Rich, chewy, moist red velvet cake brownies swirled with a delicious creamy, sweet cheesecake filling will be the perfect Valentine’s Day treat!
If you love red velvet cake and cheesecake, you will fall head over heels in love with these brownies! I certainly did with every bite!!
This was my first time making red velvet cake brownies. They were so delicious that I went ahead and made another batch! So we’ve got a double batch of these marvelous beauties in the house, but they are disappearing fast!
They are super easy to make and they are so beautiful too, aren’t they? In the brownie, you can taste the chocolate, fudgy, buttery flavors of a traditional red velvet cake, but the texture is more dense and chewy like a typical brownie for sure. I was thinking today, these brownies would be great for a lot of festive occasions and holidays.
Red Velvet Cake Brownies are especially great for:
- Valentine’s Day
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Fourth of July (stick a toothpick flag on each brownie🇺🇸)
- Tailgate Party
- Pot Lucks/ office parties
- Christmas
- Anytime you are craving a delicious treat!
I experimented with putting a few fresh raspberries in the brownie batter and it was incredibly delicious!! I thought since I was making it for Valentines, the raspberries would compliment the mild chocolate flavor in the brownie and it really did. But the raspberries are totally optional. The brownies are great even without the raspberries. I made two recipes. One with the raspberries and one without the raspberries.
You can make these up a few days ahead which is a great time saver and they are actually better the next day or even a few days later. All the flavors of the brownie have time to soak in and the cheesecake layer has time to set as well. So if you can resist not eating them all up as soon as they come out of the oven, you will be rewarded with an even tastier brownie. Since they are made with cream cheese, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Here’s what you will need to make the Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies: (Be sure to see the full printable recipe below)
For the red velvet brownie
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ Tablespoons red food coloring (I prefer McCormick food coloring)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- ½ cup fresh raspberries ( totally optional)
- For the Cheesecake Swirl
- 1 (8-ounce block cream cheese
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Baking Essentials
- 1 8 x 8 square baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Vegetable spray
First, melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave. Add the sugar and stir by hand until sugar starts to dissolve. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, vinegar and red food coloring. Then, mix in flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Whisk until completely smooth.
Next is the cream cheese swirl. You’ll need to use your hand electric mixer for the cheesecake swirl. Beat one 8-ounce block of soften cream cheese with ½ cup of sugar, one egg and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Pour all but about ½ cup of the brownie batter into the baking dish. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter. Then, drizzle the remaining batter over the cream cheese.
Swirl with a knife or toothpick to make a beautiful pattern of swirls. Bake the brownies for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
See how easy that was!! I hope you enjoy this recipe all year long!
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @aletiadupree and please leave a comment below and share this recipe with your friends and family. I would love to hear from you!
Enjoy!
Print
Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Prep Time: 20 minutes- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 9 to 12 brownies
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Rich, chewy, moist red velvet cake brownies swirled with a delicious creamy, sweet cheesecake filling.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- ½ cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ Tablespoons red food coloring (I prefer McCormick)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, sifted, measured and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- ½ cup fresh raspberries, sliced in half (optional)
Cheesecake Swirl
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a nonstick 8×8 baking pan. Line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To make the brownie layer: Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl for about 35 to 40 seconds. Add sugar to the melted butter and stir until sugar starts to dissolve . Whisk in eggs and whisk until mixture is light and fluffy. Add vinegar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and red food coloring. Next, add flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Mix until smooth but don’t overmix. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, leaving ½ cup of batter for the top. NOTE: If you are adding raspberries to batter, sprinkle them over the top of brownie batter now.
- To make the cheesecake swirl: With a hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, ½ cup of sugar, egg, and ½ teaspoon vanilla in a medium size bowl until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Dollop spoonfuls on top of brownie batter. Drizzle the remaining brownie batter over the dollops of cream cheese mixture. With a knife or toothpick, swirl through the layers of the batter until you have a beautiful pattern.
- Bake the brownies for 25 to 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Be careful not to over bake) Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares. If you use parchment paper to line the pan, simply lift the brownies out of the pan with the paper to cool. I highly recommend lining your pan with parchment paper. It makes it much easier to lift out of the pan. Cover brownies and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days
Notes
Freeze and do ahead tips: Brownies freeze well. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. These brownies are great to make several days ahead of serving. In fact, they even taste better the next day. I would recommend making these at least a day or two before serving. All the flavors have a chance to soak in and the cheesecake layer needs time to set as well. Be sure to store brownies in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Awesome
Thank you so much Shirley!
Sounds fantastic!! Got to try it! Hope you are doing well…. Brenda🥰🥰
Hi Brenda! You will love the Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies! They are to die for. I can’t wait for you to try them!