Red Velvet Cake

[junesrose.livejournal.com]

Hello all. Faithful lurker but seldom poster here....so be kind.

Just wondering if any of you happen to have/recommend a recipe for Red Velvet Cake. My daughter and I are thinking of making it for Christmas, but as I've never made it before, I have no idea where to begin; don't know what it tastes like, or what it's supposed to taste like. It's just RED. (my fav color) :D Which we thought would be cool for Christmas.

Yes, I can google REDVELVETCAKE, but thought I'd ask for something from a live person for a change. Well, as alive as you can be on the other end of this machine, especially after a weekend Blizzard (in which I have YET to see snow falling...).

Anyhow, I want cake. :D Got any good recs?? Much appreciated.

Comments

[gingicat]

Here's the one I remember from my USENET days:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.food.recipes/msg/0471707ed4d3bcde

(Yes, I'm old enough to have been on USENET in college - and after. *g*)

[m00n.livejournal.com]

Well, I haven't made this recipe *myself* but I know that if I were going to this one, from Epicurious (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Velvet-Cake-with-Raspberries-and-Blueberries-108256) would almost definitely be the first one I'd try.

Mmmm

[sundaisy-summer.livejournal.com]

I'm inspired. We have a newfound love for Red Velvet Cake in our house...might have to try one of these recipes...

[madrigal.livejournal.com]

The Martha Stewart recipe is really good. Check her website.

YUM!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

:)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

What a great idea for a holiday cake! :-)

You mention that you haven't tasted it. I have on 5 or 6 occasions, and I can tell you that it is very dense and moist, and cocoa is not the over-riding flavor, even though cocoa is almost always in the recipe. The very best red velvet cake I've ever tasted had finely shredded beets in it, like carrot cake. No really. It had that carrot cake earthy goodness, with beets.

If I were to make one tonight, I would add a 1/3 cup of beets shredded on the finest side of my shredder to either recipe suggested above.

If you have the time, the ambition, and a car, Firefly BBQ in Quincy serves red velvet cake. Not quite as good as the beet-enhanced version I had, but it will give you a general idea. However, I'm taking a wild guess that you're not going to have time for that. :-)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

You might try posting in cooking or kitchenfaq. They tend to be pretty good resources.

[livingadream.livejournal.com]

I've made it from scratch and it's okay (I used Paula Dean's recipe from Foodnetwork.com) - but Barefoot Contessa has a red velvet cake mix (I believe I've seen it at Williams Sonoma) and it is DELICIOUS. Very red and so much easier!!

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

okay, i totally want to move in with the barefoot contessa and stay there forever and ever and then when she eventually dies i'll take over.

um, i mean, also, her recipes are really swell and i was VERY disappointed the first time i found out that red velvet cake was only red cuz you put an asston of food coloring in it, seriously. LAME. (but delicious.)

[delahk.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/bakebakebake/

I'm regularly impressed with some of the stuff featured there; I'm sure you could find some good recipes, even if just in the memories.

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

I have a recipe for low carb red velvet cake. Never tried making it so I can't vouch for it, but let me know if it would be of interest...

From Cook's Illustrated, July, 1994

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

This cake's texture is both soft and dense, similar to chocolate pound cake, only softer and lighter. Its flavor is intensely chocolate, yet pleasantly sweet. The substantial coffee-flavored buttercream stands up to the cake's dense texture and balances the rich chocolate flavor.

(Genevra says: I like plain vanilla frosting on this, not the coffee-flavored butter cream. Just ditch the espresso.)

INGREDIENTS
Velvet Devil's Food Cake
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder , or instant coffee
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs , at room temperature
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Coffee Buttercream Frosting
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder , or instant coffee
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 egg yolk (beaten) , or 2 tablespoons beaten egg
INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-by-1 1/2-inch round baking pans with shortening. Line pan bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess.

2. Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then stir in vanilla.

3. Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.

4. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.

5. Divide batter evenly between pans. With rubber spatula, run batter to pan sides and smooth top. Bake cakes until they feel firm in center when lightly presesd anad skewer comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 23 to 30 minutes. Tranfer pans to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes. Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.

6. For the Buttercream Frosting: Mix instant coffee, coffee liqueur, and vanilla in small cup until coffee dissolves; set aside. Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat 3 minutes longer. Add coffee mixture and egg to frosting; beat until frosting mounds around beaters in a fluffy mass, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Apply frosting onto first cake layer and spread with a long metal spatula, top with second cake layer, top second layer with frosting, spread and then frost sides.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Fascinating synchronicity. My manager mentioned just a few days ago (while we were consuming red velvet bday cake for a coworker) that she had made red velvet cake with beets. That was the first I'd ever heard of the possibility (I made red velvet cake once, with an asston (as another commenter has so accurately put it) of red food coloring.

Now, as you may or not know, while I don't outright dislike beets I have yet to discover a way to prepare them in a way that definitely like them. So next time Boston Organics delivers beets to me, I'm going to try beet-enhanced red velvet cake (I like carrot cake a lot, and this may be the perfect beet solution.)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Yes, beets not only make red velvet cake worth eating for their delicious moisture -- they add redness, allowing you to cut down on the nasty asston of food coloring.

Use your grater to shred them fine. Then invite me over to eat red velvet cake!

i know this isn't what you asked

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

city slicker pizza near union sq somerville has awesome red velvet cupcakes.

i don't normally give out my own recipes, but since it's the holidays...

[cynickalone.livejournal.com]

cake:

2 1/2 cups flour (all purpose or cake)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
2 large eggs
2 oz red food coloring
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

preheat oven 350*F
use 2 - 9" cake pans or 3 - 8" cake pans
either butter and flour each cake pan or use parchment paper

1. sift flour, baking soda, and salt. put aside.
2. cream the butter and sugar together.
3. beat eggs into butter & sugar one at a time.
4. combine the food coloring and cocoa powder together. add to the liquids mixture.
5. alternate stirring in dry mix and buttermilk into liquids mixture about 1/3 each time.
6. add vanilla extract.
7. add vinegar at last second. pour mixture into pans and get them into the oven.
8. bake about 20-30 min (until clean toothpick).

frosting:

1 - 8oz package cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 - 1lb box confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (obviously you can leave it out if nut allergies)

1. cream butter and cream cheese.
2. beat in confectioners sugar.
3. beat in vanilla extract.
4. stir in chopped pecans.

definitely allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.

enjoy!!

Well, not that your motive has been revealed...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

You cannot stay with the Contessa! :)

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

Yes. You can try bakebakebake, too.

[fairychild86.livejournal.com]

i wouldn't normally say this but ummmm... OH NOMNOMNOM those sound DELICIOUS!
lol