There are some things in life that just blow your mind and take you by surprise. There are some tasks which turn out exactly the way you didn’t expect them to. There are some times you embark on a cooking mission, ending up with something completely different from what you thought you’d end up with. This was one such time for me.
It was over two years ago when I first stumbled upon the concept of Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies – I was looking through the internet for unique baking recipes when I came across it. I remember thinking they looked spectacular – just beautiful. I also remember thinking they were way beyond my sphere of expertise, and I just gave up without a second thought.
To be completely honest, these brownies aren’t hard to make at all. They are incredibly easy to put together, and the fact that this recipe isn’t time consuming is a real blessing. If you have all the ingredients at home, you could put these together in less than an hour. So if you’ve got a strong craving for something sweet and a little patience, this is a great dessert or coffee-time treat.
You’ve probably been to many a pastry shoppe or bakery selling Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. I’ve been making some mean Red Velvet Cupcakes for a long time now (they are the one thing I never go wrong with). These brownies are the perfect turn on the classic. The same elements, just baked differently. These brownies look way more sophisticated than the cupcakes, like tiny pieces of art adorning a tray at your tea-party or dinner shindig. But taste wise, they are both at par.
While I will put up a recipe for Red Velvet Cupcake soon, here’s how you make these gorgeous Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies.
What you need:
For the Red Velvet layer:
- Butter – 1/2 cup
- Dark Chocolate – 2 ounces, coarsely chopped
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Eggs – 2
- Vanilla Extract – 1 and 1/2 tsp
- Red Food Coloring – 2 tsp
- All Purpose Flour – 2/3 cup
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
For the Cheesecake layer:
- Cream Cheese – 8 ounces
- Sugar – 1/3 cup
- Egg – 1
- Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
This is how you make it
- In a bowl, melt the butter and chocolate and mix together until smooth.
- In another bowl, blend together sugar, two eggs, red food coloring and vanilla extract.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the red mixture. Mix well.
- Mix in the flour and salt and blend until there are no streaks of flour remaining.
- In a separate bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- Grease and line your cake pan with parchment paper. Pour in 3/4 of the red velvet mixture.
- Drop the cheesecake mixture in dollops and spread to form an even layer.
- Drop the remaining red velvet batter in little blobs all over and then using a knife swirl it around.
- Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 35 to 45 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool completely.
- Cut into pieces and serve.
These brownies are so different, so out of the ordinary. They are chocolatey and cheesy and just so unique, they’ll take you on a journey of tastes and textures that you just don’t expect. The red velvet layer is luscious and gooey with more than a tiny hint of chocolate – it is sweet and just melts in your mouth. The cheesecake layer is delicious – it is creamy, rich and tangy and is the perfect complement to the red velvet’s flavors and textures.
This batch of brownies was gobbled up within minutes. I packed a few for my friend and once she started gobbling them up, she couldn’t stop; she ended up leaving just one tiny piece for her little brother. The boyfriend was ecstatic when he tasted them – he loves anything cakey, creamy and cheesy. My mum loved the balance of the brownies too. And I? Well I loved them. I was worried about over-cooking the brownie layer and under-cooking the cheesecake layer, but gladly it was cooked perfectly. They tasted lovely and they looked stunning. They looked like Christmas on a plate!
The Foodscape 