooth. Spread on top of cheesecake.
