This Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake starts with a red velvet cake base and a creamy Oreo cheesecake filling that’s topped with ganache, chopped Oreos and surrounded by moist red velvet cake crumbs!

Guys, I think I just created the greatest dessert ever! This is probably the most evily delicious idea I’ve ever come up with, and I only thought of it 2 weeks ago!

After creating this insane Strawberry Champagne Cheesecake with a Pink Champagne Cake Bottom, I just HAD to make another cake-based cheesecake. Since Valentines Day is right around the corner, I figured now was the best time, so I decided to make a cheesecake with a red velvet cake bottom. 

BUT! I didn’t want to do a plain cheesecake with red velvet cake (not yet, anyway) because that’s been done before. I suddenly remembered these adorable and over the top Oreo Cookie Dough Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes I made last year for Valentines Day, and I just knew I had to pair the classic cake flavour with those classic cookies again. 

Introducing the Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake:

Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake 

Ah, this cheesecake. Where do I even start? I was really nervous about this recipe because I wasn’t sure if it would turn out the way I imagined, because nothing I make ever does, honestly. But this exceeded my expectations! Everything came out perfect! The red velvet cake bottom, the Oreo cheesecake filling, the crumbs at the side, all turned out as amazing as I hoped they would be! 

There’s just something so satisfying about pulling a recipe idea right out of your a** and having it come out perfect on your first attempt. 

I think I deserve a pat on the back :). 

Red Velvet Cake Bottom 

The red velvet cake bottom recipe was adapted from my pink champagne cake bottom and my red velvet cupcakes. I only used a teaspoon of cocoa in this recipe because I wanted the red colour to really pop. I also added some sour cream and vegetable oil because I wanted the cake bottom to stay super moist and fluffy. And instead of pink champagne, I used buttermilk to help aid in the soft and tender texture. 

To get the red colour, I used liquid food colouring, but it created a sort of burgundy colour instead of the bright and beautiful red that I wanted. To fix this, I added a dollop of Wilton Red-Red Icing Colour. 

The only reason why I used liquid food colouring was because I thought I’d need a lot, but I actually recommend that you use a good quality gel paste colouring. This way you can achieve a brighter and bolder colour without affecting the texture of your batter. 

Oreo Cheesecake Filling 

Yay, I’ve been dying to bake my own Oreo cheesecake and I’ve finally done it! Ultra rich and creamy vanilla cheesecake with chunks of Oreo in every bite! So good!

I used my standard vanilla cheesecake recipe and added a whole lot of chopped Oreos in the end. The filling is super creamy and smooth and just everything a perfect cheesecake should be! 

The Perfect Water Bath

Pour the filling on top of the cake bottom, then prepare the cheesecake for a water bath. I know it’s an extra step and can get pretty frustrating sometimes, but it’s totally worth it. Water baths prevent your cheesecakes from cracking, browning and sinking in the middle. 

And if you’re worried about water leaking into your pan and ruining the cake, a solution I found was to put your springform pan into a slightly larger round pot. So I put my pan into a 10 and 1/2 – 11 inch steel pot, then I put the pot into a large rectangle pan where I pour in the boiling water. This method has been a huge success for me and I will never ever have to worry about water leaking into my cheesecake again! 

Ganache Topping 

Once the cheesecake has baked and cooled, you’ll make the silky ganache topping! Making ganache is so simple and you only need 2 ingredients: chocolate and heavy cream. I used 1 cup of dark chocolate chips and poured 1/2 cup of boiling heavy cream on top. Then stir, stir, stir until the chocolate has melted and the 2 ingredients combine to make a smooth and rich ganache! 

Now spread the luscious ganache on top of the cheesecake, but leave some space around the edges clear. You can do this the night before, or you can do it a couple hours before serving so the ganache can set. You want the ganache to be completely chilled, that way when you slice into the cheesecake you’ll get nice clean slices and the ganache will stay in place. 

Yummy Red Velvet Crumb Coating!

This is the part I was most nervous about because I wasn’t sure if it would come out good, but oh my God the red velvet crumbs tie this cheesecake together perfectly! And the best part is, it’s so easy to do! 

I started by preparing a box of red velvet cake mix. Mind you, this is something else I recommend doing the night before, so you don’t have to do too much the day you plan to serve. 

Anyways, once the cake was baked and cooled, I used two forks to crumble it all up. Although the cake is crumbled, the crumbs are still too big, so I picked up handfuls and rubbed them between my fingers to get very fine crumbs. 

Now getting the crumbs onto the cheesecake is actually super easy. I wish I took step by step photos to show you guys, but I wasn’t really confident that it would work, but it did! 

The red velvet cake mix I bought came with a package of cream cheese frosting, so I used a butter knife to scoop it out and spread it around the sides of the cheesecake. You don’t want to spread it on too thick, but you also don’t want it to be too thin because we want the cake crumbs to stick. 

Once the sides of the cheesecake were completely coated in the cream cheese frosting, I grabbed a handful of crumbs and pressed it onto the side. Of course, 80% of the crumbs fell right off, but I just grabbed some more crumbs and pressed them on. Keyword being pressed! The cake is moist so when you pack and press it into the frosting it should stick perfectly.

I recommend doing this on your serving plate or you could place an upside down bowl inside of a large rectangular cake pan and place the cheesecake onto the bowl, then press the crumbs on and any excess will fall into the pan. 

Once you’re done with the sides, press some onto the edges you left plain previously. Sprinkle some chopped Oreos onto the ganache centre and you’re done! 

Grab a slice and enjoy all of your red velvet, Oreo and cheesecake dreams come together in one incredibly decadent dessert! 

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Let’s get baking!

Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake

Yield: 12-14 slices

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 10 hours 45 minutes

This Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake starts with a red velvet cake base and a creamy Oreo cheesecake filling that’s topped with ganache, chopped Oreos and surrounded by moist red velvet cake crumbs!

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Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake Bottom:

• 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 tsp red food colouring
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Oreo Cheesecake Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages (24 oz) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (or 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour)
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature 
• 1 large egg yolk
• 20 Oreos, chopped

Ganache Topping:

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To Decorate:

• Red Velvet Cake Mix, prepared according to package instructions
• 1 can store bought cream cheese frosting
• 8 Oreos, chopped

Instructions

For the Red Velvet Cake Bottom:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and spray the sides with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Sift flour, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside. 
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, sour cream, oil and vanilla until combined, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the egg and food colouring and continue to mix until combined. 
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients to the bow and mix until combined. 
6. Pour in the buttermilk and mix until well incorporated. 
7. Add remaining dry ingredients and continue to mix until well combined.
8. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar. Add to the batter and gently fold until combined. Do not overmix. 
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F.

For the Oreo Cheesecake:

1. Take 1 extra large piece of aluminum foil that’s bigger than your springform pan. Place springform pan in the centre and fold aluminum up to the sides to cover the outside of the pan. This ensures that no water seeps into the pan during the water bath. Alternatively, I placed my pan in a slightly larger pot to completely protect my crust from the water.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy, about 2-4 minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sugar and cornstarch. Beat on low until smooth and combined.
4. Add the sour cream and vanilla. Continue beating until smooth.
5. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, beating slowly until just combined, do not overbeat. 
6. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is combined. Fold in chopped Oreos. 
7. Pour the cheesecake onto the cooled cake base and place into a larger pan.
8. Bring a few cups of water to a boil and carefully pour into the larger pan. The water should only be a few inches up the sides of the pan. Do not go over the top.
9. Bake at 300°F for about 1 hour and 25 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the edges are set and the center jiggles just slightly.
10. Turn off oven and leave the cheesecake inside to cool for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, crack the door open and continue cooling the cheesecake for another 30 minutes. This slow cooling process helps prevent cracking.
11. After an hour, remove cheesecake from waterbath and aluminum foil. Run a knife around the edge of the pan so it's not sticking to the sides and allow to cool completely on a rack.

For the Ganache Topping:

1. Put the chocolate chips into a medium bowl. Set aside. 
2. Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to boil. 
3. Remove hot cream from heat then pour it over the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. 
4. Remove cover and stir ganache until smooth. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes. 
5. Once cooled, pour some of the ganache into the centre of the cheesecake and spread around to create a circle. Don’t go all the way to the edges. Add more ganache as needed. 
6. Transfer cheesecake to the refrigerator and allow to chill completely for about 6-8 hours or preferably overnight. 

To Decorate:

1. Prepare one box of red velvet cake mix according to package directions. Allow to cool completely. 
2. Once cooled, use a fork to break the cake up into pieces, then rub the pieces between your fingers to create fine crumbs. Set aside. 
3. Remove chilled cheesecake from the refrigerator and spread some cream cheese frosting around the edges. 
4. Grab a handful of crumbs and spread it up the sides of the cheesecake. I recommend doing this on your serving plate or having another pan underneath to catch any crumbs. Make sure you gently press the cake crumbs onto the cheesecake so they can stick. 
5. Once you’ve gotten the cake crumbs onto the sides, sprinkle some around the top edges of the cheesecake. Then garnish the centre with the chopped Oreos. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Store cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
• Cake crumbs can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. 
• There will be some cake crumbs left, which can be used to make cake pops!

Recommended Products

• 
  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
• 
  Nordic Ware Leakproof Springform Pan, 10 Cup, 9 Inch
• 
  Wilton Icing Colors 1oz-Red Red

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Love, Dedra ❤

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