Best Southern Living Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake

By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on October 3, 2024

We have the ultimate Southern Living red velvet white chocolate cheesecake. It is absolutely decadent with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

You can make this cheesecake to truly show off to your guests or to simply treat yourself. It has a beautifully balanced sweet and tangy flavor, just like traditional red velvet cake does. So, let’s have a look at exactly how to make this recipe.

What Is A Red Velvet Cake?

Before looking at what exactly the cheesecake version is, let’s have a look at the original baked goodie, red velvet cake. Red velvet cake is quite a unique cake. it has a bright red-brown color and is packed with unique flavors. It does also appear in shades of red, crimson, and scarlet.

This cake is technically a type of milk chocolate or dark chocolate cake. While traditional recipes do not use any food coloring, modern ones do, which is where this cake gets the “red” part from.

For this cake, regular cake ingredients are used including butter, cocoa flour, and sugar. What makes it more unique is the addition of vinegar and buttermilk. This gives it a less sweet and more balanced flavor profile, another unique characteristic.

Another noteworthy trait of a red velvet cake is that it is decorated with a rich cream cheese frosting. This addition of a sweet-tangy coating further helps create a delicious flavor-packed cake.

So, let’s now have a look at exactly what a red velvet cheesecake is.

Red velvet cheesecake – What is it?

Red velvet cheesecakes have taken the world by storm! Essentially, it is a regular cheesecake made with red velvet characteristics. This mostly includes adding a little bit of cocoa powder and red food coloring. The cheesecake already has the added tanginess (from the cream cheese, sour cream, and buttermilk) that red velvet cake also has.

Now, different people make this red velvet cheesecake concept in different ways. For example, some people may make the entire cake in a cheesecake fashion. Others may make it with a mixture of cake layers and cheesecake layers.

Then, as another version of this concept, you get this Southern Living red velvet white chocolate cheesecake. It uses red velvet cheesecake layers and a white chocolate cake layer. Then, it is completely frosted with a cream cheese frosting.

Needless to say, there are a lot of ways you can make a red velvet cheesecake. Your imagination is the only limitation!

What Is This Southern Living Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe?

Southern Living magazine released an unbelievably decadent red velvet white chocolate cheesecake recipe. It essentially consists of two layers of red velvet cheesecake that sandwich a delicious vanilla cake layer. Then, the entire cake is covered with a cream cheese frosting and decorated with white chocolate shavings.

Today, we will create our very own version of this Southern Living red velvet white chocolate cheesecake. Let’s dive right in!

What You Will Need To Make An Easy Southern Living Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake?

Ingredients for the red velvet cheesecake

• 32 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups fine caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cake flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring
• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Ingredients for the vanilla cake

• 1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons milk, room temperature

Ingredients for the frosting and garnish

• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• White chocolate curls

Equipment

• 2 x 9-inch springform cake pans
• 1 x 9-inch cake pan
• Non-stick baking paper or cooking spray
• Mixing bowls
• Electric How-Tohand or stand mixer
• Cooling rack
• Cake board (at least 10-inches)
• Pallet knife

How to make a southern living red velvet white chocolate cheesecake?

Step 1: Make the red velvet cheesecake layers

Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line your 2 springform cake pans with non-stick baking paper or cooking spray.

Cream together the cream cheese and caster sugar until the mixture becomes fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. Then, whisk in the vanilla, lemon juice, cake flour, cocoa powder, and food coloring.

Ad finally, add your eggs one at a time, making sure to whisk until they are just incorporated.

Divide the cheesecake batter between your two cake pans and bake each for roughly 60-70 minutes. Only switch off your oven once they are fully baked and only jiggle in the center inch or two.

Once your cheesecake has been baked, allow it to properly cool in the oven for 1 hour, at room temperature for another hour, and finally, in the fridge for 6 hours.

Step 2: Make the vanilla cake layer

First, grease your 9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray, butter, or baking paper.

Then, cream together the butter and sugar until they become light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Then, mix in the vanilla.

Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and add them to the wet mixture. Whisk until the ingredients are just combined. Finally, add the milk and mix well.

Pout the vanilla cake batter into the baking pan and bake the cake for roughly 30-40 minutes at 350ºF (180ºC). Test the doneness by inserting a testing needle into the center.

Allow the cake to completely cool before levelling it.

Step 3: Make the cream cheese frosting

For the cream cheese frosting, simply cream together all of the ingredients until they become light and fluffy.

You can also make your white chocolate curls now using this tutorial.

Step 4: Assemble your Southern Living red velvet white chocolate cheesecake

First, place a layer of red velvet cheesecake on a cake board. Then, add a layer of cream cheese frosting. Add the vanilla sponge cake layer next, again followed by a layer of frosting. Finally, top the stack with the final layer of red velvet cheesecake.

Coat the entire cake with the remaining frosting and garnish them with white chocolate curls.

Wrapping It Up – Southern Living Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake

Hopefully, you are now as obsessed as we are with this Southern Living red velvet white chocolate cheesecake recipe. Let us know what you think in the comments below and feel free to share it with your fellow cheesecake lovers!

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