red velvet cheesecake truffles

What makes red velvet cake better? Add cheesecake. I had some leftover red velvet cupcakes in the freezer that were taking up way too much space. I wanted to do something different with them then simply de-frost and ice with frosting. (Not that it would be a bad idea.) That was when I found this recipe, for carrot cake truffles, originally from Momofuku Milk Bar. These are similar to a cake pop, but instead of combining cake crumbs with frosting, you combine it with what is called liquid cheesecake. It is cupcake meets cheesecake meets truffle. Sorry bikini season..you are just going to have to wait.

To make the liquid cheesecake:

 With a mixer, cream the cream cheese for two minutes.

Add the sugar. 

Cream for another 3-4 minutes until smooth.

In another bowl, combine the cornstarch and salt. Then add your milk and egg and whisk until it is all combined.

Combine the egg mixture with the cream cheese mixture. Mix until combined. Then pour into a lined pan. Then Bake!

For the cake crumbs:

In a bowl, crumble the cupcakes with a fork. Until they look like this:

Then add the liquid cheesecake and roll into balls.

Roll in white chocolate and let cool. This process will be messy! (At least it was for me)

For the red velvet cupcakes (for this recipe I used 12 cupcakes)

2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) liquid red food coloring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
For the frosting:*
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar.  Beat on medium speed until well blended.  Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners.  Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes.  Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. (I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.)
 

For the liquid cheesecake:
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c. white sugar, granulated
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk, whole
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 300°.

Put cream cheese into a medium sized bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the sugar and mix for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has been completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Whisk together the cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk in a slow, steady stream, then whisk in the egg until the slurry is homogenous.

With the mixer on a medium-low speed, stream in the egg slurry. Paddle for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is smooth and loose. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Line the sides and bottom of a 6″ x 6″ baking pan with plastic wrap. Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan and bake for 15 minutes. It is done when it is set on the edges but still jiggly in the center. If the edges aren’t quite set, bake for 5 minute increments until it’s done, no more than 25 minutes.

Cool completely to finish the baking process and allow the cheesecake to set. It will be creamy and spreadable and can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to a week. 

For the truffles:

Please note: I used 12 regular sized cupcakes for this recipe so I had a little bit more than the recipe called for, I just added a few more tablespoons of the liquid cheesecake. I was able to get almost 2 dozen truffles with the cupcakes. If you don't have red velvet? Feel free to use any flavored cupcake. I just happen to have red velvet in my freezer.

3-4 c. cake scraps

2-4 tbsp. liquid cheesecake

white chocolate, melted

Combine the crushed-up cake with 2 tablespoons of the liquid cheesecake. Mix using your hands. If it is moist enough to knead into a ball then you’re set, if not add some more liquid cheesecake until it will hold its shape. Portion out 12-14 balls of the mixture.

Dip each ball of cake into the white chocolate until well coated. Place finished truffles on parchment paper and put them in the fridge for at least 5 minutes to fully set the chocolate before serving. Truffles can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.