# Red Velvet Cake!



## soulchef14 (Mar 28, 2014)

Does anybody have a great recipe for red velvet cake?


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

Yes!

Here you go. It is divine (pics attached). So melt in your mouth soft and scrummy /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif

Note I use this for large cupcakes, it makes about 16. To make a red velvet cake instead, double the quantities below, divide between three 20-cm cake tins and bake for 25 minutes at the same oven temperature.

60g unsalted butter at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 egg
20g cocoa powder
40ml red food colouring
½ tsp vanilla extract
120ml buttermilk
150g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½ tsp white vinegar

*Method*

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a very thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk.
4. Beat until well mixed, then add half the flour and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Scrape down the side of the bowl again. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.





  








Red velvet unfrosted.JPG




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goldilocks


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Apr 3, 2014












  








Red Velvet Cupcake.JPG




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goldilocks


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Apr 3, 2014


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@Goldilocks GORGEOUS!

I did a search at the top of the page, and I counted no less than 14 threads over the course of almost 15 years of Chef Talks lifespan... @Nicko never realized what a hot button topic this was before...

here's just a smattering of the threads available here at CT...

[thread="54790"]Red Velvet Recipe [/thread]

[thread="63649"]Red Velvet Cake Good Recipe Anyone [/thread]

[thread="38318"]Need Red Velvet Cake Recipe Asap [/thread]

[thread="66581"]Good Recipe For A Red Velvet Cake [/thread]

[thread="80218"]Red Velvet Cake [/thread]

[thread="72145"]Red Velvet Cake Recipe Demonstration [/thread]

[thread="66592"]Red Velvet Cake Recipe [/thread]

[thread="76676"]Delicious Red Velvet Cake Cream Cheese Frosting [/thread]

[thread="20470"]Red Velvet Cake [/thread]


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

Wow, it sure is popular!!


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@Goldilocks how long did you bake the cupcakes for?

And also, could you share your icing recipe? It looks divine!


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

kaneohegirlinaz said:


> @Goldilocks how long did you bake the cupcakes for?
> 
> And also, could you share your icing recipe? It looks divine!


So sorry, only just seen this.

Sure I bake them for about 22 minutes, between 20 - 25 and you'd be right. I cant remember if the pic above has normal buttercream on or cream cheese! If its the cream cheese its this:

300g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter room temp
125g cream cheese

Beat the icing sugar the butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow until it comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat it until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes

If it's buttercream - and actually I think it is - it's this:

250g icing sugar, sifted

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature

25ml whole milk

a couple of drops of vanilla extract

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, add to the butter mixture a little at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.

Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, no less than 5 minutes.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@Goldilocks another question please?

what type of red food coloring did you use?


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

I tend to use paste as its so much richer in colour and you use a lot lot lot less than the liquid colour, but for the above I did use liquid to ensure I managed to get the right depth of colour. I wasn't sure how to figure out how much paste to use instead of the 40ml liquid. Any idea how I work that out?


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

that a great question, you read my mind.

I want to try it with the paste, but how much?

This sounds like a job for SUPER SEARCHER!

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/laser.gif


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

I went to the Wilton website and the discussion forum suggests that for Red Velvet Cake to use what the recipe calls for.

In other words your recipe calls for liquid color and should we try it with the paste, we may be taking away needed moisture 

and adding in bitterness from the expensive paste; they recommend to save the paste for decorating in stead.

That sounds logical to me.


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

Ahh, well sleuthed! Thanks /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

what I also found was the convertion ratio of liquid to paste varied.

for every 2 ounces of liquid color, recipes called for anywhere from 1/2 teaspoon to a full teaspoon.

some recipe called for gel-paste and others simply paste.


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## esqueda19 (Apr 13, 2014)

Red velvet cake recipe

Original recipe makes 30 cupcakesChange Servings
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 (1 ounce) bottle McCormick[emoji]174[/emoji] Red Food Color
2 teaspoons McCormick[emoji]174[/emoji] Pure Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons McCormick[emoji]174[/emoji] Pure Vanilla Extract
1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar
Check All Add to Shopping List
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and McCormick[emoji]174[/emoji] Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.


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## stasia (Apr 17, 2014)

Ciao,

I wonder what are the ingredients of the "red food color" you mention, is it a natural extract of fruit or an artificial coloring?

The cake looks very tasty, I don't know it, but I am not so much convinced about adding the coloring... as, for me, it looks a bit artificial....but I might be wrong. Please update me as I am not from your country.

S.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@Stasia this is a popular brand of food coloring in the USA, along with some information about it

http://www.mccormick.com/Spices-and-Flavors/Extracts-and-Food-Colors/Food-Colors/Red-Food-Color





  








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kaneohegirlinaz


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Apr 22, 2014


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Red is to make it look esthetically appealing

One can use beetroot it they don't like using food color.

It is also known as " red Waldorf cake," 
"Waldorf red cake", "Waldorf Astoria red cake", "red carpet cake", 
"Red mystery cake" , "flame cake" .....

According to the website : thehistorykitchen.com you can read all about the cake and it's history including the chemical reaction of acid in unsweetened (non-alkalized) Cocoa powder. It's a good read with a lot of interesting info.


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## stasia (Apr 17, 2014)

@kaneohegirlinaz and @petalsandcoco thank you both for your very interesting and precise answers.

I will bake this cake with a great pleasure thanks to your appetizing encouragement, but I will try to use beetroot or to achieve the chemical reaction described by the historickitchen.com,it seems to be a great challenge! I will let you know when it's ready. It sounds exciting!

Some of the photos with the cake on the Internet make me think of the cranberry red, as if the cake was made with some cranberry flavor as it looks so real, non-artificial.


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## babybaker (Mar 20, 2014)

OMG that red velvet cake looks so great! 

I'm gonna try to do it for the first time. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Cheers.


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