Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Red velvet cake has been a food fashionista for years. The alluring deep red hue is the trademark for this gorgeous beauty. Credit goes to the added cocoa powder that brings out the vibrant red colour in the cake. The cake are contrasted by a creamy and rich cream cheese frosting. Another important ingredient in this recipe is the buttermilk which, works wonder to create a moist and creamy texture.

Don't have buttermilk? No problem. Simply stir in 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of low fat milk and let it stand for a good 10 minutes. The lemon juice will eventually, thickens the milk and here you have your buttermilk substitute. Try to use a good quality cocoa powder for the beautiful red colour. The red velvet cake was indeed moist,creamy, slightly sweet and rich. Treat yourself with a BIG slice of it with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy your hard labour that worth trying.

Ingredients

For The Cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup buttermilk,room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 canola oil
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp distilled vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

450 g or 2 cups cream cheese,softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
6 ounces unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp whole milk

Methods

For The Cake

Preheat oven at 350' F or 180' C. Layer 6 inch rectangular cake pan with parchment paper and keep aside.

In a large bowl, sift together all purpose flour,baking powder,baking soda,cocoa powder and sugar. Keep aside.

In another bowl,whisk together buttermilk,vinegar, food coloring and vanilla extract.

Using a stand/hand mixer, beat together sugar and oil for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs one at the time and beat till pale and fluffy.

Add one third of the dry ingredients and then add in one half of the wet ingredients. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and the remaining of the wet ingredients. Finish off with the remaining dry ingredients and beat until well incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center on the cake becomes clean.

Remove from oven and let the cake cool on the cake pan for 15 minutes. Transfer the cake on a cooling tray and let it cool completely.

For Cream Cheese Frosting

Using a stand/hand mixer, beat the butter on high speed for about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and continue beating for another 1 minute.

Reduce the speed to low, start adding the confectioners sugar 1 cup at the time until smooth and fluffy.

If the mixture too stiff beat the milk to loosen it. If the mixture too loose add 1 tbsp of confectioners sugar one at a time until you get the desirable consistency.

To Assemble The Cake

Cut off the thin top crust of the cakes to level it. Crumble the crust and keep aside for garnishing.

Peel off the parchment paper from the bottom off the cake and place the cake on a cake tray. Spread 1 cup of the cream cheese frosting evenly.

Set the second cake layer on the top of the 1st layer. Pile with the remaining frosting and gently swirl the frosting from the center and working it out towards the sides. Cover the sides of the cakes with the cream cheese frosting.

Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the cake crumbles and refrigerate for atleast an hour for the frosting to set.

Slice and enjoy



Notes

• If you are a 1st timer and find it hard  to frost the whole cake at 1 go, cover the cake with thin layer of the cream cheese frosting and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and dollop the cake with the remaining frosting and spread evenly to completely cover the cake. Refrigerate for an hour before slicing.