Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars are what you get when you combine two popular desserts! They end up being elegant looking and so delicious.
This is one of the best recipes I’ve made in a long time. Red velvet cheesecake bars are dense and soft but still completely sturdy. They are the perfect dessert to transport because they hold up so nicely.
Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars
This dessert is easy to make but it really packs a punch in visual display as well as taste. Each bite combines the flavors of cheesecake, red velvet, and brownie. What more could you want?!
You will tint the batter red by using food coloring. I also add 2 teaspoons of vinegar to help the red color show up better against the dark cocoa powder. If you are finding that you want a darker red color, continue adding food coloring until you get the desired shade of red.
This dessert is one that looks extra fancy but it incredibly simple to make. Whenever I make these bars they are devoured in no time flat.
Do Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars have to be refrigerated?
Yep, with a cheesecake layer included they need to be stuck in the fridge after you make them. No issues with letting them come to room temperature before serving.
How can I tell when my brownies are done baking?
A tried and true way of testing to see if your brownies are done is to insert a toothpick into the center of the pan. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking.
How do I make a swirling pattern on top of the dessert?
This is the fun part. Simply pull the toothpick across the top of the dessert with a bit of a swirling motion. Do this until it is marbled as much as you like.
Can the brownies be stored in the freezer?
Of course! The frozen bars can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Brownie Recipes:
- Perfect Every Time Brownies
- Easy S'mores Brownies
- Rich Peanut Butter Brownies
- Healthy Lower Calorie Brownies (still made with real ingredients)
- Homemade Triple Chocolate Brownies
More Cheesecake Recipes:
- Raspberry Cheesecake Dip
- Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Red White and Blue Cheesecake Bars
- Easy Healthy No-Bake Cheesecake
- Brownie Cheesecake Bars
If you’ve tried this red velvet brownie recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation!
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Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 large hearts or 40 bars 1x
Description
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies are a fun, decadent combination of your two favorite desserts that are as beautiful as they are delicious.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Layer:
- 3 ¼ cups flour
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
Cheesecake Layer:
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease with butter or cooking spray a 13x18 jelly roll pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Stir to combine. In a small bowl add the eggs, oil, 2 tablespoons of milk, vanilla, food coloring, and white vinegar. Whisk the wet ingredient to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredient and pour the wet ingredients into the center. Mix until well combine or with the cookie paddle attached, mix on medium-low speed until well combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Remove about ¾ of a cup of the batter and put it in a small bowl (or the bowl the wet ingredients just came out of) and set aside. Spread the rest of the batter in the bottom of the jelly roll pan.
- To make the cheesecake layer combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed until well combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat another minute until well combined. Spread the cheesecake layer evenly on top of the red velvet layer in the pan.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk to the batter that you saved in the small bowl. Use a fork to whisk and combine it well. Drop the now thinned batter by small spoonfuls over the cheesecake layer and then use a toothpick to marble the cheesecake and thinned batter together. You just pull the toothpick across the top of the dessert with a bit of a swirling motion. Do this until it is marbled as much as you like.
- -OR-
- You can make little hearts on top! Do this by adding the thinned batter to a pastry bag with a small circle tip or in a ziplock bag (and you'll cut off a little tip of the corner). Drop the icing in small circles onto the top of the cheesecake layer. You have to work kind of fast because the batter is thin enough that it just drips out of the bag if you aren't moving pretty quick. Leave a little space in between the circles and it'll be easier to make the hearts if the circles are in a line. The size of the dots ranged from dime-sized to about half that. Pull the end of a toothpick from the top of the circle to the bottom to make a heart. The hearts will look best if you don't pick up the toothpick in between circles, just drag down the line.
- Bake the bars for 28-30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through baking. Let the bars cool in the pan for 20 minutes before cutting. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.
- Notes: You don't have to cut it into hearts. It would make a lot of cute little squares.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: brownies, cheesecake, red velvet, red velvet brownies, brownie recipe
Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars are a sweet treat that are sure to impress with their looks and their tasty brownie and cheesecake flavor. Perfect for any occasion or day of the week!
marseille
made these for vday & my hubby LOVED them!
Amanda
These are super cute! I love the heart pattern.
Melissa
Thanks! It was a stroke of genius wasn't it LOL 🙂 I'm sure someone else could do it better but I sure had fun...
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
These are gorgeous and they sound SO delicious! I'm brainstorming what dessert to make for Valentine's Day... these just might be it. Yum!
Bethany
mmmm..yes, please!
Megan
Definitely just saw this on my friend's wall and immediately went to make them. It's been a rough day - it was this or send my husband to the store for ice cream. But they are cooling right now and smell insanely delicious.
Melissa
Don't wait for them to cool... pick at them now 🙂 I totally had that day too! And lucky for me the husband had a dozen extra glazed donuts from his Scouts activity tonight. Oh the joy a donut brings me.
Rachel
Forget Valentine's Day--I know what I'm making TOMORROW!
Melissa
Doooooooooooo IT! And then tell me how much you loved them. 🙂