Making this cake was really fun (considering I made two of them within 15 hours of each other), and I would do it again if I had a valid reason. The biggest problem I see with eating this cake is the amount of food coloring in it (it had quite a bit), although people usually do not mind.
The result? A deliciously moist, subtly chocolate cake. My favorite part about it is looking at it, although everyone I've fed it to has loved it.
The ingredients pictured below make 2 Red Velvet cakes. I also used the cream cheese frosting recipe that was linked on PinchMySalt, which is credited to Garrett McCord. The sweetness of the cake was complimented extremely well by the tangy frosting.
Recipe for Red Velvet cake (adapted):
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans.
In a medium bowl, mix together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine food coloring and cocoa powder to form a deep red paste; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You can use a mixer if you have one (mix for about three minutes).
Beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla and cocoa paste. Make sure these ingredients are well-incorporated.
Combine the flour mixture and buttermilk in this manner:
1/3 of total flour mixture and incorporate it.
1/2 cup buttermilk, mix it well.
1/3 of total flour mixture (or 1/2 of the remaining mixture), mix well.
1/2 cup buttermilk, mix it well.
1/3 of total flour mixture (the rest of it), mix well.
You will observe the color getting lighter as you add in these ingredients. Make sure these ingredients are fully incorporated with the batter, and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula or spoon to make sure.
Have the cake pans greased, floured, and nearby, ready to go.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda to create a fizzy solution. Quickly add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Waste no time in dividing the batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check the cake at 20 minutes and every 5 minutes subsequently with a toothpick. The cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about 10 minutes. The easiest way to remove the cakes from the pan is to run a knife around the edge of the pan (careful about what kind of knife you use so as to not damage the cake pans), place a baking sheet or wire rack on top of the pan, and invert it. The cake should come out nicely if the pans were greased and floured well.
Frosting the cake is easiest when the cake has cooled completely. Cream cheese frosting goes well with this cake.
Recipe for cream cheese frosting (adapted):
1/2 cup butter (softened)
8 oz (1 package) of cream cheese (room temperature)
2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Method:
Mix butter and cream cheese together until very smooth.
Add vanilla extract and incorporate.
Add powdered sugar until you get the desired sweetness.
Note: for Red Velvet cake, you can get away with less sugar in the frosting because of the inherent sweetness in the cake. A tangier frosting will contrast the flavors more and bring out the flavor of the cake.
Delicious, and would bake again.
-KiO
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