[carriedean]

Clotilde mentioned enjoying her red velvet cupcake in NYC, and I got so excited thinking about this beautiful Southern cake that I thought I'd post my recipe for it.

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/4 c. flour
2 T. cocoa (not Dutch-process)
2 t. cinnamon
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
3/4 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, room temp
2 t. vanilla
2 oz. food coloring (traditionally red) Note -- This is a lot, the equivalent of two U.S. bottles. If you omit it, you should make up the liquid with more sour cream.
1 c. sour cream, room temp. Note -- Low-fat is fine, but do not use fat free.

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line two 9-in round pans.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, powder, soda, and salt. Sift it a few more times until the color is evenly dispersed. In another bowl (or standing mixer) beat the butter for a minute or until it's soft and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar, while beating. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat at medium speed for five minutes. (Since it's such a dense cake, we work for lightness and evenness when we can.) Add the eggs one at a time, beating them in, and then beat in the vanilla and food coloring. Stop the beater, and with a rubber spatula, fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the sour cream, then half the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the sour cream, and finally the rest of the flour mixture. (At this point you should have a violently colored, thick cake dough that does not inspire confidence. You will be tempted to taste the cake dough. Avoid this step because you will then be tempted to eat an entire bowl of cake dough and you'll be found, covered in red smears, looking a lot like Hannibal Lecter, in your kitchen next to an empty bowl.) Split the dough between your pans. You'll have to smooth it out to the edges and even out the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frost it with cream cheese frosting (traditional), buttercream (good variant), or, my favorite, powdered sugar frosting (since it's a bit lighter).

You can find the first two anywhere, but here's a good recipe for the last:

Powdered Sugar Frosting

3/4 c. butter, room temp
6 c. powdered sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. sour cream (usually we'd use cream, but I like s.c. with the red velvet)
2 t. vanilla

Prepare a small pot of simmering water. In a large metal bowl, beat the butter until it's smooth and fluffy. Add 1 c. of the sugar, the salt, and 1/4 c. of the sour cream, and beat well. Add the rest of the sugar in three stages, beating it well each time. Add the rest of the sour cream. Place the bowl over the simmering water and stir the frosting for 5 minutes. (This step is usually skipped, but it makes a super-smooth frosting and raises the lowly powdered sugar frosting to a more respectable status.) Set the bowl aside or over ice to cool, stir in the vanilla, and continue to beat it or stir it as it cools. When your cake is completely cool, spread away.

Just thinking about it is forcing me to go to the gym right now. Oh, how I love Red Velvet Cake!

[clotilde]

Oh this is great Carrie, thanks for posting! Any suggestion for a natural red coloring to use -- would cherry juice work?

[carriedean]

I have made red velvet cake without coloring, and it can be a sort of ugly beige color, so I can see the dilemma. Hearty berry flavors go surprisingly well with RVC, so I think cherry juice should work well. Another possibility would be crushed raspberries. Whatever you use, it should blend well with the cake's natural light-brown color. In any case, I'll be interested to see what the results are!

[Debbie]

Good afternoon!

I would love to make this cake..... only problem is I am not sure on the measurements you have given. If I was making it forme I would experimen and not give a damn..... but I can only cook such delectable delights elsewhere (due to poor kitchen facilities) and so I would be cooking for others who might not appreciate a "failure" or less an perfect effort.

Can you please define how much is in 1 cup. Cup measures are different across all the countries. I am used to Australian measures and if I made the cake according to this, it might not be so good...

Also T and t amounts would be appreciated.

Did you use large eggs, small, a certain weight? I am used to using different sized eggs for different recipes, depending on the result you want to achieve. Not sure if you do the same where ever you are living (I am assuming somewhere in America)?

Can you bake this as one cake and then split it? Or does it cook better in 2 tins?

Thank you in advance for your answers. Looking forward to making this tasty treat.
_________________
If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

[Dairy_Queen]

[carriedean]

Thanks, Dairy Queen! I probably would have sat here figuring it out in my head and no one wants that.

This site shows cup-to-gram conversions, if that is helpful: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm

And Debbie, this cake works well in two tins for a layer thing, but I've also made cupcakes with it and, once, a large rectangular layer cake. They all work well.

The only problem with making all the dough in one tin is that you have to bake it a very long time, and by the time the center's finally done, the edges are a bit crispy. With two tins or cupcakes, you can cook the cake more evenly.

Good luck! I'd love to read the results!

-Carrie

PS - I didn't mention this, but the history of this cake is not terribly long. It was invented in the American Deep South and became all the rage in the 1960's. It's mentioned in the play "Steel Magnolias," in which the groom's cake at the wedding is Red Velvet in the shape of an armadillo. (All the ladies make fun of the "Bleeding Armadillo Cake.") Its status in the South is somewhere between kitsch and faux-tradition, but since it's a new import up North, everyone here seems to take it pretty seriously. I just love the taste, which is such an unexpected combination of flavors that, even not red, it can never be mistaken for any other cake.

[Debbie]

Good evening!

Thank you both for your answers.

I actually did know that T = tablespoon etc, but needed to know exactly what the volume of your tablespoons was. With this chart you posted DQ, I can work them out and check that my measures are ok for the task.

Baking the cake in 2 layers makes sense re cooking times etc. I was just hoping to cook in one pan as I only have 1 of each size here in Paris... oh well, a trip to the kitchen shop is needed - damn..... I am so upset:wink:

Looking forward to baking this tasty treat in a few weeks when I am allowed back onto my feet and into the kitchen. Can't wait!

BTW, Dairy Queen, how goes the trip plans for Paris? Hope everything is working out and you have found a fabulous place to stay.
_________________
If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.