This red velvet cake recipe came about because I had leftover mixed berry coulis in my fridge and leftover graham crackers from the Graham Central Station cake, and I needed to figure out how to get rid of them. Initially, I wanted to do a ruby chocolate-mixed berry cheesecake, but I also wanted to do a red velvet cake with the mixed berry coulis, so then I got the idea to just combine the two into one(mostly because if I didn’t, I would be using a LOT of cream cheese there between the cream cheese for the cheesecake and the cream cheese for the red velvet frosting). With red velvet cake, I have a love-hate relationship. I usually crap on red velvet cake a lot, since it is basically an anemically chocolate-flavored cake with red food coloring or a chemical reaction of vinegar and baking soda mixed into the cake batter to tint a smaller amount of cocoa powder subtly red. In either way, it’s a cake that wants to be chocolate cake, but somehow isn’t. And I just so happen to like chocolate cake in all forms, even in the wanna-be-not-really variety. The usual pairing with the cake is a cream cheese frosting, which adds a pleasant tang that plays off of the subtle cocoa notes in the cake nicely. I will admit that I actually order a red velvet cupcake from a bakery if they sell them, not because I actually love them, but because I use that as a barometer for how good the bakery is – if the bakery has an enjoyable red velvet cupcake/cake, which is something I am lukewarm towards, then I can trust that the quality of all of their baked goods is great too. I am biased here, but this cake would pass that test. Hence why I’m dubbing it a (F)red velvet cake – well that, and the pun was too good to pass up on.

For the components, we have a red velvet cake, red berry coulis, cheesecake frosting, ruby chocolate snow, and graham cracker bites for texture. For the cake itself, I wanted to go more traditional – truly classic red velvet cake is made with a lighter amount of cocoa powder, and a combination of buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda, which causes a chemical reaction that turns the cake a more natural shade of red. The frosting is made with liquid cheesecake, which is being used in the graham cracker bites as well. Liquid cheesecake is made by taking a baked cheesecake and then whipping it into a creamy, spreadable mixture. It is one of Christina Tosi’s signature techniques, and one that I am employing here as well! The graham cracker bites were inspired by a cheesecake cookie we did at Milkbar Lab, which was a brown sugar and graham cracker cookie with these graham cracker-cheesecake bites that were frozen solid, then folded into the cookie dough itself. In this case, the bites are being used as a textural component throughout the cake! The version we made at Milkbar required me to combine blitzed up graham crackers with cream cheese, spread that out, and spread on top of it a cheesecake mixture. That is then firmed up in the refrigerator, cut into smaller pieces, and then frozen solid for optimal assembly. Here, I took the initial inspiration of the graham cracker bites, but went with a baked crunch instead, since I was selfishly running low on cream cheese, so I had to pivot into something that I could do with the limited ingredients I still had. 

For the liquid goat cheesecake:
8oz cream cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ cup granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a mixing bowl, start by creaming together cream cheese, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until combined. Whisk into that the other ingredients to form your batter. Pour the batter into a lined shallow baking tin(I used a 9-inch cake round) and bake at 300 degrees F for 25 minutes. The cheesecake should have a slight wobble to it. Once so, allow the cheesecake to cool down completely before transferring to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and whipping with the heavy cream until light and fluffy, almost pale white in color. Store the cheesecake in a shallow container and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours before attempting to use for assembly.

For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 generous dots of red gel food coloring
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cups canola oil

In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk, red food coloring, vanilla, and canola oil. Fold the two mixtures together to form your batter. Pour the batter into a lined quarter sheet tray and spread into an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Allow the cake to fully cool before cutting into 3 6-inch rounds, using scraps as necessary to form the third round. Apply the soak onto the cake rounds, and then freeze them solid – store them in the freezer for at least 1 1/2 hours before attempting to assemble.

For the cake soak:
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp cocoa powder
a pinch of salt

Whisk the ingredients together until combined. Pour the cake soak over your three cake rounds.

For the graham cracker bites:
1/2 cup finely ground craham crackers
2 tbsp brown butter
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
a pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients together until a crumbly dough forms. Spread the dough in thumb-sized clumps onto a lined sheet tray. Bake the dough at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Allow the dough to cool before breaking into thumbnail-sized pieces, and storing in an airtight container.

For the berry coulis:
2oz fresh or frozen raspberries
2oz fresh or frozen strawberries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Puree all of your ingredients together in a blender. Pass through a sieve and bring the strained liquid to a boil. Allow that to cool down before attempting to use.

For the ruby chocolate “snow”:
1oz ruby chocolate, melted
1/3 cup tapioca maltodextrin
a pinch of salt

Mix the three ingredients together until a fine powder forms. Store in an airtight container.

For assembly:
Start by lining a 6-inch ring mold with an at least 5 inch-tall acetate collar. Place down the scrap layer of the cake first, then spread on 1/3 of the liquid cheesecake. Spread on 1/3 of the graham cracker crumble next, then 1/3 of the coulis. Repeat these steps for the next round of cake and fillings. For the final layer, start by spreading on the cheesecake and swirling in half of the remaining coulis first. With your remaining crumbs, toss those with the ruby chocolate powder and arrange those on the edge/border of the cake. Pour the coulis onto the center of the cake, spreading it into an even layer. Freeze the cake for at least 3 hours before attempting to unmold.