Red Velvet Cake (2022)

• From Sally’s Baking Addiction
• 3 cups (345g) cake flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons (10g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240ml) canola or vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs, room temperature and separated
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• liquid or gel red food coloring
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
2. Make the cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil, egg yolks, and vanilla extract and beat on high for 2 minutes. (Set the egg whites aside.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions alternating with the buttermilk. Beat in your desired amount of food coloring just until combined. I use 1-2 teaspoons gel food coloring. Vigorously whisk or beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until fluffy peaks form as pictured above, about 3 minutes. Gently fold into cake batter. Combine baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter. The batter will be silky and slightly thick.
5. Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 30-32 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cakes need a little longer as determined by wet crumbs on the toothpick, bake for longer. However, careful not to overbake as the cakes may dry out. Remove cakes from the oven and cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

Red Velvet Cake from Divas Can Cook

BEST Southern Red Velvet Cake Recipe

https://divascancook.com/the-best-red-velvet-cake-recipe-easy-homemade-moist-with-southern-flair/

My friend made me this cake to congratulate me on my job promotion in 2022. I was impressed that she remembered that this was one of my favorite flavors, and this cake was amazing!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened, cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil or canola
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2 oz. red food coloring, more or less depending on how deep you want the color
• 1/2 cup plain hot coffee, prepared (don’t skip this ingredient)
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Generously grease and flour (2) 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
• Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and red food coloring until combined.
• Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.
• Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing after each addition, just until combined. (Batter will be thin)
• Pour the batter evenly into each pan.
• Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake as the cake will continue to cook as it cools.
• Let pans cool on a cooling rack until the pans are warm to the touch.
• Slide a knife or offset spatula around the inside of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan.
• Gently remove the cakes from the pan and let them finish cooling. (The warm cake will be very delicate)
• Frost the cake with cream cheese frosting when the cakes have cooled completely.

Updated Red Velvet Cake with Strawberry Filling

Made this for my mom and sister’s combined birthday party. Not into the artificial coloring so toned it down a bit. The color turned out to be a medium brown color with a red tinge, which was fine with the pink-tinted icing. This cake has exposed sides wight he light whipped cream frosting in the middle of the cake which makes assembling so much easier than frosting a cake! Recipe is adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, Cake Man Raven and Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1 1/2 c oil
1 c buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp red food coloring

Filling:
2 pounds fresh strawberries
2 tsp sugar

Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese

2 c heavy cream
powdered sugar to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

In a stand mixer, combine sugar, food coloring and oil, adding eggs one at a time.
Combine dry ingredients except for baking soda in a bowl
Add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk to the mixer in three batches each. Scrape sides as needed to ensure distribution of the ingredients.
In a small bowl stir baking soda and vinegar together. Once it starts to bubble, immediately add to the batter.
Pour into 2 8-inch pans, bang out the air bubbles.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Let cool completely before frosting the cake.

For the filling

As the cake cools, choose 24 of your best-looking berries and cut them in half length-wise. Set aside. These will be use to decorate the perimeter of the middle layers

Cut the rest of the strawberries into quarters and add the sugar. Let sit for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If a lot of juice is rendered from the strawberries, you may strain the juice and simmer it down to thicken. Once cooled, reintroduce to the quartered strawberries.

For the frosting
Beat the heavy cream, adding powdered sugar gradually until stiff peaks form. (optional but fun: add a few drops of red food coloring for pink frosting!)
Remove the whipped cream, then add the cream cheese and beat till fluffy.
Carefully fold cream cheese into whipped cream.

To assemble
Cut the cooled cakes into 4 layers-you will only need 3, the 4th is for you to snack on!
Place the bottom layer on a cake plate lined with parchment paper.
Place 16 strawberry halves (wide-side out) alone the perimeter of the cake.
Spoon half of the strawberry mixture onto the middle of the cake, then top with the whipped cream frosting. Repeat with the second cake layer.
For the top layer, no strawberry filling is added.

Let cake chill before serving

the birthday fun continues! banana pecan pancakes & strawberry red velvet cake

B’s birthday fell on a Sunday this year, the perfect opportunity for Sunday brunch to start the day! Banana pecan pancakes, freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee and fresh berries were all enjoyed upstairs around our coffee table.

Banana Pecan Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 T sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 egg
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 T butter, melted
2 bananas, sliced
2 handfuls pecans, coursely chopped

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl
In a 2 cup measuring cup, beat buttermilk, egg and melted butter
Pour the milk mixture into the four mixture and whisk gently until combined. The batter should be lumpy but shouldn’t have huge pockets of dry flour mixure.
Pour about 1/4 cup of batter over a skillet set around 350 degrees and cook for about a minute.
Add sliced banana and pecans before flipping to the other side

Serve with warmed maple syrup

After a leisurely morning, we went to UTC to watch our first movie in almost a year. I had made reservations to see “Les Miserables” at the ArcLight…beautiful movie and great experience at the theater! B was even brought to tears watching it!

Then after the movie, dinner at Chin’s was enjoyed before I brought out the cake I had made for this special day:

Red Velvet Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake:
Ingredients:
1 box red velvet cake, prepared per insructions and baked in 2 cake rounds

Vanilla cake:
5 egg whites
1 cup milk
2 1/4 tsp vanilla
3 cups cake flour, sifted
4 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter at room temperature, cubed

Stir egg whites, 1/4 cup milk and vanilla. Set Aside
Combine dry ingredients in to mixer bowl on low speed with paddle attachment
Add butter and remaining milk until combined in mixer. Increase to medium speed and mix for a minute.
Add egg mixture in 3 batches, mixing for about 20 seconds after each addition
Divide batter into 2 cake rounds (prepare rounds with butter all around and parchment paper on the bottom
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake!

Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting (to put in between cake layers
1 tub cool whip defrosted
1 stick butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, softened
powdered sugar to taste (about 1/2 cup-2/3 cup)
strawberry puree (about 1/2 cup)
pinch salt

Beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and salt until well combined. Fold in strawberry puree and enough Cool Whip for desired consistency. It should be pretty fluffy but somewhat hold it’s shape.

Other ingredients:
Fresh strawberries (1 pint), chopped
1 tub Cool Whip (in addition to the one used to make the frosting)

Cake assembly:
Place first layer of cake down
Frost with strawberry frosting, then sprinkle with strawberries. Repeat with the three remaining layers, alternating between the vanilla cake and red velvet cake. Do not frost the top layer with the strawberry frosting.
Frost the top and sides with Cool Whip

THis is a very tall and impressive cake! Plan accordingly 🙂