1⁄2 pound cream cheese (one 8-ounce packages), room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 a vanilla bean, scraped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
11⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
11⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup granulated white sugar
11⁄2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3⁄4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
1, 1-ounce bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1⁄2 pound whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1⁄2 teaspoon lemon oil
pinch salt
18 seasonal edible flowers
Instructions
For Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
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 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 mix the cream cheese and the sour cream and blend until it is nice and smooth and creamy. Mix in the sugar, vanilla beans, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. 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 (it will fill the pan surrounding the cheesecake).
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. This can be done in several hours- or overnight.
For Red Velvet Cake Layers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease and flour two 8-inch round metal baking pans (or spray with nonstick baking spray with flour).
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended.
Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pans, dividing equally.
Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, then invert cakes onto a rack to cool completely.
For Lemon Frosting
Melt the white chocolate over a double broiler. Let it cool slightly, but don’t let it set. Whip the cream cheese, butter, lemon oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Slowly add the melted white chocolate and mix until smooth.
Spoon the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and refrigerate until set.
Pipe the frosting onto the Red Velvet Cheesecake and garnish with the edible flowers. You’ll want to serve these pretty quickly after frosting and garnishing, so feel free to make the cake part beforehand.
