This red velvet cake combines together a few fun desserts, being obviously red velvet cake, but also cheesecake, and creme brulee. I have been obsessed with doing these baked cheesecakes with bruleed sugar tops – these kinds of cheesecakes are similar to a basque cheesecake, but instead of the top being burnt, it is a bruleed sugar top for a cracklier texture. So to pay homage to that, I made layers of white chocolate baked cheesecake, and sandwiched that between layers of soft red velvet cake. I enrobed the entire thing in a white chocolate-cream cheese namelaka(whipped ganache-mousse), and bruleed some sugar on the top to give it a crackly finish. I have a highly hypocritical opinion about red velvet cake. Conceptually, it is a lot of what I was raised to stand against – artificial food coloring, not an actual distinct flavor(I like emphasizing flavors or ingredients, not muddling them), and I have had more than my fair share of bad red velvet cake. However, it is my go-to order whenever I try a new bakery. Simply because it is so against my personal baking philosophy that if I like the taste of your red velvet cake, it is a telltale sign that your baked goods are actually really good. Also probably the self-fulfilling cycle as to why I continue to be subjected to so many bad red velvet cakes that remind me of why I usually do not enjoy it. So what makes a good red velvet cake, might you ask? It needs to have enough cocoa powder in there that I can get a hint of chocolate. Red velvet is technically not a chocolate cake. But I need to still get the earthy cocoa notes, reminiscent of hot chocolate mix(Swiss Miss, anyone?). The cake itself also needs to be light and airy, but still moist enough that when I bite into the cake, it does not just fall apart into crumbs. And lastly, the color. The cake obviously needs to be red, but I prefer an elegant shade of scarlet or crimson. If it looks like a fire truck, it’s a no-go for me personally. I did a LOT of recipe testing with this cake, because I wanted perfection. And I got a lot of great feedback on this cake, from my friends and my own stomach, so I can confidently say that this will be one of the best red velvet cakes you can ever try.

For the cake batter itself, I use malt vinegar and Chinese almond powder, along with just egg whites(no egg yolks), to give the cake a nice lift. Red velvet cake usually has almond extract either in the cake or the frosting, and I wanted to use Chinese almond powder, which tastes exactly like almond extract, just to give a bit more of an homage to my heritage in this. Both the cake and the exterior namelaka utilize that almond powder, which really gives this warming flavor throughout. The cheesecake filling does take the most amount of time to bake, so please keep that in mind when tackling this recipe. What I like doing is get the cake batter and the cheesecake filling into the oven at the same time, since the cake batter itself will finish baking first, then the cheesecakes can finish baking while the cake cools down. The namelaka is probably the most technical part of the recipe. Whenever you are whipping chocolate ganache, gelatin, and cream, you run the risk of either lumpy or split mousse forming. So if you do not make namelaka often, take your time the stirring and mixing of this just so that you do not overwhip it. Otherwise, after some tears of frustration, you will have to start again, and it will take forever. However, the silky light namelaka provides a fairly stable cream that enrobes the entire cake, and a much needed foil to the richness of the cheesecake and the softer, airier red velvet layers. All in all, even though I despise red velvet cake, I would happily eat this version, and make it again for future red velvet recipes to come, food coloring and all. This was easily one of the top 3 tastiest recipes I made in 2024, so it is a perfect time to drop the recipe and celebrate it right as we count down the days to 2025!

For the cake batter:
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp red food coloring
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Chinese almond powder
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup canola oil

In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, baking soda, malt vinegar, granulated sugar, and salt until soft peaks form. In another bowl, whisk everything else together until combined. Fold the egg whites through the other ingredients to form your cake batter.

Spread your cake batter onto a lined quarter sheet tray and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting two 6 inch rings out. One of those rings can be jumbled together from scraps. Take the leftover cake and rebake at 350 degrees F for another 15 minutes and crumble into smaller cake crumbs.

For the cheesecake filling:
4oz heavy cream, in two parts
.75oz vinegar or lemon juice
1.75oz granulated sugar
1oz white chocolate
5oz cream cheese
1.75oz granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
.5oz vanilla bean paste
a pinch of salt
.5oz corn starch

In a bowl, mix vinegar with one part of the heavy cream. In another bowl, heat up the heavy cream with the white chocolate, and allow everything to dissolve together. In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolks, vanilla bean paste, and cornstarch. Pour the white chocolate cream into the cream cheese and mix those two together. Then whisk the vinegar’d/lemon juice’d heavy cream through the cream cheese mixture to form your batter. Line two 6-inch ring molds with aluminum foil and cooking spray. Divide the batter among the molds. Bake the cheesecake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F then 300 degrees F for another 20 minutes. Freeze the cheesecakes solid before attempting to unmold, keeping them frozen solid for assembly.

For initial assembly:
Layer up the rounds of cake with the rounds of frozen solid-baked cheesecake. Transfer the cake into the freezer and freeze for at least 1 hour.

For the white chocolate-cream cheese namelaka:
6oz heavy cream, in two parts
1 tsp Chinese almond powder
4oz white chocolate
2 tsp gelatin powder + 2 tbsp cold water
3 tbsp unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
8oz cream cheese

In a blender, puree half of the heavy cream with all of the Chinese almond powder. Pour that liquid into a pot and melt that down with the white chocolate, gelatin powder, unsalted butter, and salt. Allow the liquid to partially cool down before whipping into that the vanilla and cream cheese. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour before creaming it with a rubber spatula until smooth and spreadable again. Fold into that the heavy cream to form your namelaka – it should be creamy and light, but smooth and silky in texture.

For final assembly:
Granulated sugar

Spread the namelaka around the cake in a smooth, even layer. Coat the sides of the cake with cake crumbs, and then sprinkle a light but even layer of granulated sugar on top of the cake. Using a blowtorch on medium-low heat, carefully brulee the sugar on top until it caramelizes in a nice coating on top of the cake.