This Green Velvet Cheesecake Cake here is your typical red velvet cake made with green food color instead of red. So if you’re a red velvet fan, you’ll like this green velvet version just as much. This cake is made up of two layers of green velvet cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle. It’s covered with a marshmallow cream cheese frosting.
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon, and because I have a very Irish (& proud of it) husband– it’s my duty to share a few St. Paddy’s Day recipes. I know, I know… here she goes again with the cheesecake cakes, right? I just can’t help it. These cheesecake-in-the-middle cakes are so darn good! They should come in every flavor.
I tinted the cheesecake lightly with green too (but it’s not mint). Though I’m thinking a chocolate-mint combination would be super cool for St. Patrick’s Day too!
How to make Green Velvet Cheesecake Cake:
It’s just regular ‘ol yummy cheesecake tucked in between two layers of green velvet cake. After you bake the cheesecake, you just have to freeze it for a few hours and then it is firm enough to pick up, trim slightly and place between the two layers.
The frosting is a very simple marshmallow cream cheese frosting.
Gotta have festive sprinkles on top, right?
The cheesecake layer defrosts quickly to create a wonderfully creamy middle layer to the cake. It’s like having a giant layer of frosting, but it’s CHEESECAKE! oh my. I love it.
But it needs a little bit of St. Patrick’s Day bling, so I melt some green candy melts (available at craft stores) and pipe some 4-leafed clover shapes on waxed paper. (so technically a four-leaf clover is NOT considered a shamrock. Oh well, lucky four leaf clovers will have to do!)
And here it is in all its glory with a couple of 4-leaf clovers to accompany it. This is a fun cake for St. Patrick’s Day… plus or minus the clover bling!
My family chowed down on their sample slice of this Green Velvet Cheesecake Cake, and then I broke the news to them that I’d be shipping the rest of the cake off tomorrow to the teachers at my son’s school. So they forced me to slice up a tiny bit more! I can’t have treats like this lying around in my house for long. If you lived next door to me… I would bring them to you- enjoy!
If you’re looking for more St. Patrick’s Day desserts, you might like to try:
- No Bake Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake
- Irish Cream Bundt Cake
- St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes
- Irish Apple Crisp
- Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
- Irish Bread Pudding with Caramel Whiskey Sauce
- Chocolate Guinness Stout Cake
Green Velvet Cheesecake Cake
Ingredients
CHEESECAKE:
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a few drops of green food coloring or gel paste, if desired
GREEN VELVET CAKE:
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups canola or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce bottle) green food coloring (alternately, you can use gel paste)
FROSTING:
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- One 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- a few drops of green food coloring, if desired
Instructions
PREPARE THE CHEESECAKE LAYER:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap a double layer of heavy duty foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan (you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn’t seep into the pan).
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all is mixed in. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in the sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla (and food color, if using). Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan. Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan.
- Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely (4 to 5 hours or overnight).
PREPARE THE CAKE LAYERS:
- Preheat the oven to 350dgF. Spray two 9-inch round pans with nonstick spray and line each pan with a round of parchment paper (see *Tips). In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the oil and sugar together and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda and stir to dissolve. Add the vinegar to the bowl, along with the buttermilk and food coloring. Beat on medium-low speed for 1 minute, until blended. Add the dry ingredients and increase speed to medium-high, scraping down the sides of the bowl while mixing, for 2 additional minutes. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the pans, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely.
PREPARE THE FROSTING:
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until creamy and smooth. Add the marshmallow creme and mix until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar (and food color, if using) and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until all of the ingredients are mixed in and the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
- Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment. Trim the cheesecake, as needed to match the size of your cake layers (see *Tips). Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the cheesecake.
FROST THE CAKE:
- Apply a crumb coat layer of frosting to the cake (see *Recipe Notes below), and refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, or until the frosting is set. Apply the second layer of frosting. Add a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula or knife to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. Decorate, as desired.
Notes
- *You can certainly bake this cheesecake in the oven without a water bath, but you run the risk of cracking the top of the cheesecake. The water bath is a safeguard against cracking.
- *Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be slightly larger size round than your cake layers, move it to a cutting board and use a knife to gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake.
- *How to apply a crumb coat layer of frosting: use a long, thin spatula or knife to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of frosting. Wipe off the spatula each time you’re about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting (this way you won’t be transferring any green crumbs into the bowl of frosting). Don’t worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to “set” the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the second layer.
- *If you are serving this cake at a party, it’s perfectly okay to leave the cake at room temperature for a couple of hours (the cheesecake thaws very quickly). Otherwise, keep it stored in the refrigerator. It also freezes perfectly. Freeze it as is, then wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer until it is needed. Leftover slices may also be wrapped and frozen.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
UPDATE- I’ve tried the cake and it was AMAZING. It was definitely a hit. I have to say, that the way you write your recipes makes the entire experience great. I felt it was all very clear. I did use a regular cream cheese frosting though. The only downfall of the recipe was that I felt the cake came out quit dense and just a smidge dry. I know I followed the recipe correctly and timed the cake as well. I don’t know if maybe this is a common texture for red (or green!) velvet cakes or not.. Either way I really appreciate this recipe, such a great idea! I will be giving it another whirl… any ideas/ comments on my lecture dilemma?
I’m not sure… are you at an altitude or sea level?
Hi there! I just made the recipe and it’s all wrapped up in the fridge and the cheese cake is in the freezer! My colors looks good so no complaints there- the cake look likes it’s going to be dense or very moist.. but i haven’t tried it yet! I was wondering if I should keep the cheesecake frozen, put it right tin between the layers and get to icing? How would that keep up? I’m afraid of condensation or it making the cake too moist… any problems with that?
I have always iced the cake with the cheesecake frozen and have never had any problems with condensation or layers getting too moist. Enjoy!
I see comments from others that the cake color did not come out as pictured. What is the brand of liquid food coloring that you used for the recipe?
I always just use McCormick when I’m using liquid coloring.
So disappointed. My cake turned an ugly army green too, and I followed the recipe exactly. And the flavor was off. Not our favorite (and that’s an understatement).
That’s really strange. I’m wondering if there are different varieties of green food coloring out there since some have had great results mentioned here too. Mine turned out bright green as the recipe is written. Weird.
I don’t have the touch to make a beautiful cake like this. I would like to make cup cakes with the same recipe… How would I convert this to cup cakes? What would the temp and time be for this?
I haven’t made them as cupcakes, but I’d go with the same temp and maybe 25- 30 minutes for the cupcakes. Keep an eye on them.
I’ve not made them as cupcakes before, but I’m sure they’d be fine. Maybe about 25 to 30 min at same temp.
love love have 2 make
Wondering a few things: can you make the cheesecake ahead of time and also how many days in advance would this keep for? I’m having my st Patricks celebration on Sunday would love to bake this on Friday.
Can you make the parts ahead of time (on Friday) and then finish assembling the cake on Sunday AM? The cheesecake can be kept in the freezer and the cake layers can be wrapped individually. You definitely can so the whole cake on Friday, but I’d worry a little bit about the freshness of it come Sunday. It might be okay, but I can’t guarantee!
I made this for Christmas and changed the colors to Red velvet Gold middle and Green icing. I also put a small layer of icing between the Red velvet and cheese. What a cake. cuts perfect and the taste is what can I say “GREAT”>
How far in advance can this cake be made and not refrigerated? Just the green velvet part.
Wrap it in plastic wrap and you can freeze the halves for a couple of weeks without any problem.
Lori,
I used as instructed 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder….which is chocolate flavour ….not a chocolate cake. I added a whole bottle of liquid green colouring and it did not go the vibrant green in your picture. I took pictures of it as I went along. It had a mossy look to it. I ended up coloring the icing a green (had to make it up of yellow and blue as I had used up all my green in the cake.