Velvelicious

When I first heard about a red cake in preschool, I couldn't believe it. Who would want to eat a red cake?! And then with my first bite I fell in love with it. The cake soft and fluffy and the cream cheese frosting melting away in your mouth.

When I decided to open up the blog I decided that trying to bake a red velvet cake was going to be one of the first projects I attempt. To be quite honest I always thought that baking a red velvet cake was going to be a challenge, but soon came to the conclusion that it is much like baking any other cake.

The cream cheese frosting was a first for me and, even if I have to say so myself, it came out delicious. And the great part is that it is rather easy to make.

The red velvet cake is perfect for any occasion, from a birthday to a casual gathering with friends.

If I have to look at the disadvantages of this cake only one springs to mind... The cream cheese is a bit expensive!

I leave you with the recipe and a few notes. I hope you enjoy baking it as much as I did and please let me know your thoughts and how your red velvet cake came out.

Ingredients:

Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2.5 tablespoons of cocoa powder

pinch of salt

0.5 cup of butter or margarine

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, separated

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vinegar

red food coloring

1 cup milk

Cream cheese frosting

350g of plain cream cheese

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 cups castor sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Method:

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

2. Spray 2 cake pans with non-stick, cut out 2 circles of wax paper and place in the pans, spray non-stick again.

3. Mix the dry ingredients and set aside.

4. Mix the butter and sugar together with a mixer for 2 minutes, add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla and vinegar. Beat for a minute or until mixed properly.

5. Whilst mixing on a low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk alternatively.

6. Add the food coloring - 3 to 4 teaspoons should give the desired color.

7. Beat the egg whites till peaks form and fold it into the batter.

8. Divide the batter between the 2 pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

9. Set aside to cool before you apply the cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

1. Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter (at room temperature) for 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add the castor sugar, vanilla and salt.

3. Mix for 3 minutes or until thick and creamy.

4. Ice the cake when it is cool.

Notes

• I couldn't find red food coloring, so I used crimson pink and it worked just as well.

• Depending on the amount of layers, you might have to make double the cream cheese frosting - I only made 2 layers.

• When cutting off the tops of the cakes to make a flat surface, use the crumbs to crumble over the cream cheese frosting.

Download recipe:

Red Velvet Cake.pdf

Download PDF • 137KB