RED VELVET CAKE

I am not all here, not yet [long story] but I just had to emerge from seclusion. Most of our furry band of meteorologists predicted an early spring earlier this month, plus today is Valentines Day. So the people who are near and dear are counting on cake. And here it is. It is red, the crumb is like velvet and the flavour is rich with chocolate. What an intense, lovely cake this is! Lots of sugar I have to admit, but hey it doesn’t taste overly sweet, actually it tastes just right, and besides whoever heard of self deprivation on the day human love is celebrated. I used the same recipe as for my red velvet cupcakes back in July. You can never have too much red velvet. Cupid I didn’t let you down. Have a happy soon to be spring and Happy Valentines Day!

 

Cake:

1 cup soft butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup 14% sour cream

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

3-1/2 Tbsp liquid red food coloring [this is a surprisingly large amount]

1/2 cup cocoa, sifted

1/2 cup milk

2-1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp vinegar

 

Cream Cheese Icing:

250g cream cheese at room temperature

1/3 cup butter at room temperature

2 Tbsp sour cream

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

6 cups icing sugar

 

• Preheat the oven to 350F.

• Fully line two 9 inch spring form cake pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

• Combine the soft butter and the sugar.

• Beat until very fluffy.

• Add the eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla and the food coloring. It is important to add the food coloring early, to disperse the color in the cake batter evenly. Beat well.

• Add the cocoa and the baking soda and 1 cup of cake flour. Beat to combine.

• Add the vinegar and beat to combine.

• Add the remaining cake flour and beat to combine. Do not overbeat.

• Divide the batter among the two prepared pans.

• Bake the cake layers for 36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. • Place the cake pans on a wire racks.

• Let the cake layers cool completely.

• When completely cooled down, place the cakes still in the pans in the fridge.

• Chill for about an hour.

• Meanwhile prepare the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream and vanilla until just combined.

• Add the icing sugar and beat to combine.

• Add more icing sugar for stiffer icing. Do not overbeat. The more you beat cream cheese icing the runnier it can get.

• Remove one cake from the fridge.

• Unhook the spring mechanism and remove the ring from the cakes.

• Grasp the bottom parchment, pull off and carefully slide the cake onto a platter. The chilled cake is fairly stable at this point. Do not invert.

• Spread the top evenly with cream cheese icing.

• Remove the second cake from the fridge.

• With the flat side up place the second cake on top of the bottom layer.

• Carefully pull the parchment from the cake.

• Chill the cake for an hour.

• Spread a thin crumb coating of icing over the well chilled cake.

• Place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

• Remove cake from the fridge and spread the top and the sides with cream cheese icing.

• With the remaining icing pipe shells or rosettes on top of the cake

• Sprinkle candy hearts around the base.

• Chill the assembled cake for half an hour.

• Remove, slice and serve.