Cakes. Not usually my thing. I think it's because I tend to be a tad more "fly by the seat of my pants" when it comes to anything in the kitchen, and with cakes...that wouldn't fly. They're very precise, and persnickety, and if you're off by just a 1/4 of a teaspoon, you're cake could be a flop...literally! But my goal is to master the art of cake baking.
I can't say I'm completely new to this art. I did take a baking class when I was younger...and I do remember being in a cake decorating class in school too...and Betty Crocker's Super Moist Devil's Food Cake and I go WAY back! But, here's my first attempt at a real "grown-up" cake.
I had been wanting to make a cake for weeks, but it just being Joe and I here, I was struggling with the idea of the two of us having to eat the entire thing. While I'm sure we could have handled it, I was relieved to hear that Joe's colleagues were coming over for dinner and I'd finally have a good reason to bake a cake. Oh, the simple pleasures in life.
I found this recipe on a fellow foodie's blog and you can see her slightly more beautiful version at Pinch My Salt. My cake is significantly less red than Nicole's due to my severe lack of skills when it comes to measurement conversions. I now know that 2 oz. of food colouring is equal to 59mL...not 28 :P. Oh well...live and learn! It still tasted great and it was definitely a hit!
Red Velvet Cake
- (2 1/2) cups of sifted cake flour (or 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour)
- (1) tsp. baking powder
- (1) tsp. salt
- (2) tbsps cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- (2) oz. red food colouring
- (1/2) cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- (1 1/2) cups of sugar
- (2) eggs, at room temperature
- (1) tsp. vanilla extract
- (1) cup of buttermilk, at room temperature
- (1) tsp. white vinegar
- (1) tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees C. Take butter, buttermilk, eggs and cream cheese out of the fridge giving them a chance to come up to room temperature. Butter and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or three 8 inch round pans.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix food colouring and cocoa powder together to form a thin paste. Make sure there are no clumps. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Next, beat in the vanilla and the red coca paste. Make sure to continually scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula as you go.
Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat well. Next, beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of the flour mixture followed by the second half of the buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture and beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the side of the bowl.
For this next part, make sure you have your cake pans ready to go and nearby. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and baking soda. Yes...it will fizz! Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in the preheated oven.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans by placing a plate on top of the cake pan, inverting, and gently lifting the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing.
Cream Cheese Icing
- (2) 16 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
- (1/2) cup of unsalted butter, softened
- (1) tsp. vanilla extract
- (2 1/2) cups of icing sugar, sifted
- (1) pinch of salt
Using a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. On a low speed, blend in the icing sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Once blended, turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy.
You can use the icing immediately or refrigerate, covered, until you're ready to use it. If refrigerated, the icing will need to be brought up to room temperature before you can use it.
Depending on whether you're making a double or triple layer cake, you will need to level off the top of one (or two if you're making a triple layer cake) of the cakes. This way it will be flat and sturdy to add the other cake on top. There are special tools to accomplish this, but I simply eyeballed the levelness and used a knife.
Spread a generous layer of icing on top of the cut cake and place the second cake on top. Of course you'll be doing this twice if you're making a triple layer cake.
Next, simply frost your cake and enjoy! I know...frosting a cake is not always as simple as it seems. If you begin to frost your cake and notice your cake crumbling into the frosting, don't worry. Frost a slightly thinner layer of icing over the entire cake, regardless of the crumbs. Make sure to leave enough icing to do a second layer. The more gentle you are while frosting, the fewer crumbs you'll get in the icing, and always remember not to "double dip" your "crumby" knife back into the bowl of icing. Once you've finished the first layer, refrigerate the cake for about 20 minutes uncovered. This will set your first layer and seal in the crumbs making it a lot easier to apply the second layer. This is also a good technique when you're frosting a cake and the icing is melting.
After the first layer of icing is set, finish by frosting the cake with the remaining icing and decorating however you like. Because this cake has cream cheese icing, remember not to leave it out of the fridge for too long. Enjoy!
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