Red Velvet Cake

My sister and I made my mom this cake for Mother's Day. She's always been the baker of the family so when I contemplated what cake to make I wanted to choose something she's never made before and something she would be excited to try. Red Velvet Cake was the perfect choice! She couldn't believe we made the holy grail of cakes...

Red Velvet cake is one of those desserts that you hear people talk about as if it's a delicacy. As if its the most difficult cake to pull off... how do you turn it red?! It's magic! Or just food coloring... I was surprised at the simplicity of this recipe. I thought it was going to contain rare ingredients that would explain the craze, but all I noticed was a whole lot of food coloring and a splash of vinegar.

Despite my slight disappointment to the hype, the cake was still delicious and easy! The flavors and consistency of the cake were perfect- it was rich and moist... melted in my mouth. One slice of this cake will definitely satisfy all of your sweet cravings! I would definitely recommend this recipe. It is sure to be a crowd pleaser- no one needs to know the lack luster of the ingredients. For all they know it really is magic!

Red Velvet Cake
Adapted From Bobby Flay
Serves: 1 (9-inch) cake
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients (Cake)
3 3/4 cups AP Flour
3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
Frosting, recipe follows

Directions (Cake)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Cream the butter, sugar and oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. Let cool completely before frosting. Slice each cake into 2 layers and frost.


Ingredients (Frosting)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

Directions (Frosting)
Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until verycold, at least 2 hours.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.