I found these on my computer and thought I'd share them, it being close to Valentine's Day. I don't know where they came from, but here they are anyway. If anyone tries them, let me know how they turn out.
For the cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup good-quality cocoa powder
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons pickled beet juice or red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
For the icing:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the water and cocoa powder, and allow the mixture to cool.
3. Beat the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer, then add the vanilla, buttermilk, baking soda, and beet juice or red wine vinegar and stir well.
4. Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cornstarch, salt, and sugar into the bowl. Pour in the butter and then the egg mixture and blend thoroughly on low.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool the cakes for a few minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks, and frost and fill the center with the chocolate icing.
Chocolate Icing
1. Place the cream, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until hot and bubbly.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring slowly until smooth and silky. Add the vanilla and the salt. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your taste. Cool for about 15 minutes before frosting the cake.
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This modified red velvet cake recipe uses beet powder as a substitute for food coloring and achieves the same red color typically obtained from large doses of food dye.
Modern red velvet cake is a buttermilk cake dyed red with artificial food coloring, however, historically velvet cakes were leavened with whipped egg whites that were incorporated into a butter cake batter.
Food purists seeking to replicate the color, flavor and cooking method of a traditional red velvet cake by merely substituting natural food coloring for artificial colors will run into a series of obstacles. These occur because natural food dyes and pigments, like the pigment in beet powder, are sensitive to both heat and pH and change color when combined with baking soda or baking powder.
However, bakers interested in a delicious naturally colored red cake recipe that yields a result similar to a red velvet cake, regardless of technique, can use beet powder successfully with this modified recipe. Because this cake is leavened with the air incorporated into the whipped eggs, and contains no baking soda, the natural red color of the beet powder remains after the cake is baked, and the texture is similar to that of a moist sponge cake.
Naturally Dyed Red "Velvet Cake" Using Beet Root Powder
Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided in half
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup beet powder
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a metal bowl placed atop a pot of simmering water, whisk together egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, vanilla and buttermilk for 3-5 minutes until pale yellow.
Remove from heat and continue whisking for an additional 5 minutes until thick and foamy, nearly tripling in size.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together egg whites until foamy. Add in cream of tartar.
Continue whisking until soft peaks begin to form, then gradually add remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat until peaks are stiff and glossy.
In a third bowl, sift together cocoa powder, cake flour and beet powder.
Gently sift dry ingredients into egg yolk and egg white mixtures, folding all three components together until combined.
Divide cake batter into two 9" round cake pans, lined on the bottom with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from heat and invert pans over baking rake while cake cools. Gently cut cake away from edges and remove from pan. Frost and layer as desired.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
8 oz (two sticks) butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Allow cake to completely cool before frosting. Makes enough to frost a two layered cake.
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red velvet wedding cake
InstructionsThings You'll Need:
For the cake:
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tbsp. beet powder
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp cinimmon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
* This recipe will make 5 cups of batter. To make all the required tiers you will need to multiply it by 18.
For the frosting:
4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
2 lbs. confectioners' sugar, sifted
* This recipe will also need to be multiplied based on your final frosting design.
For baking:
Measuring cups & spoons
Bowls
Wide spatula or spreader
Electric mixer with whisk attachment
Three round baking pans each in 6-, 9-, 12- & 15-inch diameters
For constructing the cake:
4 pieces 3/16-inch thick foam board cut in the same diameter as your cake tiers
1 cake board or base plate, slightly larger than your bottom tier
22 wooden dowels, 1/4-inch diameter, 4 1/8 inches long
Gum paste flowers (or any other desired decor)
Baking the Cake
Step 1Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease pans; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cocoa; set aside.
Step 2Using the electric mixer, combine sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add in food coloring and vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the sugar mixture. Mix until combined. If necessary, scrape the sides of the bowl.
Step 3Combine vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl. Add the baking soda mixture to the cake batter and continue to mix on medium for 15 seconds. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pans.
Step 4Repeat Steps 1 through 3 until you have filled and baked three of each size of pan. When the cakes cool after baking, remove them from the pans and set aside.
Making the Frosting
Step 1Mix vanilla and cream cheese in an electric mixer set to medium and fitted with the paddle attachment until the mixture becomes creamy, approximately two minutes.
Step 2Add butter gradually and mix until combined, scraping the sides as needed.
Step 3Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add sugar. Mix until well combined; set aside.
Constructing the Cake
Step 1Build the tiers.Trim each of the layers to 1 1/4 inches high. Set layers on corresponding foam board, spreading cream cheese frosting between each layer. You should have four completed tiers, each measuring 4 inches high.
Step 2Frost the tiers. Using a spreader or wide spatula, frost the top and sides of the tiers in vertical swooping motions to create the desired design.
Step 3Put it together. Set the 15-inch tier directly on the base plate or cake stand. Insert 10 of the wooden dowels into the top of the tier with one in the center and the other nine creating a circle 2 inches from the edge of the cake. This will provide support for your subsequent tiers. Center and set the 12-inch tier on top of the 15-inch tier. Insert eight wooden dowels in the 12-inch tier forming a circle 2 inches from the edge; set the 9-inch tier on top. Insert four dowels into the 9-inch tier, forming a square 2 inches from the edge. Top with the 6-inch tier.
Step 4Re-frost any areas that may have been damaged during the construction process.
Step 5Decorate. This step is entirely up to you. You could buy premade gum paste flowers that complement your wedding flowers or colors. Go as heavy or light as you like. Craft and baking stores also offer a variety of cake decor that you may also want to consider. Refrigerate until it is time to display.
Tips & Warnings
Because large cakes require so much batter, you may want to start baking the day before. Prepare the cake in batches and refrigerate until needed. When constructing the cake, leave the tiers on the foam board. The foam board will rest on the wooden dowels and increase the cakes' stability. The foam board can always be hidden with frosting.
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