Twice as Nice

To celebrate the 46th anniversary of my birth (yesterday), Jeff purchased a Cheesecake Factory Red Velvet Cheesecake. This decadent treat came frozen from Sam's Club, as a special purchase for the holidays. You might recall that this is the second such cake we've had in as many weeks, since my mom made one from scratch for Christmas.

Now, Mom put a lot of work into hers - perhaps too much. The frozen version is just as good, and (I would wager) easier than the one she put together. Let's start with her process, and you'll see what I mean. She made red velvet cake layers from a mix. Next, she made a thick, rich cheesecake from scratch, baking it in the same pan as the cake layers to ensure both were the same size. Finally, the two cakes were combined with a layer of cream cheese icing between and covering the top and outer edges. As you can imagine, this confection was rich, rich, rich.

The frozen version of this isn't as complicated, though. The red velvet cake on the bottom is about the height of a "normal" layer and a half. I think it was baked in taller pan with a little extra batter. The big difference, though, is in the cheesecake. The purchased one seems to be the no-bake variety like the ones that come in a box on the grocery store shelf. It is far softer than a homemade cheesecake and doesn't have the texture of one that has been through the oven. This layer of cheesecake was poured directly on top of the cooled red velvet layer and allowed to set. Next, only the outer edge (not the top) was covered in cream cheese icing before white chocolate shavings were pressed on.

Both versions of this cake are delicious, as evidenced by the fact that we scarfed down the one my mom made (along with a blackberry cobbler, I might add) and the purchased one is already half gone. In the long run, though, I think making one at home with a boxed cheesecake mix would be an excellent option that saves time, effort, and money.