Red velvet cake is a classic. It is a red/reddy brown/scarlet coloured sponge with cream cheese topping. It is a denser sponge than a Victoria Sponge as it has buttermilk in it.
I did a bit of research and it 's origin is not known but the earliest story is around 1959, when a woman dining at the amazing Waldorf - Astoria hotel in New York was served the dessert.
I got this recipe from BBC Good Food.
Don't get too hung up on how much colouring you put in - it is difficult to get the colour you want as it changes when it is baked.
You will need.
Ingredients for sponges.
300ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing.
500g plain flour.
2 tbsp cocoa powder.
4 tsp baking powder.
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda.
560g light brown soft sugar.
1 tsp fine salt.
400ml buttermilk.
4 tsp vanilla extract.
30ml red food colouring gel.
4 large eggs.
Ingredients for icing.
250g pack slightly salted butter.
750g icing sugar.
Method.
1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20cm cake tins with baking parchment.
2. Put 250g flour, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 280g light brown soft sugar and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and mix well.
3. Mix 200ml buttermilk, 150ml oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 100ml water and 15ml (or a squirt!) food colouring in a jug. Add 2 eggs and whisk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients in
into the dry and whisk until well combined. 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.
4. Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the baking parchment and leave to cool.
5. Repeat steps 1 and 2, so that you have four sponge cakes in total. These sponges 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.
6. To make the icing, put the butter in a large bowl and sieve in half the icing sugar. Roughly mash together 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.
7. To assemble the cake, stick one of your 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 you want to serve it.
Enjoy!
Mary Berry has a variation of Red Velvet Cupcakes which I have made too - recipe is here - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-3428614/Mary-Berry-Foolproof-Cooking-one-Red-velvet-cupcakes.html .
Val x
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