Red Velvet Cheesecake Layer Cake

for the cheesecake layer:- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and set a pot of water to boil.- Grease a 9 springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap the outside of the pain with tinfoil to keep water out, and set the pan into a larger pan (for the water bath).- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add the sugar and beat until smooth.- Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.-

Add eggs one at a time, making sure they are combined but not overmixed.-

Add the sour cream and stir in the flour until just combined.-

Pour the batter into the greased pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan, halfway up the cheesecake pan.-

Bake until the cheesecake is just set in the middle about 40 minutes.- Run a knife along the sides of the pan and let the cheesecake cool completely by placing plastic wrap onto the surface of the cheesecake and refrigerating overnight in the pan.for the red velvet layer:- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9 pans.-

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and vinegar together until well combined.- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until well combined.

Add the food coloring until desired color is achieved.- Divide the batter equally between the 2 pans.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway.- Cool the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert them onto cooling racks to cool completely.for the cream cheese frosting:- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until light and creamy.

Add the vanilla extract.- Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until well combined, about 2-3 minutes.for assembly:- I made the cheesecake and red velvet cake one night and let them both sturdy-up in the fridge overnight. The next day, I whipped up the frosting and assembled the cake.- First, layer the cakes on top of each other and apply a thin coat of frosting and return to the fridge for 30 minutes. This is your crumb coat.- If youre decorating the cake as I did, apply another layer of smooth frosting to the top of the cake and leave the sides alone.- Load the rest of the frosting into a piping bag fit with a large open-star tip and follow Amanda's rose tutorial to decorate the sides..- Return to the fridge until ready to serve.*Note: I made a whole batch of this cream cheese frosting for my 6 cake, and didnt have much left over, so if you would like to recreate the roses, I would suggest doubling this frosting recipe for a 9 cake to make sure you have enough!