Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake is such a classic Valentine’s Day dessert! It is perfectly rich & velvety. Because really, what is better than a vibrant red cake with cream cheese frosting? This recipe will be sure to brighten the gloomiest of winter days.
This recipe makes the perfect 6-inch two-layer cake for two, but if you want a full size cake for a Galentine’s Day celebration, simply double the recipe & use three 8-inch cake pans.
I decorated it with dollops of tangy cream cheese frosting, to show off the beautiful layers of cake. This cake gets is tender crumb from the addition of baking soda, vinegar & buttermilk. It is important to use proper buttermilk for this recipe & not substitute it for regular milk (or homemade buttermilk), as this will provide the correct acid that reacts with the baking soda.
Feel free to make the cake layers in advance (up to two weeks) & freeze them until you are ready to decorate. I decorated the top with crumbs from cake, but of course any festive sprinkle works too. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Red Velvet Cake
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 cup neutral oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons food colouring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
Cream cheese frosting, to decorate
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325(f) degrees. Grease & line two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl vigorously whisk together oil, sugar & eggs until fluffy. Add the vanilla & butter milk.
3. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the baking soda & white vinegar. Set aside.
4. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder & salt followed by the baking soda mixture. Beat until batter comes together.
5. Evenly divide batter amongst the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops bounce back to touch. Let cool compltely to room temperature.
6. Transfer cream cheese frosting to a piping bag. Add dollops of cream cheese to one layer of cake & top with the second later. Repeat until cake is decorated as desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
