We did the taste test of all taste tests yesterday. I made Red Velvet cupcakes twice, once with beets for the red color and once with the red dye. I used the same recipe both times, with the exception of the beets vs. the dye.
I was "rooting" for the beets. Get it? Rooting?
The beet option was not better. It was awful. I had made red velvet cake with both items before but never at the same time, with the same recipe. The beets made the chocolate more brown but it was drier. The red food dye did what it was supposed to do. For both of the recipes I adapted the Red Velvet Cake recipe in the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook
Now, the rest of it...imagine biting into rich red velvet cupcake and finding orange cheesecake. The combination of chocolate and orange is fantastic anyway, and the tangy citrus and cream cheese cuts the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake perfectly. I loved these. My family loved these. You are going to love these!
Be careful not to overbake. You want the cheesecake to remain creamy...and it will cook for a little bit as it cools.
I usually use silicone baking cups, but since I was doing a double batch I didn't have enough. I used paper ones...but I turned the water off when I brushed my teeth and I didn't rinse...so it evens out.
The list of directions looks long, but it is really quick and easy. These are so awesome and they take no more time than a regular cupcake. Yum!
📖 Recipe
Red Velvet/Cheesecake Marbled Cupcakes
Print Rate RecipeIngredients
Orange Cheesecake
- 1 4- oz package of cream cheese, , room temperature (not low fat)
- 2 tablespoons of freshly grated orange peel
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Red Velvet Cake
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 4 oz food grade red food color
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons white vinegar, (it has less flavor than any other type)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
Instructions
Before Mixing
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Add cupcake liners to pans
Orange Cheesecake
- Beat together until creamy and well blended.
- Do not whip because you don't want to incorporate air.
Red Velvet Cake
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.
- Use a rubber scraper to pull any remaining butter mixture off the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.
- Mix again until well blended.
- In a separate bowl mix the food color and the cocoa until it makes a paste.
- Add the cocoa mixture to the butter mixture and mix until it is evenly blended.
- Spoon through to check for streaks.
- Add ¼ cup of the buttermilk and beat on low speed until blended.
- Add half of the flour and blend.
- Add the remaining buttermilk, blend and then add the remaining flour.
- Now stir in the baking soda and vinegar
Assemble
- Fill muffin cups about ¾ the way with the red velvet batter.
- Add a tablespoon or so of cheesecake batter to the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cupcakes are firm to the touch. Don't overbake.
- Cool completely.
- Cover with frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix butter, salt, and confectioners sugar until crumbly.
- Add the cream cheese and beat until creamy, add a little cream if you need to to get the right consistency.
- Swirl a good layer atop the cooled cupcakes.
- Sprinkle with cocoa, edible glitter, or orange zest.
- Keep any remaining cupcakes (as if!) in the refrigerator.
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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CiCi says
these tasted really good, i really liked the flavor! i will say mine turned out too dark, my roommate thought they were blueberry or something. the cheesecake in mine also sunk to the bottom of most of the cupcakes and was pretty messy. like i said, they tasted really really good tho!!
marye says
Sorry CiCi. I can't imagine what the differences might be.
Haily and Carly says
We tried too make these and the cheesecake part was chunky and lumpy and sunk into the red velvet and didnt have much flavor. We are professional cupcake makers so im not sure where the problem was we followed it exactly
marye says
If the cheesecake part was chunky it wasn't blended enough. Be sure to use AP flour and not cake flour. Other than that I have no idea. You are the first that I know of that have had an issue with them.
Amal Fayad says
I just made them and the same thing happened, I used AP flour and the cheesecake part was horribly chunky no matter what I did to blend it.
Did you use a blender or a mixer for it or did you mix it by hand.
I'm so bummed out I was looking forward to these cupcakes.
marye says
I mixed them in my kitchen aid. O.k.. now I am going to make them again and see what the problem is. 🙁 Up to this point everyone has had great success with them.
cupcakemaddness says
Where your ingredients room temp that may have been your problem for the chunky and lumpy"s or did you not use name brand cream cheese ??No brand cream cheese is always lumpy to me ......
marye says
I agree. I try to only use Philadelphia - I never have trouble with it.
naynay says
I just made these and they are THE BEST!!! i am so happy thank you so much!
marye says
YAY! I am glad you like these. 🙂
rose casanova says
Oh Marye, I'm going to my sister's next month and my niece love red-velvet cupcakes. I WILL make these. My sis still has all the unused baking stuff I bought while I was there over Christmas!
I love the color on these...so pretty.