Red velvet and cheesecake in one glass, with no springform pan, no water bath and no worrying about cracks. You bake a simple red velvet sheet cake, crumble it, and layer the crumbs with a light no-bake cheesecake cream. The red and white stripes show through the glass, so they look far fancier than the effort involved. This is my own party dessert rather than a Ramsay recipe.
Plan on about 25 minutes of baking, 10 minutes for the filling, and at least 2 hours in the fridge. If you’d rather have a classic baked cheesecake, try my Gordon Ramsay Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe.
Ingredients
For the red velvet cake
- 1 1/4 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red gel food coloring
For the cheesecake cream
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
To finish
- 4 fresh strawberries, halved
- 1/4 cup white chocolate curls
You’ll need a 9×13-inch (or 9×9-inch) metal pan, a hand or stand mixer, four clear 8–10 oz glasses and a piping bag with a large star tip.
Shortcut: boxed cake mix
If you’re short on time, bake a boxed red velvet mix in a 9×13-inch pan following the package, cool it and crumble it. Everything else stays the same. Gel food coloring gives a much deeper red than liquid if you’re baking from scratch.
Method
- Bake the cake. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease the pan. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in one bowl. In another, whisk the oil, buttermilk, egg, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring. Stir the wet into the dry just until combined, spread it in the pan and bake for 22–25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Don’t overbake; a dry cake makes dusty crumbs. Cool completely.
- Crumble it. Break the cake into a bowl and rub it into pea-sized crumbs. Set aside 1/2 cup of the finest crumbs for the top.
- Beat the cream cheese. Beat the softened cream cheese with the powdered sugar and vanilla until completely smooth, scraping the bowl once. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps you can’t fix later.
- Whip and fold. In a chilled bowl, whip the cold cream with the sugar to soft, glossy peaks. Stir a third of it into the cream cheese to loosen it, then fold in the rest gently until no streaks remain.
- Layer the glasses. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of crumbs into each glass, then 1/3 cup of cheesecake cream. Repeat once more. Spoon rather than pour, and keep the layers level so the stripes look neat through the glass.
- Finish and chill. Pipe a swirl of the remaining whipped cream on each (whip an extra 1/2 cup if you’ve run out). Scatter with the reserved crumbs and white chocolate, top with a strawberry half and chill for at least 2 hours.
Making them for a party
- A day ahead: layer the cups up to 24 hours in advance and keep them covered in the fridge. Add the piped cream, strawberries and chocolate within a few hours of serving so they look fresh.
- For a crowd: the recipe doubles easily. One sheet cake makes more crumbs than four cups need, so a double batch of filling with the same cake gives you about eight.
- Storage: they keep for up to 3 days in the fridge, though the crumbs soften after the first day. They don’t freeze well; the filling turns grainy.
Gordon Ramsay Red Velvet Cheesecake Cups Recipe
Moist red velvet cake crumbs layered with a silky no-bake cheesecake filling in individual glass cups, finished with piped whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and white chocolate curls.
25 minutes
25 minutes
2 hours 50 minutes
4 cups
Ingredients
Instructions
Chef Tips
- Use room-temperature cream cheese, buttermilk, and egg — they blend lump-free and keep the cake tender.
- Pull the cake when a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs; overbaking makes dry, dusty crumbs.
- Whip the cream in a chilled bowl so the peaks stay firm and the piped swirls hold.
- Assemble up to 24 hours ahead; add the strawberries and chocolate curls just before serving for the freshest look.
More desserts to try
Find more dessert ideas on Pinterest.
[…] a no-bake option, try my Red Velvet Cheesecake Cups. Other fruit desserts include the Blueberry Cream Tart, the Easy Lemon Cake and the Strawberry […]