Simple Moist & Perfect Red Velvet Cake

Well, here I am after I think 3 months of agony...you may wonder why, but I feel writing this blog has never been as easy as I thought it would be; its either the camera or the stand or the computer...some how they don't seem to work in harmony.

(Don't look at the slice of this cake over here...isn't it gorgeous?)

Now that I figured out that I can use my husband's laptop to edit my videos, life might become easy and I am gonna try to make my posts as short as possible so I can catch up with my backlog coz my phone cant hold anymore pictures or videos...yes, I am recording it from my phone! Well like I mentioned something or the other ought to go wrong but am not letting it happen, camera broke down and guess what I think my phone does a better job anyways!

So I guess its the Christmas atmosphere with the red and rich colors that got me into the mood of Red Velvet cake but I had to wait impatiently for 2 days to make this cake that I so much love and yes I have been craving for this cake so badly....

Well ...as usual I like to research the origin of the food I prepare, its interesting to know how the names or the flavors were developed. I found a lot of articles in google but this one below seem pretty informative and very well written by Tori Avey and I just copied the paragraph below but if you  wish to read more of this wonderful cake you may visit her link http://toriavey.com/history-kitchen/2014/02/red-velvet-cake-history-recipe/

"A proper red velvet cake is moist and soft, with a slight tang, and not overly sweet. The flavor of cocoa is vaguely present, but not pronounced. The original red velvet was made from vegetable shortening, which produces a tender crumb and light texture. Variations developed using butter for more flavor, which turns out rather dry, or oil for extra moistness. The common denominators in all authentic versions are buttermilk or sour milk, baking soda mixed with vinegar, and, of course, red food coloring. The vinegar and buttermilk react with the cocoa to produce a brighter red hue in tangent with the dye. The cocoa is dissolved in the food coloring to produce a uniform color. Skimping on the food coloring only results in a pink tint. The more cocoa, the browner the tint. Although some well-intentioned cooks use beet juice or cooked beets for coloring, these do not provide the intensive tone. (It is a myth that beets were originally used to dye red velvet cakes — the result is simply a chocolate cake with beets and an earthy flavor –- and sugar beets are white in color). Sorry, but a bona fide crimson hue requires food coloring and a lot of it. If you don’t want coloring in your food, then make a classic red devil’s food cake or brown velvet cake, which will lack the bright red color and mild flavor.

To its detractors, red velvet cake is vulgar and insipid. To its devotees, however, the cake is a spectacular slice of bliss and a favorite comfort food. The resplendent cake serves as a traditional treat for birthdays, Christmas, Fourth of July (you can add some blueberries to the frosting), and Valentine’s Day and a basis for many wedding cakes as well as groom’s cakes. For St. Patrick’s Day, green food coloring is substituted in the batter for the red."

After so many trial and errors in such of a perfect moist Red Velvet cake , I decided to try particular recipe from "Divas can cook" its very moist and its very simple and the secret to getting it so moist is not to over mix and that's why I usually use a hand mixer to make it.

English version, coming SOON! 



For the cake:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 tspn Baking Powder
1 tspn Baking Soda
1/4 salt
2 Tbspn Cocoa Powder
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Canola Oil/Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 Cup Butter Milk
1/2 Cup Coffee ( I use 1/4 spoon  decaffeinated coffee)
1 tspn white distilled vinegar
1-2 oz Red Food Coloring

Pre heat the oven at 325F.
Grease and flour 2, 8" pans or use parchment

In a medium size bowl sift all the dry ingredients and keep aside.

In another bowl pour the oil and the sugar, mix to combined then add the eggs, butter milk and the Red food coloring, mix well.

Add the coffee and the vinegar and beat with hand mixer for about 2 minutes or so.

Now add all the dry ingredients at once at mix on low speed until well combined, increase the speed and scrap the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well combined DO NOT OVERMIX you will cause your cake to be dried.

Pour the batter equally into the pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes


Most of the times the Red Velvet cake is frosted with Cream Cheese Frosting/icing but there are occasions that I have done it with Swiss Meringue Butter Cream which is absolutely tasty too but today am sticking with the Cream Cheese Butter Cream.
The most crucial point to getting a perfect cream cheese butter cream is to have the Cream Cheese and the Butter in room temperature and that would solve all the mysteries.

Ingredients:

3 Cups Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Butter ( 1 stick)
2 Cups confectionery sugar
1-2 tspn vanilla essence
(Video ccomingsoon)

Beat the cream cheese until nice and smooth, add the butter and beat for few more minutes, start adding the confectionery sugar one cup at a time until you reach the consistency you are looking
for but most of the times 2 cups are just enough.



This is how I decorated my cake, my skills in this department suck but I will get there some day but in the meantime enjoy the cake.



Now this cake is beautiful, don't you think!