Red Velvet Brownies!
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A simple yet delicious red velvet brownie recipe with a vanilla and chocolate red velvet inspired base, with a vanilla cheesecake swirl throughout. A fun and tasty brightly coloured bake that is easy to prep and make, and is always a good crowd pleaser.
Notes from The Patisserie
So the time has come, to give you… RED. VELVET. BROWNIES. Yeah, that’s right – red velvet brownies. This is a recipe that has been requested for longer than I can remember, so I am finally giving you the ultimate dream!
Some people may be a little confused from the beginning here about how you can have red velvet in brownie form, but roll with me. It’s possible. And it’s DELICIOUS. To explain the bake… red velvet cake is basically a chocolate and vanilla cake, that is also red. Originally, they were not made using red food colouring, but these days, it’s just the easiest and most straight forward route.
Ingredient notes + tips for the best bake
The brownie mixture
- Butter – for the brownie base you can use a block unsalted butter at room temperature, or you can use a baking spread/margarine
- Sugar – I used caster sugar as I don’t want any colour in the sugar, but I still want the sweetness. Using other sugars could change the end result as you are heavily relying on the food colouring
- Vanilla – I believe this to be essential in this bake for the flavour you are after – I prefer a good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Food colouring – read more below
- Eggs – I use medium eggs, so I use four in this recipe – but you can swap to three large if that is what you have instead
- Cocoa – I prefer to use a strong 100% cocoa powder, even though it is deeper in colour. This is because you need to use a smaller amount for the best results, but still get the richness of the chocolate
- Flour – it’s important to use plain flour here as you do not want any raising agent – anything else will cause a cake texture
- Vinegar – this adds flavour and helps with the texture of the brownie
The cheesecake mixture
As this cheesecake is a baked mixture, it’s quite different to other cheesecake recipes on my blog. It’s a simple four ingredient mixture that has a much runnier texture than others, so don’t worry if you think it looks different.
- Cheese – it’s best to use a full-fat soft cheese (you can use supermarket own, or a brand such as Philadelphia)
- Sugar – I use caster sugar to bring in the sweetness to combat the tart flavour of the cheese
- Vanilla – a hint of vanilla does a world of wonders for a simple baked cheesecake mixture
- Egg – one egg yolk helps actually bake the cheesecake mix, allowing it to set properly in the oven.
What red food colouring should I use?
The main issues with baking red velvet cakes and other bakes, has always been using the incorrect food colouring. I will say it over and over again.. you MUST use good quality colouring. Supermarket own colours (especially ones in the UK where I am from) are not good enough quality, unfortunately.
The quantity in which you use is also quite key, as the best colours are super super strong, you don’t need a lot. A little goes a long way, and you don’t want to go over kill as all strong food colours have a weight allowed per bake (always best to read the labels)
Cocoa powder is a vital ingredient, but also the ingredient that can cause food colouring to not work with it being brown and all – combat this, by using my recommended red food colour.
Making the best red velvet brownies
The full recipe and method can be found in the recipe card below, but here are some tips to make the BEST version of these that you can.
- Creaming together the butter and sugar fully first prevents any butter lumps in the batter later on – block butter I use at room temperature to make it easier to mix, but a baking spread or margarine can be used from fridge cold
- You do not need to use a fancy stand mixer or hand mixer to make these, you can definitely make them by hand. Just make sure to not over-mix, as any cake/bake mixture can have texture issues if it is over mixed.
- Baking until there is a small wobble in the middle is best – timings can vary in any recipe as ovens wildly vary themselves. Even if you have 10 electric fan ovens set to ‘the same thing’ it may still be different so it’s finding what works for your oven.
- It’s best to let them set in the tin and then fridge to let the brownies firm up and the cheesecake set properly before slicing
FAQs
Theoretically yes, but how colours respond to the mix depends on the colour, strength of colour and what you want as an end result.
No – the bottles of liquid colouring typically found in supermarkets are NOT strong enough (see notes above)
For sure! I use vanilla as a base as I find it complements the red velvet well, but you can leave this out, or flavour it completely differently. I would recommend 1tsp of a strong flavouring
Yes, you can! Half of the recipe fits a 7″ square tin. Baking time will reduce
Red Velvet Brownie Recipe
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 275 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp red food colouring (see blog post)
- 4 medium eggs
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 125 g plain flour
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Cheesecake Swirl
- 250 g full-fat soft cream cheese
- 75 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan and line a 9×9" square tin with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until combined
- Add in the vanilla and red food colouring and mix again
- Add in the eggs and mix together
- Add in the cocoa powder, and plain flour, and mix.
- Finally, add in the white wine vinegar and stir through
- In a separate bowl, add the full-fat soft cream cheese and mix to loosen slightly
- Add the sugar and vanilla and mix together
- Add the egg yolk, and mix through.
- Pour 90% of the brownie mixture into the prepared lined tin
- Dollop over the cream cheese mix, and then dollop over the last little bit of brownie mix
- Swirl the mixture together – and then bake in the oven for 28-35 minutes. Mine were in for 30.
- Leave to cool in the tin, and then set in the fridge for at least an hour (but preferably overnight)
Notes
- These will lsat for 3-4+ days, in the fridge.
- They can freeze for 3+ months
- I recommend using this red food colouring for this recipe
- I also recommend using this 9 square tin for this recipe.
Storage & Freezing
These red velvet brownies are delicious once they have been chilled and set in the fridge. They will last for 3-4+ days, preferably in the fridge due to the cheesecake mixture. They could last out of the fridge for a couple of hours on a cool day, but really they should be chilled.
These red velvet brownies can be cooled for 3+ months – I would personally portion the red velvet brownies first, and then freeze in a freezer safe container.
These red velvet brownies with a vanilla cheesecake swirl look absolutely divine! The rich, velvety texture of the brownies paired with the creamy, tangy cheesecake swirl is a match made in dessert heaven. The striking contrast between the deep red and the white swirl makes them as beautiful as they are delicious. Can’t wait to try this recipe—thanks for sharing such a decadent treat!
Gutted.
Made them for first time & came out wet & sludgy even after baking for 33 minutes.
Left to cool & refrigerated.
Not sure what went wrong.
If you swirl in the cheesecake mixture too much this can happen, but also if the baking tin size is changed x
I made them yesterday, baked for 35 mins & still underdone, I did double the recipe & use a larger tin so not sure if that’s the cause but I make my regular brownies ( not Jane’s recipe) in the same tin & they bake perfectly in 25 mins, next time I will bake for 45 mins
Not every recipe works by doubling and changing the tin size, without changing something such as oven temp or timings. I would definitely say this recipe would likely need longer than 35 minutes if you had baked in a larger tin and doubled it
Made these brownies at the weekend and managed to make 2 batches of them, and wow they were the best brownies I’ve made!!
Took a batch into work and cut them into small brownie bites and my work colleagues were saying how amazing and delicious they were, then went in seconds!!
My tips for people who have struggled to make them –
– I used the recommended red velvet paste
– I used mascarpone cheese as it was more solid and it didn’t leak through the bottom
– I used a cocktail stick to make the swirls with the cream cheese
– The first batch I cooked, I did for 35 mins, however the second I did I cooked for 30 mins and they tasted less dry and were very gooey which was the best part
– I allowed the brownies to cool down fully, then once they were cool I put them in the fridge for 24 hours
I think they key to this recipe is to be patient, I wouldn’t recommend eating them straight after they’ve cooked as I don’t think they’re those type of brownies unfortunately!!
Hope this helps!
Fab recipe I shall be making it again, thankyou!!!
Hi there ,
Just wondering do you actually need the white wine vinegar, as I don’t have any to hand and probably wouldn’t use it again….thanks
Wanting to make these but was wondering can I use regular sugar and regular butter these were bought by someone else instead of the right ones you listed
Hiya! What do you mean by regular butter and regular sugar? x
Caster sugar = powdered sugar. If you only have granulated Sugar (“regular sugar” here in the US) you can make your own. Just put granulated sugar in a blender or food processor and process until superfine or “powdered”. If you are going to use the sugar immediately, you don’t need to add anything to it. If you want to make enough powdered sugar to store to use later, add 1 tsp cornstarch for each cup of sugar you are grinding… hope this helps!
Sorry, just wanted to say that caster sugar is not at all the same as powdered sugar! Granulated should work fine, soft brown sugar would also work. If by regular butter you mean salted, it should be fine
I have tried to make red velvet brownies in the past but all of the recipes I tested did not work so I really did not expect this one to work. I put the brownies in the oven for 35 minutes and when I took them out they were not done so I put them back in and lowered the heat and let them cook for 10 more minutes and let them cool before trying it. This is the best red velvet brownies I have ever made, I will definitely be making this again
hi, i wanted to ask if you used caster sugar or granulated sugar for the brownies, and did they come flavorful? i have a huge problem with desserts tasting bland, even though i make sure to follow it to a T! it could be my fault of course, but i am curious ♡
How do i get this recipe into tsp, tablespoon and measuring cups?
Hi,
I made these today. Baked for 33 minutes, it was still slightly wobbly in the middle. I left them in the tray for over half an hour. When I went to turn them onto the wire rack the middle weeped through the rack. The middle was not cooked at all.
Any advice please?
Hiya! I always bake them until there is a slight wobble in the middle, then leave them to ‘set’ overnight in the fridge. Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane, I’ve baked a lot of your brownie recipes and usually use gluten free flour without making any other adaptions and they’re still amazingly gooey. Reading the recipe this sounds different to other brownie recipes, do you think I can still use gf flour without any other adaptions? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hiya! I personally have not tested this – but let me know the outcome if you do! x
I’ve just made them with GF plain flour. Cooked till they had just a wobble. Cooled and then put in fridge for a couple of hours before sampling a corner! I would say they are rather heavy without the chewy texture of regular brownies. The mixture was incredibly runny and I was concerned. They taste alright but I’d describe as dense. The cream cheese mixture didn’t really make the layers as shown in the recipe. I think next time I might try with GF self raising flour.
I made these the other day, and Oh My Gosh!!!! They are delicious! I have one question though, I was wondering if they can be made a bit more fudgy. Can I substitute some of the butter with vegetable oil?
Hiya! Unfortunately I personally have not tested this, so I cannot say for certain! Hope this helps! x
How would this work for a cake recipe, have some who loves these but wants it in their wedding cake
Hiya! Take a look at my Red Velvet cake recipe! Hope this helps, enjoy! x
This is the only recipe of your I haven’t been able to get right 🙁
The cream cheese was very runny, I didn’t over mix but it just didn’t seem to at any point be a spoonable mixture.
Baked it and had the wobble in the middle but it’s raw at the bottom.
Such a shame as it smells so good!!!! Gutted is an understatement. Any ideas where I went wrong?
Hiya! The cheesecake mix will naturally be slightly thinner as it is baked – it sounds like it just needed slightly longer in the oven! Hope this helps! x
Can I substitute the white vinegar wine for lemon? Thank you in advance
Hiya! Yes it’s absolutely worth a go! Hope this helps! x