Red Velvet Cake

Not just any old white cake tinted crimson is red velvet cake. Something else entirely is going on! Its subdued chocolaty richness comes from the batter’s buttermilk and cocoa powder. Then there’s the cream cheese icing, whose tart sweetness is just ideal.

Unbelievably, making this elegant-looking cake is really rather easy. Birthdays, holidays, or just any Tuesday (hey, I won’t judge!) are all great occasions for it.

Battering the cake is easy. A whisk and a number of bowls will work just as well as an electric mixer. In brief:

In a medium-sized basin, first sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Sifting smooths out batter and removes lumps. Then quickly whisk in the sugar and salt.

Taking out your second, bigger bowl, get ready to mix the wet ingredients. You’ll need that wonderful red food coloring, eggs, vinegar, buttermilk, and vegetable oil.

Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet when everything has been well stirred together. Just get everything mixed up; don’t overdo it.

Immediately, equally divide the mixture between two 8-inch cake pans that have been oiled. Into the 350°F oven for 35 minutes, and presto! Red velvet delight just baked.

Now about that vinegar in the recipe. Fear not—you won’t even taste it! All it is, is a little hidden weapon to aid in the activation of the baking soda and the lovely, fluffy rise of your cake. The cake rises because carbon dioxide gas is produced by the small party that the basic baking soda and acidic vinegar have together. I also sprinkle a little baking powder for good measure and added lift.

What about the icing, though? Without its traditional cream cheese icing, I simply don’t think red velvet cake is the same. It’s not too sweet, and the tartness works well to balance the taste of the cake.

Perhaps the nicest part? Just four items are needed for this frosting: powdered sugar, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, and cream cheese. For smoothest results, just blend them all together in a mixer. Hand work is possible, but expect to perspire a little.

One crucial hint is to make sure the butter and cream cheese have softened but not melted. Should they be overly soft, your frosting may be a touch runny. Try not to remedy it by adding more powdered sugar; it will merely make it overly sweet (unless you have a really sweet taste). Just put the frothy frosting in the refrigerator to harden up before icing the cake if it’s a little thinner.

Should you find the tang to be too much, you could use a Swiss buttercream icing. It is identically creamy and smooth to the egg white version, but without the tang. Still, cream cheese frosting is the traditional option for a reason!

Here are a few other tips for expert red velvet cake baking:

• You best buddy is a kitchen scale! It facilitates the fair division of the batter (for this recipe, 675 grammes per pan). This guarantees level baking of both cakes.
• Melt butter the pans and cover the bottoms with parchment paper cut to size to ensure the cakes come out of the pans easily. Not to mention, butter the parchment paper as well!
• Food coloring of the McCormick brand is my favorite. Every time it produces a lovely, uniform red hue.

That’s all, then! These pointers will quickly make you a red velvet cake making pro. Many happy bakings!

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