Red velvet cake..

I first tasted red velvet cake in a friends' house.. Fatie, bought in Bangsar Village.. Like the taste but too filling.. second time was my aunt's house.. It was a red velvet cupcake.. too filling but it has this strong bitter taste. Maybe she used beet root? Because of the uniqueness of this cake - a chocolate cake in red colour and combined with cheese topping, made me excited to do one.. A friend of mine tried in a fancy restaurant recently and thought there was nothing special about the cake and it tasted just like the usual cake made by local folks.. I don't know? I was googling for the recipe found and finally decided to try this one out.. from Joy of Baking.. Did some alteration - as indicated in the highlighted font.. The taste is simple yet elegant.. simple because the cake is light and elegant with the rich whipped cream and cream cheese topping.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I used Van Houten Cocoa powder)

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used salted butter, so I omitted the salt)

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated whitesugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used Star Brand Vanilla Essence)

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk (I made this on my own as recommended by this website - add 1 cup of fresh milk - I used skim milk and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice/white vinegar, let it stand for 5-10 minutes before using)

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

3. In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

5. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

6. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

7. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

16 ounce cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

1 1/2 (360 ml) cups heavy whipping cream

Methods:

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Assemble: With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.  Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with sweetened or unsweetened coconut.

Read more at: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html

So, HAPPY TRYING!!

This is how it looked it right from the oven.. texture is very moist and fluffy...

 After the cake is covered by the cream cheese topping..

 This is how it looked like.. I did 3 layers instead of 4 layers..

Sarah enjoyed eating this cake.. Thanks!

p/s: all photos were taken with my iPhone.. oh, I miss it..