Red Velvet Cake With Cheesecake Swirl

Remember that boxed cake mix hack I told you about?

This is the red velvet version (with a cheesecake swirl)

For The Red Velvet Cake:

• 1 C Water

• 3/4 C Cocoa Powder

• 1 Tbs Espresso Powder

• 1 C Buttermilk

• 1 C Sour Cream

• 1/3 C Oil

• 3 Large Eggs

• 1 C Sugar

• 1 C Flour

• 1 Red Velvet Cake Mix

1. Bring water to a simmer and add cocoa and espresso powder. Whisk together until smooth and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, add buttermilk, sour cream, oil, eggs and mix together.

3. Add the cocoa mixture to the mixing bowl and combine.

4. Add sugar, mix.

5. Add flour, mix.

6. Add red velvet cake mix and mix, then fill your cake pan or cupcake liners half-way. Make sure you don't fill all the way! (We gotta make room for the cheesecake swirl.)

For tips on prepping your cake pan, check out my post about coating your cake pan.

For The Cheesecake Swirl:

• 8 oz brick of cream cheese (room temp)

• 1/4 C sugar

• 1 tsp flour

• 1/4 C sour cream

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 large egg

1. Whip the softened cream cheese until light and smooth. (I like to use hand beaters for this recipe because it whips the ingredients the best. The KitchenAid misses parts of the bowl. If using a KitchenAid for this, make sure to scrape the bowl and re-mix after each added ingredient.)

2. Add sugar and whip again.

3. Add flour and whip again.

4. Add sour cream and whip.

5. Add vanilla and whip.

6. Scrape the bowl and give it another mix.

7. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.

8. Spoon cheesecake mixture on top of the red velvet cake batter and swirl (just lightly) into the cake batter.

9. Bake at 350 for 14-30 min. 14 min for cupcakes, and 30 min for a cake pan. (This time is an estimate. It depends how deep your pan is. Watch your cake as it bakes and take it out when the center is firm.)

10. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Notes: Do not over-fill cupcake or cake pans. Fill to just under 3/4 the way full. Do not over-swirl your cheesecake. You want large swirls of cheesecake.

Click here for The Best Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe!