Red Velvet Cake

Some days you just need a piece of cake to do more than simply satisfy a craving. Your body and soul absolutely must have a piece of cake for everything to feel right with the world. But not just any cake will do. Call me a cake snob, but for this kind of craving it has to be a homemade one, preferably one heavily lathered in icing.

And almost nothing satisfies or is more celebratory than a Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Early on the Red Velvet Cake was known as the Waldorf-Astoria cake as it is alleged the original recipe was developed and served at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. However, without causing any battle lines to be drawn between the North and the South, the Red Velvet Cake has also been strongly tied southern regional cooking origins. To add confusion over this cake's history, some claim the cake's recipe was developed by the wife of a wealthy department store owner. Regardless of who or where it was developed, it's popularity has increased significantly in recent years.

The original version of the cake was made with a French-style butter icing (ermine) versus a cream cheese frosting. The availability of red food coloring in the early part of the 21st century became the replacement for boiled beet and/or raspberry juices used in some of the early published recipes for this cake. In searching out recipes for this cake, I discovered there were multiple variations and conflicting ingredient recommendations. Ultimately I went with the one published in The Best of America's Test Kitchen (2008) cookbook because, well, just because.

Creating a cake light in texture, having a more tender crumb, remaining incredibly moist, and having no loss of flavor coming from the reduction of its' fat is due in large part to the use of buttermilk (versus milk and sour cream). And this Red Velvet Cake recipe calls for the use of buttermilk as the liquid ingredient.

After the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are mixed separately in medium sized bowls, the red food coloring and natural cocoa are mixed to a paste consistency. Natural cocoa versus Dutch-processed cocoa is what further helps to give this cake its' beautiful depth of color.

After creaming unsalted butter and granulated sugar, the wet and dry ingredients are added alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Note: Dry ingredients divided into thirds, wet ingredients divided in half. When the first half of the buttermilk mixture is added to the batter it will look as if it has curdled. Not to worry. The texture of the batter completely changes by the time the last of the flour mixture is beaten in. To finish the batter, the cocoa paste is blended in thoroughly. Before pouring the batter into the prepared baking pans, use a spatula to give the batter a final stir to ensure there are no 'light' batter streaks.

In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, two nine inch cake pans bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (my baking time was 30 minutes). Measuring the weight of the batter in each of the cake pans and rotating the pans halfway through the baking process helps to ensure you have two perfectly sized, evenly baked layers. After cooling for 10-15 minutes, the cake layers are removed from the pans and placed on a cooling rack for approximately one hour. The cake needs to be room temperature (or slightly chilled) before it is iced.

For the smoothest icing possible, always sift your confectionary sugar. How much icing you put on this cake or what kind of finished look you are going for is all a matter of personal preference. The amount of icing in the recipe below is enough to make a cake with naked sides, a generous center filling, and a thick pastry bag decorated top. If you want a cake with fully frosted sides, increase the proportions of the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectionary sugar.

It almost seems a shame to slice off the beautiful domed top of the baked cake layers, the kind of dome causing oohs and aahs when the cake comes out the oven. But if you really looking for OOHS and AAHS when you put this cake out on the table and ultimately slice into it, you really do need to even out the layers.  Note: Those highly valued crumbs can be your reward for baking the cake or can be further crumbled and used to decorate the sides of the frosted cake.

Always put a thin layer of icing on the top layer of the cake if you are planning on finishing the top with a pastry bag piped design.

The finished look of your cake can be as simple or as fancy as you want.

The cake is easier to slice if you allow it to chill for at least an hour before serving.

We couldn't wait. This isn't a cake that qualifies as 'chocolate' although you will definitely taste the chocolate when you take a bite. And the cream cheese frosting ensures the tang created by the use of buttermilk and vinegar in the cake does not get lost. A slice of Red Velvet Cake is pure deliciousness, more than enough to satisfy that your 'I need to have, I must have a piece cake' craving.

This Red Velvet Cake is nothing short of amazing to both look at and enjoy. On your best days or on your worst days or a gray day, one piece of this iconic cake will have you feeling blissfully happy.

Recipe
Red Velvet Cake (mostly inspired by America's Test Kitchen's Red Velvet Cake recipe shared in The Best of America's Test Kitchen (2008) cookbook, icing recipe comes from a compilation of sources)

Ingredients
Cake
12 T unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch of sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder (do not use Dutch Process cocoa)
1 ounce bottle (2 Tablespoons) red food coloring
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Icing
20 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 1/2 sticks (20 T) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectionary sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
generous pinch of sea salt

Directions
Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, and pinch of sea salt. Set aside.
3. In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, white vinegar, vanilla, and eggs. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl mix the cocoa and red food coloring together until a paste is formed. Set aside.
5. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar at high speed until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes).
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated (30 seconds); Add half of the buttermilk mixture on low speed until combined (30 seconds); Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Note: Scrape down the sides of the bowl during each addition.
7. On medium speed add cocoa mixture until completely incorporated (30-40 seconds). Using a rubber spatula, give the batter a final stir to ensure there are no streaks of white batter.
8. Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Note: Use of a measuring scale helps to ensure the evenness of the layer.
9. Bake for25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking process, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Allow the cakes for cool for 10-15 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely (approximately 1 hour).

Icing
1. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese until well blended. 
2. Add sifted confectionary sugar and continue to beat until icing is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Beat in vanilla.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
Note: There is enough icing to completely cover the cake with naked sides and piped decorated top. Increase the amount of icing if the desired finished cake is evenly iced on sides and top of cake.

Assembly
1. Place one cake layer, bottom side up, on platter or cake stand. Generously spread icing using a spatula to spread evenly over the cake layer.
2. Using a serrated knife, cut the dome off of the second layer (reserve crumbs). Place second layer of cake, top-cut side down, on layer of icing.
3. Spread remaining frosting over sides and top of the cake.
4. Serve immediately and/or chill in the refrigerator to serve later. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Notes: Cake can be made in 3 eight inch cake or 3 six inch cake pans. Adjust baking times accordingly.