Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It took me a good long while to figure out what red velvet cake is.  Despite the several people who proclaimed it was their favorite and the wide-spread praise this cake gets, I was convinced that it was a chocolate cake with red food coloring.  And, thinking that it’s a chocolate cake tinted red, I never understood why it had to be paired with cream cheese frosting.  As a southern girl, this southern cake was confusing.

Almost like trying to understand, from fans, why the Twilight series received such high praise.  I mean, they are 17 years old.  Right?  Just me?  And it might just be my over-analytical self, but a vampire (dead) would likely shoot blanks, no?  Now, there’s 50 Shades of Grey.  I have no opinion.  What do you think?

Moving on.  When I was pregnant, I made some based on a craving (cravings don’t have to be logical).  I loved it.  Not a chocolate cake at all.  Rather, a cake with distinct flavor all on its own.  Slightly tangy, rich and perfectly sweet.  And, cream cheese frosting is a necessity.  And, really, who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting.  While I loved my first attempt, I wanted something more chocolate.  Luckily, I found this recipe and am satisfied.  As was my red-velvet-loving friend.

The frosting should get its own set of praise.  I love cream cheese frosting!  It took me some practice and research, but I finally put together the right combination of ingredients to get the perfect consistency for piping and frosting.  Perfect in every way.

Red Velvet Cake
adapted from Apple A Day, adapted from Saveur, via The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients:

•  2 and 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 and 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp red liquid food coloring
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease and flour 3 8-inch pans.
3.  Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Beat the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla extract and vinegar in a large bowl.
5. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to combine and fully incorporate.  You do not want to overmix.
6. Divide your batter among the three pans and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until it passes the toothpick test.
7. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack until the cake is completely cool to the touch.
8. Frost with cream cheese frosting (below).

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, cold
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 and 1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract (I use the artificial)
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. In your mixer, cream together the cold cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add vanilla extract.  Gradually add in the powdered sugar until fully incorporated.