For my first post, I wanted to make something AMAZING! I knew that this was not going to be easy however I also knew the perfect recipe to share - an incredible Red Velvet Cake. My recipe for a red velvet cake will certainly please everyone.
What is a Red Velvet Cake?
Quite simply, a red velvet cake is a vanilla cake with a hint of cocoa, made with buttermilk and vinegar to add an acidic taste, this is dyed red to earn its name as a red velvet cake. The unique mix of colours and flavours makes the iconic taste of a red velvet cake.
Why is it red?
There is no confirmed answer to this question, but the legend goes that a factory in America was making food colouring. Not many people were buying red food colouring, so the manager decided to devise a recipe using red food colouring using the things in his cupboard. Therefore, the red velvet cake was born. The best food colouring to use is a concentrated gel food colouring, as with liquid food colouring, a lot has to be used to achieve a rich red colour.
Buttermilk?
Buttermilk is one of those ingredients which you probably don't keep in your fridge, and though it may seem unnecessary, it is a vital part of the cake's unique taste. You can find buttermilk in dairy aisles in shops but there are alternatives. When I made this cake I could not get hold of any buttermilk because I am currently in lockdown. Plain yoghurt is fine however I could not get hold of any so I decided to make my own buttermilk. Although this is not the best alternative, it is one that got the job done. To make the right amount of buttermilk for this recipe, measure 80ml of whole or semi-skimmed milk and add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Leave for 30 minutes for the milk to curdle and become acidic.
Butter or Oil?
Many recipes for red velvet cake say to use vegetable oil as the fat in the cake instead of butter, whereas I prefer to use butter. This is because vegetable oil can make the batter too wet whereas the butter makes the batter have a perfect consistency.
Luxury Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
Cake Batter
· 250g Unsalted Butter
· 3 Eggs
· 80ml Buttermilk
· 1tbsp White Wine Vinegar
· 300g Granulated Sugar
· 300g Self-Raising Flour
· 20g Cocoa Powder
· 1tsp Vanilla Extract
· 1tsp Salt
· 1tsp Baking Powder
· 3 squirts of Red Gel Food Colouring (or a tbsp of liquid food colouring)
Cream Cheese Buttercream
· 300g Unsalted Butter
· 200g Full Fat Cream Cheese
· 600g Icing Sugar
· 1tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions:
Red Velvet Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)
2. Grease and line two 7-inch or 8-inch cake tins.
3. In a large bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar for around 5 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl for dry ingredients sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix these together to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
5. In a smaller bowl for wet ingredients, add the buttermilk (or buttermilk alternative - see above), vanilla extract, vinegar and the food colouring. It is best to add small amounts at a time until you get the colour you want.
6. Add a small amount of the dry ingredients and a small amount of the wet ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and mix on a low speed. This is to avoid the mixture splitting.
7. Continue adding the dry and wet ingredients slowly until all the ingredients have been mixed in. Be careful not to overmix the batter because it may knock the air out.
8. Divide the batter evenly into the cake tins and bake for 25-30mins depending on your oven.
9. Once the cakes are out of the oven, carefully remove the cake from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool.
10. When the cakes have fully cooled, level the cake tops with a serrated knife.
11. Keep these cake tops and crumble them with a fork, save these for decoration.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
1. Mix the butter vigorously for 5-10mins until it is a pale colour.
2. Add the sieved icing sugar in a number of instalments in order to make sure it is properly combined.
3. Add the cream cheese and vanilla extract and mix until it reaches the correct consistency.
4. It is important to try the buttercream to see how sweet you would like it. If it is not sweet enough, try adding some extra icing sugar.
5. Cover the buttercream to avoid a crust on the top forming.
Assembly
1. Place the first layer of cake onto the board and spread or pipe an even layer of icing on the cake and place the second layer on top.
2. On the top layer add another generous layer of cream cheese buttercream.
3. Decorate by sprinkling the saved cake crumbs on the top.
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