Nigella Red Velvet Cake Food

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325°F, and line 2 muffin tins with paper cases. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar, beating well, and when you have a soft, pale mixture beat in the food colouring - yes all of it - and the vanilla. Into this vividly coloured mixture, still beating, add 1 spoonful of the dried ingredients, then 1 egg, followed by some more dried ingredients, then the other egg, followed by the rest of the dried ingredients. Finally beat in the buttermilk and the vinegar and divide this extraordinary batter between the 24 cases. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes by which time the redcurrant-sorbet-coloured batter will have morphed into a more sombre, but still juicily tinted, sponge - more maroon acrylic than red velvet, to be honest. Leave them to cool on a wire rack and do not ice with the frosting till absolutely cold. For the buttery cream-cheese frosting Put the icing sugar into a processor and whizz to remove lumps. Add the cream cheese and butter and process to mix. Pour in the cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and process again to make a smooth icing. Ice each cupcake, using a teaspoon or small spatula. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles and red sugar, or as desired.

ANNA OLSON'S RED VELVET CAKE IS BEYOND DELICIOUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease two 8-inch square pans and line the pans with parchment so that it comes up the sides as well.
• Using electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beating well after each addition, beat in the vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this to the butter and sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Stir the white vinegar and food colour together and add this to the cake batter on low speed, but mixing until blended in. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and spread to level.
• Bake the cakes for about 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for 20 minutes, then turn them out to cool completely.
• For the frosting, beat the butter until fluffy, then beat in the cream cheese until well blended and smooth. Add the icing sugar in 2 additions, beating first on low speed and then increasing. Beat in the vanilla.
• To assemble the cake, place the first layer of cake on your platter or plate and spread a generous amount of frosting on the top. Top this with the second cake layer and frost the top and then the sides. Use your spatula to create any swirls or patterns you wish, then chill for at least 2 hours before slicing to serve. The cake will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

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.