Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

250g / 2.5 Cups Self-raising Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tbsp / 15g Cocoa powder

113g / 1/2 Cup Unsalted butter

300g / 1.5 Cups Caster Sugar

Eggs x2

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

240ml / 1 Cup Buttermilk

2 tbsp Red food Colouring

1 tsp White distilled Vinegar

1 tsp Baking soda 

(Cream Cheese Frosting)

227g Cream Cheese, room temperature

227g Mascarpone Cheese (optional), room temperature

1 tsp Vanilla extract

115g Icing Sugar

360ml Double cream

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175° and grease two 9inch (23cm) cake tins.
2. Sift the flour, salt and cocoa into a bowl and set aside.
3. Beat the butter on a slow speed using an electric mixer and gradually add the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Mix in the buttermilk under the mixture begins to thicken up. Once the buttermilk is fully mixed in add the red food colouring.
5. Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, salt, cocoa). Sift in half of these ingredients, and ensure it is well mixed in before adding the other half.
6. In a small cup, combine the white distilled vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and quickly fold into the batter.
7. Working quickly, divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins and smooth over the batter with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
8. Bake the cakes for 25-30mins and insert a skewer or sharp knife into the middle of the cake to ensure it is well baked. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
9. To make the cream cheese frosting use an electric/handheld whisk to beat the cream cheese and mascarpone (To date, I have not used mascarpone cheese in my frosting; partly because I’m scared of how it will affect the taste, and partly because the frosting still tastes delicious without it. The choice is yours.) Add the vanilla extract and double cream, and beat til smooth. Sift in the icing sugar to remove all lumps, and add more if necessary. The frosting needs to be a thick consistency, for best results refrigerate for 3-4hrs or overnight.
10. Cut each cake in half so that you have four layers. N.B. If your cakes come out moist like mine then they may be too soft to cut in half. If this is the case then just leave the cakes uncut so that you have a thick, two-tier cake instead.
11. Spread the frosting in between each layer of cake and sandwich together. Frost the top and sides of the cake, and decorate with any left over crumbs from the cake tins.

Recipe is not my own, taken from www.joyofbaking.com  

One of the first Red Velvet cakes I made.