Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

I visited Marvin on his birthday — April 3rd, he turned seventy-three, which is a number that Marvin the accountant would have noted and filed and probably made a joke about involving compound interest or depreciation. I brought a cake — a simple birthday cake, yellow with chocolate frosting, because Marvin's birthday cake has always been yellow with chocolate frosting, because some things are not subject to revision, and birthday cake preferences are among them. I brought candles. I brought rugelach. I brought the grandchildren — David brought Ethan and Sophie, and they sang happy birthday to their grandfather in a room in Cedarhurst, and the singing was loud and slightly off-key and completely perfect, and Marvin smiled.

He did not know it was his birthday. He did not know he was seventy-three. He did not know that the cake was for him. But he ate the cake. He ate two pieces. And when Ethan said, "Happy birthday, Grandpa!" Marvin said, "Thank you, young man," with the formal politeness of a man who may not know who this young man is but who was raised to say thank you when someone wishes you well, and the politeness is the bedrock, the last layer, the thing the disease cannot reach, and I am grateful for the bedrock, grateful for the manners, grateful for the "thank you" and the two pieces of cake and the smile.

I came home and sat at the kitchen table and opened the journal and wrote: "Marvin is seventy-three. He does not know this. He ate two pieces of cake. He said thank you. The cake was yellow with chocolate frosting. The frosting was Sylvia's recipe. The thank you was Marvin's mother's recipe. The recipes hold. The chain holds. Happy birthday, Marv. The brisket is in the fridge. I love you. Don't forget. Please don't forget."

The cake I brought Marvin was yellow with chocolate frosting — Sylvia’s recipe, the one that doesn’t change — but when I got home and sat at that kitchen table, I knew I needed to bake something for myself, something that matched the size of what the day had held. This Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake is what I made. It’s layered and a little over the top and it takes real effort, and that felt right — because some birthdays deserve a cake that requires something of you, that makes you stand in the kitchen and pay attention and be present in the doing of it. I brought a piece to Marvin’s neighbor Beverly, who also has a husband with dementia, and we ate it at her kitchen table and didn’t say much, and that was exactly enough.

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling) | Servings: 14

Ingredients

Cheesecake Layer:
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
Red Velvet Cake Layers:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Make the cheesecake layer. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment and grease the sides. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 45–50 minutes, until the center is just barely set with a slight jiggle. Turn off the oven and crack the door; let the cheesecake cool inside for 1 hour, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Make the red velvet cake layers. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined and smooth. Divide evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake the cake layers. Bake at 350°F for 28–32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing until incorporated. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 2 more minutes. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm slightly before using.
Level the layers. If your red velvet cake layers have domed tops, use a serrated knife to level them so all three layers (two cake, one cheesecake) sit flat. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and peel away the parchment.
Assemble the cake. Place one red velvet layer on a cake board or serving plate. Spread a thin, even layer of frosting over the top. Carefully set the cheesecake layer on top. Spread another thin layer of frosting over the cheesecake. Set the second red velvet layer on top, cut side down.
Frost and chill. Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake and refrigerate for 20 minutes to set. Apply the remaining frosting in a smooth, even layer over the top and sides. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Serve. Use a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts for neat slices. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake — The Cake That Holds When Everything Else Slips