Kendra's Treats

As I was wasting time on Facebook, someone posted a picture of a piece of cake from The Cheesecake Factory. It looked delicious – a layer of cheesecake sandwiched between two layers of cake – yum! Since I haven’t been lucky enough to actually eat at The Cheesecake Factory yet, I set out to make my own version. And since tomorrow is Memorial Day, I decided to make a patriotic themed cake with a strawberry layer, a cheesecake layer, and a blueberry layer….and then I remembered that it’s only me and Jordan and how in the world would we eat an entire 3 layer cake?!? So I headed to Walmart to buy some 6 inch cake pans – something I’ve been wanting to buy for a while but just couldn’t convince myself that I really needed them and didn’t know how I’d fit anymore equipment into my small kitchen ;). I’m pretty sure I’ll be using them all the time though! They’re the perfect size when you’re feeding a smaller crowd and so cute!

I took a simple vanilla cake recipe, divided the batter, and added blueberries to half and strawberries to the other half. Then I made a basic cheesecake layer. Since I knew I wanted minimal frosting, I went with a cream cheese whipped cream frosting – light and airy and perfect for a summer time dessert! And I’m pretty sure this is my new favorite frosting now – delicious =)! Happy Memorial Day! Enjoy!

Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Layer Cake
for the cake:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
3 tbsp sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
red and blue food coloring, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 2 – 6 inch round cake pans with cooking spray. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you’ll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
4. Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined.  The batter will be liquid. Divide batter in 2 separate bowls (about 1 cup in each bowl).
5. In one bowl, add blue food coloring and fold in fresh blueberries. Pour into cake pan.
6. In other bowl, add red food coloring and fold in fresh strawberries. Pour into remaining cake pan.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and top springs back lightly when touched. Cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely on cooling racks.

for the cheesecake filling:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy (about a minute).
2. Add sugar and beat until fully combined. Beat in egg and continue to mix on medium speed 30 seconds more.
3. Pour into parchment lined 6 inch cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely.

for the cream cheese frosting:
4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cold
1 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream, cold

1. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add whipping cream. Change to whisk attachment and whisk until thick and fluffy.

To assemble:
1. Before starting, make sure all layers are well-chilled.
2. Place blueberry layer on desired serving plate. Top with a thin layer of frosting.
3. Next, add cheesecake layer and top with another thin layer of frosting.
4. Next, add the strawberry layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Garnish with more berries if desired. Chill at least an hour before serving. Store in refrigerator.

Notes:
1. This cake is around 6 servings. If you don’t have 6 inch cake pans, you could easily double the recipe and use 8 or 9 inch pans. Baking times should be about the same, but you’ll want to watch them closely to be sure.
2. I used gel food coloring to achieve a bright blue and red, but if you aren’t necessarily wanting a patriotic themed cake just omit the food coloring.
3. Make sure your bowl, paddle, and whisk are cold before starting the frosting. Otherwise, the whipping cream won’t “whip” up.