Red velvet brownie cheesecake crumble
It might sound like a bit of a train wreck, but trust me, if you like all components separately, you'll likely enjoy them together too, especially when topped with a cream cheese topping.
This consists of a red velvet brownie with a cheesecake swirl, sandwiched between a crumble base and top, topped with a cream cheese topping.
For those who may not know, red velvet these days does use red food colouring or some extra ingredient to impart a red colour, but the red colour originally was brought out due to a reaction between the acidity of the vinegar/ buttermilk and the cocoa. However, due to the way cocoa is processed these days, it no longer possesses the ability to impart any red colour, which is why we need to supplement it with red food colouring.
I made this for Mother's Day this year. Apparently I've gone a bit crumble-crazy.
The mother requested something red velvet, thus this creation. I just get a kick out of creating something that I don't think anyone else has made before.
The crumble uses the same recipe as my previous crumble, just in a slightly smaller quantity.
Also I am aware that the cheesecake and the brownie are not sufficiently swirled, but that's because I'm me and I completely forgot to add the cheesecake mixture, so I had to scoop out half of the brownie batter and add the cheesecake batter, but by then I clearly was not thinking so I just layered the cheese on instead of dolloping and swirling, then only tried to swirl it when the final brownie layer was on.
TL;DR: Follow my instructions, but don't be me.
I wanted to make sure the brownie was sufficiently rich and chocolately without completely drowning out the red colour, so I used a combination of cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Red velvet does not typically use chocolate, but I wanted that extra richness. We love a good dark chocolate here, so feel free to use milk chocolate instead if dark chocolate is not to your liking. Otherwise, you could use both milk chocolate as well as increase the amount of sugar, up to 300g.
I decided to employ the technique of beating the sugar and eggs together, as I find that it gives brownies a lighter texture whilst still allowing them to be rich and fudgy.
I also decided to add some milk to the cream cheese topping in order to achieve the right consistency to be able to drizzle it. However, if you decide you want a thicker topping, you can choose to omit the milk.
Recipe
For the crumble base and top
INGREDIENTS:
- 110g plain flour
- 110g self-raising flour
- 90g sugar
- 190g butter, cubed
METHOD:
1. Rub all ingredients together until crumbly and no large pieces of butter or floury patches remain. This can also be done in a food processor. I used a combination of my fingers and a pastry cutter.
2. Set aside.
For the cheesecake swirl
Based on Jane's Patisserie's Red Velvet Brownies
INGREDIENTS:
- 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 60g castor sugar
- 1 egg
- 1tsp vanilla extract
METHOD:
1. Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Beat in the sugar until smooth and sugar has dissolved. Beat in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated.
2. Set aside.
For the red velvet brownie and to assemble for baking
Based on Jane's Patisserie's Red Velvet Brownies and Handle the Heat's Ultimate Brownies
INGREDIENTS:
- 100g dark chocolate
- 170g unsalted butter
- 230-300g castor sugar*
- 4 eggs
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1tbsp red liquid food colouring**
- 1 1/2tsp white vinegar
- 25g cocoa powder
- 100g plain flour
- 1/4tsp salt
*Depending on your preferred sweetness level. Any amount within that range will not significantly affect the final product apart from sweetness.
**If using gel or paste colouring, less is required.
METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 23cm round pan. I used a springform pan and lined the base and sides with baking paper. If using a springform pan, you may want to set it in a large baking pan as butter from the crumble base may leak out.
2. Press approximately 2/3 of the crumble mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Make sure it is compact, as this is the base.
3. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat on the stove, or in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
4. Beat eggs and sugar for about 3 minutes or until thick and sugar has dissolved. Beat in the vanilla, colouring, and vinegar until combined. Beat in the chocolate and butter, ensuring you pour it in a thin, steady stream whilst beating if the mixture is still hot.
5. Sift in the cocoa, flour, and salt. Fold to combine.
6. Pour 1/2 of the brownie mixture evenly over the prepared base. Dollop the cheesecake mixture over the top and, using a knife or other utensil, briefly swirl. Pour the rest of the brownie batter over the top and swirl some more. With the rest of the crumble mixture, compress some in your hand and break chunks off to sprinkle over the top of the brownie mixture. Repeat until all crumble mixture has been used up.
7. Bake for 50 minutes or until the top has browned and jiggles slightly. Allow to cool completely in the pan then store in the refrigerator.
For the cream cheese topping
INGREDIENTS:
- 250g cream cheese
- 55g butter
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 120g icing sugar (1/2c - 1c), to taste
- 4tbsp milk, as needed (optional)
METHOD:
1. Soften the cream cheese and butter in the microwave. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and beat again until smooth, adding more to taste if required.
2. To alter the consistency and allow it to drizzle, add milk as needed, or heat up briefly in the microwave. If you want to dollop and spread the topping on, skip this step.
3. Apply as much of the topping as desired to the cooled brownie.
Best served at room temperature.
Enjoy!
