…and of course, red gel-paste food coloring. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk. Lastly, stir together baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl- they will fizz and bubble, add it to the batter and mix well.

Divide the batter evenly between two parchment paper-lined 9 inch spring form pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. When done, set aside to cool completely.

Mix in flour, eggs, vanilla, and the melted white chocolate. Beat until completely smooth and well blended.

Ok so, I toyed with what kind of frosting to use for a good long while. Traditionally, Red Velvet cake is paired with cream cheese frosting, as did the one at Cheesecake Factory. I really dislike super sweet frosting, so I thought about using a lighter-on-the-sugar-and-palate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. But since I was replicating the one at Cheesecake Factory, I decided to stick with the original frosting. However, as a good compromise, I cut down the sugar by a lot. The cake and cheesecake layers already has sugar in it, so I didn’t want to add a super sweet cream cheese frosting to drown out the flavors of the cake itself.

Usually you use about 2-3 cups of powdered sugar for one 8 oz package of cream cheese. However, in my recipe, I used a 1 to 1 ratio (3 cups of powdered sugar w/ 3 packages of cream cheese). If you are a big fan of cream cheese frosting, I suggest tasting the frosting as you’re making it to adjust it to your liking. You might want to add more sugar than I did. Feel free to use your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe if you have a go-to one. =)

I bought a cake leveler and tried to trim the cake as best as I could. I ended up wasting a lot of it! My cake layers turned out to be way thinner than the actual cake when I pulled it out of the oven. Oh well, practice makes perfect, I guess. At least it was level! hehe.

I took a deep breath and went for it. First up: a bit of frosting on the first layer, before applying the cheesecake layer.

Alright, so far so good. Got all the layers together and frosted the middle between each layer! That was the easy part, but…

…it proved to be super difficult to get the icing around the cake to be smooth. How do people do it?? Tips anyone? I kept picking up pieces of red cake, which stuck out like a sore thumb on my white frosting! I had to layer it on thicker and thicker to try to get rid of them and to try to smooth out the “wrinkles!” It was hard work. Took me forever. I bet Martha could frost a perfect cake in couple of minutes..

Ta-DA! My very first cake!! I think it turned out quite well! I piped some flowers around the edges and garnished them with some cute white chocolate chips. Not bad for an amateur, eh?

The cake was so gorgeous when we cut into it! This would be a beautiful dessert to have for a holiday party or a Christmas dinner! Wow! I was so proud of myself for pulling this one off! Took me all day to do it, but it turned out fantastic! What do you guys think? =)

Ok, here are a few things about the cake:

(1) SO incredibly delicious! Everyone who tried it was amazed by the fantastic flavor of the red velvet with the white chocolate cheesecake. The cake was super moist and flavorful, while the cheesecake was subtly sweet and had a really nice, dense and creamy texture. The flavors complimented perfectly! It doesn’t taste exactly like the one at Cheesecake Factory, but it was still pretty damn good- as delicious as the original one. =)

(2) When the cake is fully assembled, refrigerate overnight. The cheesecake needs time to set- that’s when you’ll get the best texture and flavor. Serve immediately after taking it out of the fridge. This is one of the rare times when cake tastes the best when it’s chilled.

(3) So about the cream cheese frosting… it wasn’t super sweet, so it didn’t over power the cake like a normal cream cheese frosting would. However, next time when I make this, I will definitely try using a lighter, more mild Swiss or Italian Meringue buttercream. Since the flavors of the red velvet and the white chocolate cheesecake are so delicious and unique, the buttercream that goes with it should be muted, so that you can really enjoy the flavors of the cake itself. But if you’re a big fan of cream cheese frosting, please try it with this cake! Some of my friends who tried this cake loved it with the frosting- I think it was because they were fans of cream cheese frosting in general.

Anyway, all in all, this cake adventure from beginning to end was a huge success! Aside from the cake being super beautiful and photogenic, it was also incredibly delicious, which is all that matters in the end anyway. It’s me and Hubby’s new favorite cake! Give this a try and let me know how you like it! I’m so excited to be sharing this super unique recipe with all of you! =)

Red Velvet Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp red gel-paste food color
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

With an electric mixer on med-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in food color and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low. add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisk well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam), add mixture to the batter and mix on medium speed for 10 seconds.

Line two 9 inch spring form pans with parchment paper. Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Allow to cool before removing the cake from the pan. Allow to cool completely before assembling with the cheesecake.

White Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from the Williams Sonoma Baking Cookbook

2 oz white chocolate, chopped
16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature ( 2 packages)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1 tbsp flour
2 eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the white chocolate and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, using an electronic mixer, mix the cream cheese on low speed until creamy. add the sugar and mix slowly until smooth. on low speed, mix in the flour. turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula. Add one egg at a time and mix until smooth. scrape down again. mix in the vanilla and cream until the mixture is smooth. Using a large spoon, stir in the melted white chocolate until incorporated.

Pour the batter into a parchment paper lined 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set when you shake the pan slightly. Allow to cool before removing from the spring form pan. Allow to cool completely before assembling with the red velvet cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

24 oz cream cheese (3 packages), at room temperature
3 sticks of butter, at room temperature
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups of powdered sugar, plus more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electronic mixer until well combined. Add more powdered sugar to taste, if a more sweet frosting is preferred. Use immediately to frost the cake.

After assembling the cake, allow it to rest in the fridge over night, before serving. Serve immediately after taking it out of the fridge.