Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
- December 20, 2010
- Chocolate, Cookies - Bar Cookies and Brownies, Recipes
- 85 comments
Sometimes, red velvet cakes are known more for their brilliant coloring than they are for their flavor because it is easier to simply make the cake look fancy than put together a great recipe. Flavor is unquestionably the most important thing for a baked good to have, but it sure doesn’t hurt to have a “wow” factor on top of that. These Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies definitely have an impressive look and a delicious combination of flavors to back it up.
Red velvet cake usually has a hint of both cocoa and buttermilk flavors to it and gets most of its color from the addition of red food coloring. For these brownies, I opted to leave out the buttermilk to keep a fudgy, brownie-like texture and add just enough food coloring to give these normally chocolate-colored brownies a deep red hue. The brownie batter is made with dark chocolate and you definitely get a much bigger chocolate hit from these than you might from a slice of red velvet cake. That said, the chocolate flavor is less intense than it is for some other brownie recipes – for instance, I usually add cocoa powder into my brownies as well – so you still get a little lightness to that chocolate flavor in a nod to the cake. The brownie itself is very fudgy and tender.
Red velvet cake is also usually topped off with a cream cheese frosting. It adds a contrasting color to the deep red cake and a lot of flavor. That cream cheese frosting appears here has a cream cheese swirl that is baked right into a cheesecake layer right on top of the brownie batter. The cheesecake is creamy and rich tasting, a great contrast to the brownie base. Take the time to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the brownie batter with a butter knife, rather than just simply pouring it on top, to get the best look from your finished brownies.
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
1/2 cup butter
2-oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp red food coloring
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
8-oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add in the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Batter should be red. If a brighter red is desired, add an additional 1/2 tsp food coloring. Add flour and salt into the bowl and stir until everything is just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
Prepare cheesecake mixture. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Drop in dollops onto prepared brownie batter. Gently swirl two batters with a butter knife.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
Cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving, either at room temperature or chilled.
Brownies can be refrigerated, covered, for several days.
Makes 16 large brownies or 24 smaller brownies
85 Comments
definitely saving this recipe! these look terrific
I made these from Baked Perfection a couple weeks ago. They came out a little cakey and I prefer dense brownies. Although your ingredients are not drastically different, they look denser. I may need to try these next time!
Oh my! These look wonderful–so beautiful and delicious!
Yum! The things you post always end up being my favorite recipes!
These look amazing. The moistness of the brownies and cheesecake really makes for a rich, rich red. Bookmarked!
These look beautiful!
Will definitely be making them soon!
Can’t wait to make these for my red-velvet-loving friend!
I love red velvet cake! I recently made a layer cake that I found on Bakerella’s blog that was fantastic. I now need to make these brownies.
These look amazing–and Christmas-y. Definitely trying these soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Absolutely beautiful! I’m not a red velvet fan, but I might fake it just to make these!
After seeing these pictures, am I supposed to do anything other than DROOL on my keyboard today????
I found your blog yesterday and have been drooling ever since. Thanks for sharing such wonderful recipes. I can’t wait to try some of these this week!
Beautiful color!
Absolutely beautiful! I’m not a red velvet fan, but I might fake it just to make these!
Those look lovely!
Looks very yummy and beautiful!
Oh wow!
I’ve been trying to find the perfect recipe to get me started with baking, and this might just be it! Not only does it look gorgeous, but it seems relatively easy to make as well!
I might give it a go for Christmas – wish me luck!
Wow, these are wonderful! I made them today and colored the cheesecake component green so they are extra festive. These really are red velvet-y. Great job on these!
Just made these and they look and taste amazing. Thanks for the recipe and inspiration, Nicole.
Now, we’re onto your Chai Snickerdoodles. Everyone LOVES those.
I have these baking in the oven right now! well see how they taste
Fantastic recipe… well done!! It is truly beautiful too!
These definitely have that WOW factor. I just made some red velvet brownies, but used a boxed mix. I bet yours are a million times better since they are from scratch.
These are amazing! Gorgeous and delicious. I made some last week and they have been a huge hit at work and with the family at Christmas dinner. Mine didn’t turn out quite as vibrant though and I like the fewer swirls that you did. Thanks for sharing this great idea.
This is such an awesome, creative idea! Thanks for posting. I made these over Christmas weekend, and my family loved them, though my swirling didn’t look as pretty as yours. I found that they tasted better after refrigerating them awhile, but that might just be me.
Just made these & can I just say, Nicole – that I love you? your recipes are always spot on and reliable.
thank you!!
Bookmarking!
Yummy!
these came out great! i only baked for 30 minutes and it was more than enough time.
I made these for my in-laws Christmas Eve party and they were delicious! I overbaked them too – turned off the oven and left them in for “a minute” which turned into a lot more with all the Christmas prep distractions. People still loved them! I think I’m going to make them for a Super Bowl party tomorrow and try not to overbake them
I made these for friends and they were amazing!! They did not last long…Thanks for sharing!!
Tried these yesterday, and no surprise they tasted great
But despite extra colorant they didn’t even come close to being as lovely red as the original 
Maybe the Swedish color is too weak…
I made this the other day. It was easy and it came out delicious. I used Hershey Special Dark chocolate. Will be making it again but im doubling the recipie to bring to work
OMG these were a huge hit at my office. i put them in a heart tin and made them for Valentine’s Day. thank you so much for your recipes i had people BEGGING for more!
I’ve got them in the oven!! They smell SO good!!
made these this weekend, and they were perfect! i brough them to a bridal shower, and they got rave reviews!
I can’t believe I’m the only person who read this recipe and wondered what you meant by “dark” chocolate. Unsweetened? Semisweet? Bittersweet? I know there’s not much difference between the last 2 but there’s a big difference between those and unsweetened.
Marylou – You can use semisweet or bittersweet chocolate in this recipe. There are also many types of baking bars and chocolate chips that are labeled “dark chocolate” in grocery stores. This typically refers to any chocolate with a cacao percentage over 60% and any of these will work.
If you are using unsweetened chocolate, add in an extra tablespoon of sugar to make up for the bitterness of that type of chocolate. I recommend sticking with semisweet, bittersweet or another 60% + chocolate.
http://bakingbites.com/2011/04/what-does-percent-cacao-mean/
Currently cooking in the oven bit of a pain cone ring the recipe into British measurements and doubling the amount but hopefully worth it
Made these yesterday – too cakey, not chocolatey enough. Are you sure only 2 oz of chocolate is right?
They look gorgeous, but I would not make again without tweaking to make denser and more chocolate.
These are SOOO good! We ate it all same evening!
I made these today, and they were delicious! I agree with a previous comment that they were not very chocolatey, but they were still good. My best tip woud be double the cheesecake-part!!
I made these last night and while the flavors were good, the outer edges ended up a little overdone while the middle was a little underdone. Not sure what I did differently. Thoughts?
I have made these so many times and everyone loves them but do you think they would work in a circle cake pan?
Anybody ever double these and make them in a 9×13? Just need more than what an 8×8 would make. Thanks!
I cut with heart-shaped cookie cutters for Valentine’s Day but saved and served the left-overs in sundae cups topped with cherry pie filling and whipped cream later! Yum!
Can someone please tell me if the dark chocolate has to be sweetened? Because I just bought bakers chocolate.
Great recipe! (I found off of Pinterest.) I’ve made several times, to rave reviews! I add an egg yolk and 1/4 of cocoa powder for a more dense texture/chocolate flavor in the brownie, and do half sour cream, half cream cheese for the cheesecake to make that lighter (my own personal preference, I do that for all cheesecake recipes.) Thank you so much for sharing it!
I posted these on my blog, Foodtastic Mom, in honor of Opening Day (I live in Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the Reds). They are so yummy… and I agree with you, taste is just as important, if not more, than how they look.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
http://www.foodtasticmom.com/2013/04/01/red-velvet-cheesecake-brownies/