Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
My favorite brownies turned into red velvet cheesecake brownies. They’re gooey and rich and swirled with vanilla bean cheesecake batter.
I used to think that boxed brownies were the only thing that you could never replicate at home or make better at home but my reader favorite fudgy brownies proved that wrong real quick.
I adapted those into a brown butter version and now into a black cocoa version and I’ll never be the same. By far, my favorite two brownies.
HOWEVER, my daughter saw a picture of red velvet brownies and said we NEEDED to make “the red brownies” so here we are. I’m not a red velvet girly but I must say, these are pretty darn good lol.
What makes it red velvet
Well, besides the obnoxious red coloring (which you know isn’t my favorite but Zara was determined to make red brownies), I used a natural cocoa powder and a little bit of vinegar to make the brownies a pinch more acidic. The acidity also allows the red color to come through a little better.
I also think red velvet is just KNOWN for being combined with cream cheese so we did a little cheesecake layer situation swirled in there.
Step-By-Step Photo Instructions
Homemade brownies aren’t those ‘easy one-bowl bakes’ but they’re not too complicated either. The hardest part about this recipe is the dishes left over and making sure assembling/layering doesn’t go awry lol.
We’ll make the vanilla cheesecake batter first. Then the red velvet brownie layer and then layer it up in a very specific way to make sure it looks (and bakes) pretty on top.
Vanilla Cheesecake
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, if not then microwave it until it’s soft.
- Mix in the egg, sugar and vanilla until it’s completely smooth (not chunky at all). Set aside.
Red Velvet Brownies
- Melt the butter and oil with the chocolate until it’s smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs with the sugar until it’s pale and smooth.
- Whisk in the vanilla, food coloring and vinegar until they’re all combined.
- Whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, mixing until it’s completely smooth.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder to the egg mixture (sift if your cocoa is clumpy) until it’s completely smooth.
- Whisk in the flour and salt, just until they’re fully combined and the batter is smooth.
Assemble
- Make sure your pan is already greased and lined with an overhang to easily remove the brownies.
- Spread about half of the brownie batter on the bottom. I like to come up around the edges slightly so that the cheesecake batter stays within the brownies and doesn’t seep out around the edge.
- Spread MOST, like just over ¾, of the cheesecake batter on top of the bottom layer of brownie.
- Now, your brownie batter has probably thickened after cooling/sitting so I like to microwave it for 30 seconds to make it runny again. This will make it so you can pour the rest of the brownie batter on top of the cheesecake batter. If you don’t warm it up slightly, it can be difficult to spread on top of the cheesecake batter.
- Swirl in dollops of the remaining cheesecake batter on top of the brownie batter – I like to only do a little on top because I want to see the red brownie swirl.
- Bake until the top looks set and when you press on it, it should be soft but give some resistance and not feel runny in the center.
- I added white chocolate chunks to the top but I only put them on halfway through baking so the white chocolate doesn’t burn/yellow.
Storing & Serving These Brownies
Generally I would agree that warm and gooey brownies are best but these are half cheesecake so I recommend cooling completely and refrigerating a little before slicing.
Store in an airtight container for several days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze for a few months.
I hope you enjoy Zara’s new favorite brownie recipe. If you have any questions, please comment down below – those will get answered much quicker than email or through social media.
If you’ve enjoyed these, I would very much appreciate a 5-star rating or a review.
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
