Fabulous Red Velvet Cake Food

RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• For the Red Velvet Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) round layer cake pans.
• Sift flour, baking soda and coco together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl mix together oil, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla. Add to the bowl of eggs and sugar and beat until combined.
• Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture by alternating the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Always start with the flour and end with the flour.
• Pour batter into pans. Tap them on the table to level out the batter and release air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the middle comes out clean but be careful not to over bake or you'll end up with a dry cake.
• Let layers cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out of pan. Cool completely before frosting.
• For the cream cheese frosting: This is the "official" cream cheese frosting recipe but we always use about 1 1/2 recipes on each cake to cover it well.
• Let margarine and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Cream well. Add sugar and beat until mixed but not so much that the frosting becomes "loose". Add vanilla and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.

THE BEST RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds and lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla in a second medium bowl.
• Beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer) on medium-high speed until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer still running, slowly add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Reduce the speed to low. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake until the cakes are slightly puffed, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the centers, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto the rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on high speed (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake, domed-side down, on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake, domed-side up, on top. Spread the top with 1 1/2 cups of the frosting. Frost the sides of the cake with another 1 1/2 cups frosting and smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's ok if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, swirling decoratively. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of two 20cm cake tins with baking parchment - if your cake tins are quite shallow, line the sides to a depth of at least 5cm.
• Put half each of the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well. If there are any lumps in the sugar, squeeze these through your fingers to break them up.
• Mix half each of the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, food colouring and 100ml water in a jug. Add 2 eggs and whisk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until well combined. The cake mixture should be bright red, it will get a little darker as it cooks. If it's not as vivid as you'd like, add a touch more colouring. Pour the cake mixture evenly into the two tins, and bake for 25-30 mins, or until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the baking parchment and leave to cool.
• Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the remaining ingredients, so you have four sponge cakes in total. Can be made up to three days ahead and will stay moist if wrapped in cling film, or you can wrap well and freeze for up to two months.
• To make the icing, put the butter in a large bowl and sieve in half the icing sugar. Roughly mash together with a spatula, then whizz with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the soft cheese and vanilla, sieve in the remaining icing sugar, mash together again, then blend once more with the hand mixer.
• To assemble the cake, stick one of the sponges to a cake stand or board with a little of the soft cheese icing. Use roughly half the icing to stack the remaining cakes on top, spreading a generous amount between each layer. Pile the remaining icing on top of the assembled cake, and use a palette knife to ease it over the edges, covering the entire surface of the cake. Tidy the plate with a piece of kitchen paper. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days, but bring back to room temperature for an hour or so before eating.This recipe was refreshed in July 2018 based on user feedback. For the original recipe, see our beetroot cake.

RED VELVET CAKE FROM THE BUBBLE ROOM

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together all dry ingredients.
• Mix together all wet ingredients.
• While beating with an electric mixer, slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture. Beat for 5 minutes.
• Spray three 9"" cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.
• Pour equal amounts of batter into each of the three pans.
• Bake 20 to 30 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.
• Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove layers from pans. Place layers on wire racks to cool completely.
• Make fosting by combining butter, cream cheese and confectioner's sugar. Beat until fluffy. If desired, add 1 1/2 cups pecans.
• Frost cake and decorate top with remaining 1/2 cup pecans if desired.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving but it is best if made the day before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

RED VELVET LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Set oven rack to second-lowest position.
• Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper.
• With an electric mixer on high speed, cream butter, shortening and sugar for about 4-5 minutes until fluffy, making certain that no sugar granules remain in the creamed mixture.
• Add in eggs and vanilla; blend well to combine.
• Mix in sour cream and cocoa; blend well.
• In a small bowl, blend the boiling water and food colouring together; set aside.
• In a small bowl sift together cake flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• Add in the flour mixture alternating with the boiling water to the creamed mixture; mix to make a smooth batter.
• Divide batter into prepared baking pans, and tap gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles in the batter.
• Bake about 30-35 minutes, or until cake test done.
• Cool and remove from pans.
• Frost with desired icing.

RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Grease & lightly flour two 9" cake pans.
• Combine sifted flour & salt; set aside.
• Put cocoa in small bowl. Gradually add food coloring, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
• With electric mixer at medium speed, cream together shortening & sugar. Beating 5 minutes until fluffy. (Do not shorten shortening/sugar creaming time!).
• Gradually add egg whites, beating for at least 30 seconds after each addition.
• With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk & vanilla, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.
• Add cocoa mixture. Blend well by hand. Do not beat.
• In small bowl, hand mix vinegar w/ baking soda. Stir briefly to mix, and then fold into cake batter. Do not beat.
• Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick tests done.
• To make frosting: Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved & mixture is syrupy.
• While beating with electric mixer, gradually add syrup to unbeaten egg whites in mixing bowl. Do not stop beating until stiff peaks form (about 7 minutes). Beat in vanilla.
• Allow cake layers to cool on rack 10 minutes before turning out, and let cool completely before frosting.

RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, place the cocoa powder and food coloring. Stir to combine and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.
• In a small cup, place the baking soda and vinegar. Stir to combine and set aside.
• In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, place the shortening, sugar, and eggs. Beat on medium-high speed until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the cocoa mixture and beat on medium just until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with the buttermilk in 2 parts, starting and ending with the flour. Add the vanilla and beat on medium speed just until combined. Add the baking soda and vinegar mixture to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to fold it into the batter, gently scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure the batter is blended.
• Pour the batter into the pans. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and springs back when lightly pressed in the middle, about 30 minutes.
• Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the outside and turn out onto racks. Peel off the paper. Flip them over to completely cool right-side up on the racks. If not assembling right away, cover the layers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 1 day.
• When ready to fill and frost the cake, hold a serrated knife horizontally and use a gentle sawing motion to shave the domed top off each layer. Fill and frost the cake with cream cheese frosting, using a crumb coat (see box) if you have time.
• Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar 1 cup at a time, blending between each addition. Mix in the vanilla, if using, and beat until very smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Use at once or store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up 3 days. Let stand at room temperature until soft and spreadable before using.
• From Aunt Elsa's Kitchen
• If you have time after all the layers are filled, applying a "crumb coat" to the sides and top of a cake ensures that no crumbs get mixed into the frosting and mar the cake's appearance. To apply a crumb coat, place a small amount of the frosting in a dish and use an offset spatula to spread a thin coat all over the sides and top of the cake. Place in the refrigerator until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and frost the sides and top.

EASY FABULOUS RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pans or two 8x8x2-inch square baking pans or coat with nonstick spray for baking; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, and food coloring with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat mixture on medium speed for beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spread batter evenly into prepared pans.
• Bake cakes for 25 to 30 minutes for 9-inch pans or 30 to 35 minutes for square pans or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
• In a small saucepan, melt 4 ounces white baking chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently; cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a very large mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds or until smooth. Gradually beat in 2 c powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually beat in an additional 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in melted white chocolate until well combined.
• If needed, beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make frosting spreading consistency.
• Spread frosting between layers and over sides and top of cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Cover and chill cake to store. If you like, garnish with sugared cranberries.