Weekend Recipe: Red Velvet Cheesecake

This recipe combines the two bestsellers at Cake Boy – red velvet and cheesecake. It does require a little bit of effort, but it is worth it, as the reward is an amazing-looking tasty cake.

Red velvet cheesecake
Serves 12 | Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus cooling and overnight chilling | Cooking time: 35–40 minutes
175g (6oz) butter, softened, plus extra
for greasing
150g (5 ½ oz) golden caster sugar
2 eggs
115g (4oz) self-raising flour
40g (1 ½ oz) plain flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
125ml (4fl oz) buttermilk
2 tbsp red food colouring paste
oil, for greasing

For the filling
250g (9oz) cream cheese, at room
temperature
70g (2 ½ oz) golden caster sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp warm water
1½ tsp gelatine powder
300ml (½ pint) double cream

For the frosting
250g (9oz) cream cheese, at room
temperature
60g (2¼ oz) butter, softened
85g (3oz) icing sugar, sifted
¼ tsp vanilla bean paste

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C)/350°F/gas mark 4.

Grease a 20cm (8in) diameter deep cake tin with butter and line
the base with baking paper.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale
and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Sift the self-raising flour, plain flour, cocoa powder and
bicarbonate of soda together, then stir the flour mixture and
buttermilk, in alternating batches, into the butter mixture. Stir
in the food colouring.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for
35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes
out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out on
to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar and lemon
juice together in a bowl until smooth. Put the 2 tablespoons
water into a heatproof jug and add the gelatine.

Place the jug in a saucepan and add boiling water to come
halfway up the side of the jug. Stir until the gelatine dissolves (if
it seizes, stir gently over a low heat until it dissolves). Pour into
the filling and beat until combined. Whip the cream to soft
peaks, then fold into the cream cheese mixture.

Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally and trim the top to level
it, reserving the trimmings for decoration. Brush a 20cm (8in)
diameter springform cake tin with oil. Line the base and sides
with clingfilm, allowing it to overhang the sides. Put the cake
base, cut side up, into the tin and spread with the filling.
Sandwich together with the remaining cake. Fold over the
clingfilm and leave to set in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar
and vanilla paste together in a bowl until well combined. Turn
the cake out on to a serving plate and spread the frosting over
the top and sides. Decorate with the reserved sponge crumbs.

Extracted from Eric Lanlard’s Afternoon Tea. Available here