Red Velvet Cheessecake Bars

I lost all of my Christmas recipe photos!! I wanted to make sure ya’ll had the recipe and will be adding photos in the next few days after I remake everything 🙁

Hey ya’ll! Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, just Happy Holidays!! It’s my favorite time of the year and it has been since mid September. I love the holiday season and while this year has been unexpected and unprecedented, I’ve been trying to capture the magic regardless. One of the ways I’ve been doing this is by baking and decorating. One of the recipes that have come out of these are these amazing red velvet cream cheese bars. The best part of this recipe, to me, is the fact that the cheesecake is no bake! We’ll get into that in a minute!

THE INSPIRATION

The inspiration for these bars is really one person: My Aunt Evelyn. I love to bake and always have. One of the things I consider a signature is my red velvet recipe. It’s light and fluffy with a prominent buttermilk flavor and an all around southern classic. One year for our annual Christmas Family party in North Carolina, I made mini cupcakes with red and green frosting. She came over and told me I couldn’t ever make them again because she ate about 10 of them, lol! And she’s requested them ever since! The other half of this combo is cheesecake. When I was in middle and high school, I had a cheesecake business to make money of my own. I made all different kinds of cheesecake, but I found that my favorite was the classic. In college, I started making red velvet cheesecake cakes and my friend Brian told me it was his favorite! So when I brought this recipe to mind I really wanted to bring the two, in a really easy way. Check the deets for more!

THE DEETS

The deets on this is fairly simple because this is a small batch recipe for the cake with a very simple, one bowl cheesecake recipe. The first key here is to use buttermilk. NOT milk plus lemon juice (it doesn’t work the same in baking) and not sub it for anything, except plain kefir if you really have to! The buttermilk not only gives the cake it’s signature flavor, it also. Adds rise to the cake itself by interacting with the baking powder AND it tenderizes the cake as well. In other words, don’t skip it! Another thing with this recipe is the no bake cheesecake, this one is no bake, but it does need to set up. I usually make mine the night before I need it so it has a long time to set up before I have to cut into it, making sure you don’t get a droopy slice! It also reduces your likelihood of being tempted to indulge early! This recipe works so well with other combinations and you can flavor the cheesecake appropriately. Ok, I want to give ya’ll this recipe, so scroll down for the tips I have to combat some anticipated questions!

TIPS FOR MAKING

This recipe is insanely simple, so I don’t think there are too many tips needed, but just in case, here you go:

• In case you didn’t read it above, I’ll say it again: DO NOT SUBSTITUTE BUTTERMILK IN BAKING! But, if you have to, kefir is a great sub in flavor and science! If you’re worried about having it left over, it freezes VERY well. You can freeze in cubes or plastic water bottles!
• Let the cake cool *completely* before adding the cheesecake. This includes the pan. Otherwise, everything you did would be in vain because it WILL melt!
• Speaking of cold, make sure you’re working with cold ingredients in order to have the best no bake cheesecake. This will ensure you get fluffiness and a firmly set cheesecake! Trust me, I’ve done it with cool ingredients and just that slight difference yielded a much softer set cake.

Alright kids! That’s all I’ve got. Make this one for a beautifully festive dessert that’s perfect for this time of year with minimal effort! And as always, be sure to tag me when you make it or ask any questions below!!

Don’t forget to tag me in your photos online @lizeeangel or using #lizeeangel. And as always, comment below and please, like, share and follow me on youtube, instagram, twitter, facebook and pinterest!