Thursday 8 November 2012

THE BEST RED VELVET CAKE


...recipe search is over. That's what I mean. I have tried a few recipes and this is the best one yet. This recipe makes the most perfect of perfect cakes.

My daughter loves red velvet cake and it has been her choice for her birthday for  a few years now. I have been using a different recipe each time I make it because I am still unsatisfied with the outcome. Mind you, it is always "sold out". Maybe I am not a big fan of red velvet cake though I seriously want to be. It is so pretty in looks and in name but the flavour leaves me wanting for  more of something that I can't put my finger on. The vibrant red colour probably fools my taste buds into thinking that it has a red flavour. The cocoa is in such a small amount that it doesn't really come out as its flavour. 
This red velvet cake recipe by Divas Can Cook stood out amongst the rest. I was instantly interested. Their secret ingredient? Coffee! Yes, hot coffee. Cocoa plus coffee equals mocha, right? Not when the colour is bright red. Again, it is the psychology of colours. But never mind what it should taste like, it tastes fabulous! It is very moist and has a lot of flavour. The crumb is perfect.


I don't know if you'll approve of what I did next. I know that it already has enough flavour but I really wanted a deeper affirmation of chocolate without adding too much cocoa powder to the cake. I coated the top of each layer with chocolate ganache and that took it to another level of yumminess without diverting the flavour from that of a red velvet cake. In fact it remained unnoticed until I pointed it out. It is that thin line that divides cloud 9 and heaven. Of course the snow white fluffy cream cheese frosting is, shall we say, "the icing on the cake". I used my own favourite recipe for cream cheese frosting and that just tied everything up. All in all, the red velvet cake layers plus the satiny chocolate ganache topped with the creamy cheese frosting makes a cake that's to die for.



Cake recipe by Divas Can Cook.

Ingredients for the cake layers:

2 c. plain flour
1 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsps. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs 
1 c. buttermilk
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1-2 oz. red food colouring (I used 2 1/4 tsp. of gel food colouring)
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1/2 c. of prepared plain hot coffee (don't skip this ingredient)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 325° F/ 170° C.

Grease and flour two 9" cake pans. I lined the pans with baking paper. Since it is a moist cake, it sticks a bit so prepare the pans well.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.

Mix the sugar and vegetable oil in another bowl. If using gel food colouring, add it in at this stage. You might want to temper the colour (mine's too red, I think). Add in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and food colouring. Stir before adding the coffee and vinegar. Blend everything together. 

Use a large mixing bowl to combine all the ingredients together. Put about a quarter of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients gradually, alternating with the dry ingredients, mixing after each addition just until combined. The batter will quite liquid.

Divide the mixture equally between the two prepared pans.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or when a cake tester comes out clean. Do not over bake. 

Invert on cooling racks. When the pans are just warm, run a knife around the edges to loosen the cakes. Invert onto the cooling racks, peel the lining paper off and leave to cool completely.

Prepare the chocolate ganache and frosting.

Ingredients for the chocolate ganache:

1/2 c. double cream
50 gms. of plain chocolate chips or chopped plain chocolate

Heat the double cream in a saucepan or in a microwave. It needs to become hot but does not need to boil. Take off the heat and add in the chocolate. Stir until smooth. 

Refrigerate to cool and thicken. When it is of spreading consistency, it is ready for use. 

I used both cake layers upside down to make a more level cake. Spread half of the ganache on each cake layer and refrigerate to set before frosting.

Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting: 

300 mls. whipping cream or double cream
1 1/2 c. cream cheese
1 c. confectioners sugar

Instructions:

Note: The fat content of cream differs from country to country. To remedy runny icing: Whip soft room temperature butter (about 1/4 c.) and add in the icing a little at time while whisking. Adding more sugar will make it runnier. Chill icing before using.

If using double cream, follow these instructions.

Whip the cream until thick and fluffy. Do not over beat. Add in the cream cheese and the confectioners sugar. Whisk again until all combined.

Lay one cake layer on a cake plate. Tuck in strips of baking paper under the cake edges to keep the plate clean.

Use 1 c. of frosting to fill the bottom cake layer then top with the other cake layer. Use the rest of the frosting to ice the whole cake. 

Decorate as you like. I used white chocolate buttons which I microwaved for a few seconds. When slightly melted, I sprinkled sugar glitters. I refrigerated this to set. I topped the cake with these buttons and sprinkled sugar pearls.




All rights reserved ©Adora's Box Copyright 2011. 

Please support Adora's Box by making your Amazon.com and mymemories.com (use the code STMMMS55174) purchases from this site. Click on their respective banners to proceed to their websites. It will not cost you a single cent more but will help sustain this blog. Thank you.

You might also like

Red Velvet Crackle Cookies
Blue Velvet Cake

Self-Saucing Chocolate Puddings
Melting Red Velvet Heart Cheesecake Cups
Thanks for dropping by. Please let me know what you think of this post.

30 comments:

  1. Oh....your red velvet cake is beautiful Adora. The ingredients for this red velvet is different from others... as it added 1/2 cup plain hot coffee! Won't it be too wet with adding 1/2cup? I would like to make this one day....as my b'day cake ...coming soon. Oh, let me have another look at your cake .....oh...so beautiful wish I can have a slice from you. Anymore left?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I followed their recipe to the letter and it was wet but that resulted in this very moist cake. You have to try this, Mel!

      Delete
  2. I never understand why everyone is so crazy about Red Velvet cake and always ask me to make it for them.
    I have not tried anything that would knock my socks off yet.
    This Red Velvet you made looks great and I will try this recipe and I will let you know.
    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I share your sentiments and that is what drove me to keep trying to find the best recipe. I was sure that I'm missing something. Do try this and let me know.

      Delete
  3. this looks out of this world. when you say double cream, what do you mean? heavy whipping cream, in the US?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That will probably be the most suitable substitute for double cream.

      Delete
  4. Absolutely great! I've been wanting to make red velvet cake for so long :) I'm dying to try out this recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Katie! This is a simple and easy recipe. I hope you do try it out.

      Delete
  5. Your cake looks beautiful! Have you tried making the recipe for cupcakes? I'd love to give that a try!
    http://paulasplate.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I haven't Paula. The batter is quite liquid and I don't know if that will hold in a cupcake case. A silicone one, perhaps, must be used.

      Delete
  6. Adora, this is so beautiful! Your daughter must have had a happy birthday indeed. I know exactly what you mean about the amount of cocoa in red velvet cakes being insufficient. I believe originally it interacted with some other ingredient to create a red color, but with the use of food coloring these days the small amount of cocoa seems almost pointless. The ganache sounds real neat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shirley. I know I've already mentioned cloud 9 and heaven but my daughter was over the moon with her cake.

      I was scared to touch this recipe thinking there must be some science involved. Some recipes don't even have cocoa in them. This one ended up with so much fragrance and flavour, just what I was looking for. The ganache, though very little, gave it a punch and a silky mouth feel.

      Delete
  7. I think we roughly have the same recipe, although I use shortening instead of oil. I've tried recipes using either of the two, and I'm partial to the outcome using shortening. I never thought of adding coffee! Thanks for sharing Adora and I'm going to sound like a broken record here but this is really beautiful. Skills! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gio! I followed this recipe to the letter. It turned out perfectly. I guess shortening would produce similar results. The coffee seemed to make all the difference. The other recipes I've tried were not as moist nor flavourful.

      Delete
  8. This is such a beautiful cake! I love the twist you added with the chocolate ganache, I bet it tasted fabulous! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jamie Anne. The ganache is an addition that I would do again. It didn't change the flavour but enhanced it and gave a silky mouth feel.

      Delete
  9. I am a HUGE fan of red velvet cakes (I like the hint of chocolate since I really dislike chocolate cakes and I like the hint of vinegar). Next time I bake a red velvet cake I am definitely using this recipe, it looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brittany! This cake must have been made especially for you.

      Delete
  10. I have made this cake before from Divas Can Cook. Amazing recipes there. Anyway, I saw your cake at tastespotting and had to come check it out. I am super obsessed with Red Velvet Cake. The chocolate ganache is very clever! I will try that next time I bake this cake!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I stumbled upon the site from Google search. Thanks for your tip, I will look for more fabulous recipes.

      Delete
  11. Thanks for the visit. I guess I'll be making red velvet cake for my bf's 30 th birthday :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy birthday to your boyfriend! I hope he enjoys his cake.

      Delete
  12. First of all - Happy Birthday to your daughter!!!! Secondly, like you, I never have been a fan of red velvet cake, or cake in general; however, you definitely took the normal out of this cake with the coffee, cocoa, chocolate ganache and cream cheese frosting. This is definitely not your mamma's red velvet cake! Very, very lovely!!!! AND delicious, I'm sure!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is the most beautiful red velvet cake I have ever seen! It's so moist. Oh, I want it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That red velvet looks like the queen of red velvets. Oh and special mention to the chocolate ganache - just lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Although the cake itself is delicious enough, the ganache made a lot of difference.

      Delete
  15. This looks deliciously wonderful! I've thought about making it for a friends birthday!
    As a side note, what would you suggest as a good substitute for the cream? They are lactose intolerant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa. I'm sorry to say that this cake has, aside from cream, buttermilk and cream cheese also. There are probably some substitutes for these products but I haven't tried any of them myself.

      Delete

Did you like this post? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.