Red Velvet Cheesecake

1. Grind the shortbread chocolate cookies into small crumbs using a mortar, masher or blender.

2. Melt the butter over low heat or in the microwave. Pour into the shortbread crumbs.

3. Put the shortbread base of the future cheesecake. Smooth it out and tamp it down with a spoon. Put the pan in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. It is better to use fatty, homemade cottage cheese. If you don’t have any, you can use store-bought cottage cheese. Rub both through a fine metal sieve.

5. Add cocoa powder to enhance the taste and color.

6. Add sour cream to the cottage cheese.

7. Mix everything thoroughly by hand, with a mixer or blender.

8. Pour milk and sugar into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The sugar should completely dissolve. Cool until warm.

9. Cover the gelatin sheets with cold water and leave for 5 minutes. Then squeeze and place in warm sweet milk, stir.

10. Pour the milk with gelatin into the curd mass. Bring the mass to a uniform consistency using a mixer at low speed.

11. Add 2-3 drops of liquid food coloring. Stir the mass until it is completely colored. If you do not want to use food coloring, you can replace it with a natural one, for example, beetroot, or leave the cheesecake without it at all.

12. Remove the mold from the refrigerator and place the cheese mass in it. Carefully spread the surface of the dessert and return it back to the refrigerator until completely hardened, for at least 5 hours.

13. Open the removable mold (if the mold is not removable, then you need to run a hot knife along the edge - this will make it easier to remove), transfer the cake to a plate and serve on the festive table. The Red Velvet Cheesecake is ready, you can start the celebration!

14. I think your guests will be pleased with the tender, soft, curd dessert.

15. Enjoy the holidays.