Red Velvet Bars

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

Show: Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra LeeEpisode: Girl's Hoedown Party

Rated: 3 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (104)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(104)

Cook Time:
40 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
12 servings

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 40 min
Total:: 50 min

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Ingredients

For Cake:

1 box (18 1/4 ounces) German chocolate cake mix (recommended: Betty Crocker)
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 ounce red food coloring (recommended: McCormick)

For Cream Cheese Layer:

16 ounces cream cheese, softened (recommended: Philadelphia)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (recommended: McCormick)

Directions

Set up grill for indirect cooking over medium heat. Spray 9 by 13-inch foil pan with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat with an electric mixer on low speed, cake mix, butter, egg, and food coloring until combined. Press cake mixture into prepared pan; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat to combine. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake layer.

Place foil pan in a second foil pan for stability and insulation. Place on hot grill away from heat. Cover and bake 40 to 50 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through baking.

Remove from grill and cool completely before cutting.

INDOOR: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 by13-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray; set aside. Prepare bars as directed. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until bars barely start to pull away from sides. Cool completely before cutting.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Red Velvet Bars
Marie Clackamas, OR 07-26-2009
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Made a few changes
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This reminds me of black bottom cupcakes. I did add an extra egg to the batter and some extra sugar to the cream cheese... batter. Not bad.Read more
recipe Red Velvet Bars
Diana Snellville, GA 07-24-2009
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Really, Really Bad
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I was so looking forward to these but they were really terrible. Dense, dry without much flavor. Cooking time was way off -... at 33 minutes they were dry and over done. First one of Sandra's recipes I tried and I was very disappointed. I actually wished there was some way I could get my money back on the ingredients I was so disappointed.Read more
recipe Red Velvet Bars
marilyn katy, TX 07-20-2009
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so good
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These are wonderful ! Make these now, you will not be sorry.
recipe Red Velvet Bars
Katy Pembroke Pines, FL 07-18-2009
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Great Recipe
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Sandra Lee's show is called 'Semi-Homemade' for a reason. There's less fresh ingredients, as she states in the opening of the... show, or how I see it fewer chances to mess up since it's mostly pre-packaged items in the recipe. Those reviews I find bashing her, or complaining theirs didn't come out right and 'what a waste' obviously just need to blame themselves. No need to be so rude because of your ignorance in baking. This recipe is so easy and so great in the end.Read more
recipe Red Velvet Bars
Mary Ann S. Abington Township, PA 07-17-2009
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Good Job Niki!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I really wanted to make this recipe when I saw Sandra do it, but was also afraid of all the bad reviews, so I followed Niki's... advice to a letter. I used the red velvet cake mix, added the 2 Tblsp. of Cocoa Powder, (I thought the color of the cake mix was already pretty red, so I just used 1 tsp. of the food coloring and substituted water for the rest of the liquid). After spreading that into the pan, I poked the batter with a fork. Then I used 3 blocks of cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 tsp. of the vanilla. Sandra showed how to make it in a 9x13 with foil, so I did that. I sprayed it a little w/ cooking spray. Then I baked it for a little over 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Just watch for the top of the cream cheese to get stable, and the sides start to pull away a little. It is amazing and I can't wait to take it to a party tomorrow night. It's in the refrigerator right now, but I did sneak a taste just before I put it in. WOW...................it's going to be a keeper in my recipe file!Read more
recipe Red Velvet Bars
Niki Palos Hills, IL 06-15-2009
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I made these with lots of changes!!!! AWESOME AFTER THAT!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

First off, don't be scared! I was searching for a red velvet cheesecake recipe when I found these. I am not a Sandra Lee... fan AT ALL! But I saw all these bad reviews and thought to myself that i had to make these perfect. I paid attention to what everyone else was saying when they made them. One, bake for only 30 min!!! Two, use red velvet cake mix, not german chocolate and add 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, it won't make them any less red, and it adds lots of flavor! Three, add 1 cup of sugar to the cheesecake not just 1/2 cup sugar Four, 2 tbsp of vanilla to the cheesecake! It's all about flavor. Five, when you press the cake dough down, after it's smooth, stab it w/ a fork all over to guarantee the cheesecake layer does not separate from the bar layer. The cheesecake will not seep thru and make it look swirly, but it will hold it in place. Also, don't eat them that day. They are so much better the next day after sitting in the fridge overnight. Or you can just read my blog for my recipe and print it out like I made them: http://nikisbakingspot.blogspot.com/2009/06/desserts.htmlRead more