Red Velvet Cake

RED VELVET CAKE ( From Bobby Flay Food Network) 2011

This is a moist, tender, delicious cake. I generally do not like cake, especially homemade, as they tend to be tough and stale…..but this one takes the cake, as they say. I think it is because of the buttermilk and vinegar ……wonderful unfrosted as well, or you could slather a slice with ice cream, instead of the cream cheese frosting.  Would be good as a special occasion cake, or as a wedding cake. I like it plain………….yummy.

3 ¾ cups all purpose flour

3 heaping tablespoons cocoa

1 ½ tsp baking soda

Pinch salt

12 tablespoons softened butter

2 ¼ cups white sugar

¾ cup veggie oil

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ tsps. Red wine vinegar ( a must)

1 tablespoon red food colouring ( I only put in about ¾ of a tsp….)

1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature. ( Real buttermilk, not milk with lemon juice)

(Cream Cheese frosting ( recipe following), or a nice white Buttercream Frosting, if you wish.  I like it plain with whipping cream dripped over all.)

1.      Heat Oven to 350 and butter and flour 2( 9 inch) cake pans. Line bottoms with a circle of parchment paper.

2.      Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.

3.      Cream butter, sugar and oil in mixer, till light and fluffy.

4.      Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each.

5.      Beat in vanilla, vinegar and food colouring.

6.      Add flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk. Beat.

7.      Divide batter between the two pans. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a sharp knife comes out clean after being tested.

8.      Cool. Strip off parchment paper. Slice each segment in half. Slather with cream cheese frosting, and serve to some very nice people.

9.      Also can be served as plain cake, with ice cream or liquid cream. Wonderful.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: A block of cream cheese at room temperature, a cup of butter, and enough icing sugar to bind together. If you use Cream Cheese you will have to refrigerate it. Since I am a lazy cook, I prefer to use a frosting that does not have cream cheese in it.  Therefore, my vote is for a plain cake with ice cream or the cream……………too easy.

                                              Step 2. plus buttermilk at room temperature

Reduced red food colouring to 3/4 tsp. ( Or you can just leave it out and use beet juice.........)

                                                Step 3 and 4....beating well is the answer....

 Step 5............. adding food colouring will turn  it all pink,

 Step 7. Dividing into pans.........

 Makes nicely shaped cakes. You could even freeze one for later use.

 I frosted it here....but doesn't need it..........yummy on its own.