I'm stressing myself out over this cake request! She wants a red velvet bottom & middle tier, cherry top tier, with cream cheese icing....NO fondant....with a simple red rope & bow in the center of both tiers. Then writing on the bottom. The only cream cheese recipes I know of are heavy and dont crust. Also transparent. I also think the red rope & writing will bleed onto the icing. And you will see the actual cake through the icing as well unless its 5 inches thick!! UGH! I'm thinking its gonna be a disaster! ANY advice would be MUCH appreciated!!!

What usually works for me is I use the traditional creamcheese frosting in between the layers than I make a crusting recipe for the outside. I use the wilton buttercream recipe but trade the 1 cup butter/shortening for 6oz cream cheese 2oz butter. I use it to pipe the borders and decorate the cake also.(just watch to make sure the heat from your hands don't melt it ) Just frost the cake a day in advance. hope this helps

Earlene's cream cheese recipe might work for you.

One thing that you need to consider is refrigeration. Many cream cheese recipes need to be refrigerated and can't sit out safely for the entire length of the wedding reception.

Earlene's doesn't have to be refrigerated, and it does crust. There are some other cream cheese recipes out there that don't need refrigeration. The crusting recipes will be your best bet for keeping the red from bleeding.

Also, could you make the red details from candy clay? That's the least likely to leach color into the white icing.