Decadent red velvet brownies swirled with cheesecake.
For those unfamiliar with red velvet, let me take you through a quick briefing about what this gorgeous little dessert flavor is like. Traditional red velvet desserts aren’t vanilla flavored or chocolate flavored. They are a combination of the two with a slightly tart tang from the buttermilk used in most recipes. Red velvet cake is sort of like a dense buttery vanilla cake with a mild chocolate flavor. And when it’s done right, it’s unbelievably good.
Today’s brownies are basically a fudge chocolate brownie with lots of buttery vanilla flavors. The brownie batter is red, tinted with red food coloring and a touch of white vinegar to make the red stand out against all the cocoa powder. They are beautifully swirled with sweet cream cheese and are quite dense like a typical brownie.
These brownies are pretty easy to make and are the perfect recipe for red velvet beginners. The cream cheese swirl is equally simple. Whip out your hand-held electric mixer and beat one 8 ounce brick of softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat everything together until completely smooth.
Now, let’s swirl. Pour almost all of the red velvet batter into the baking pan, leaving a few Tablespoons behind. Dollop with the cream cheese mixture, then scoop the last couple of Tablespoons of brownie batter on top. Note: I topped the cream cheese mounds with more red velvet brownie batter because I was afraid so much cream cheese on top would brown in the oven..
Swirl it all together with a knife as best you can—both layers are quite thick.
Chewy, moist, decadent red velvet brownies swirled with cheesecake.
