red velvet cake with chocolate and vanilla liquid cheesecake

a few months ago, while trying to stay awake in ap calc, i pulled out my notebook and jotted down a list of momofuku-style cake ideas. christina‘s cakes are deliciously novel, setting a precedent for layer cakes with textured fillings and exposed sides. unfortunately, they often require special order ingredients like pistachio paste and passionfruit puree.

admittedly, some of mine are equally irregular – the blueberry cake calls for freeze-dried blueberries, for example – but for the most part, they’re easier to make at home. with the completion of this red velvet cake, i have officially conquered the list! my sketch is below, but here they are linked in order from my favorite to least favorite:

• coconut cake with kaya, strawberry preserves, and lemon cream cheese buttercream
• pink lemonade cake with lemonheads and strawberry preserves
• pink champagne cake with sweet amaretto buttercream (unpictured)
• carrot cake with liquid cheesecake and graham cracker ganache
• dark chocolate cake with liquid cheesecake and blueberry preserves
• brown sugar honey cake with carrot ganache and crushed honeycomb
• cocoa cinnamon cake
• red velvet cake (below!)
• dark chocolate clementine cake
• caffeinated banana cake

 

they’re all killer! this red velvet cake is perfect for valentine’s day! you’ll need a 6-inch cake ring and a 6×20 inch strip of acetate.

cake (recipe from divas can cook)

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 – 1 oz red food coloring
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1/4 cup hot coffee

liquid cheesecake (recipe from momofuku milk bar cookbook)

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate

cream cheese frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp milk or heavy cream

for the cake, grease a quarter sheet pan and line with parchment paper. preheat the oven to 325º. for the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cocoa powder. in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and vegetable oil. add the egg, milk, vanilla, and food coloring, whisking to combine. stir in the vinegar and coffee. gradually add the dry ingredients, and whisk until only a few lumps remain (it won’t be perfect). pour into the sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn onto a rack and cool completely.

for the liquid cheesecake, preheat the oven to 300º. line two 6×6 inch baking dishes with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. beat together the cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer until fluffy. in a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and salt. stream in the milk. add the egg. with the mixer on medium speed, slowly add in the egg slurry to the cream cheese. beat for a few minutes, until everything is well incorporated. pour half of the batter into one of the dishes. melt the semisweet chocolate and fold it into the rest of the batter. pour into the other dish; bake both for 20 minutes. they should be set on top but still very jiggly underneath. set aside to cool.

for the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. add the powdered sugar and continue to beat. add the vanilla, salt, and milk, and beat for another minute.

to assemble, use the cake ring to cut two circles and two half-circles out of the sheet cake. line the cake ring with the acetate and set it on a sheet pan. place a cardboard circle or cake board in the bottom of the ring. place two half circles on top, adding scraps if necessary to complete the circle. spread half of the chocolate cheesecake on top. repeat with more cake and the vanilla cheesecake. add a full circle and top with the rest of the chocolate cheesecake. nestle the final layer on top, and spread on the cream cheese frosting. use remaining crumbs to decorate the top edges. freeze for at least 12 hours, then remove the ring and acetate. keep refrigerated.