Red Velvet Cake

It was V's birthday and it has become more or less a norm for me to bake the cake each year. The last year was Lemon Curd Cake and this year, it is the Red Velvet Cake. The little one gets the privilege to choose the Cake and the flavor. I simply hope she is not going after the Rainbow colors. In which case, the next year around, you will see one of the bright blue or a girly purple or a fluorescent green cake. Dad may not care for those colors. But who cares?

 

The little one almost always asks me if I need any help in the kitchen.She enjoys rolling the dough to make Rotis or Puris, cracking the eggs, beating the eggs, making the cake batter etc., I let her as I enjoy seeing her tiny hands in action. She seems to enjoy every thing her mommy does except clean her room or the toys lying on the floor. She argues on why there is no point cleaning up her toys,that is if she has to.

The Red Velvet Cake is widely known as the Waldorf Astoria Cake since it was where the story began. When a customer requested the hotel for the recipe of Red velvet Cake, the hotel charged the customer $100.(While researching, I have also seen numbers like $350 which may be true). This was in 1940s! She  seeks revenge by circulating the recipe and that is where the recipe originated from. Now, if this is a treat with southern origins or not, that still remains a mystery. The one theory I can come up with is this cake appeared in the movie 'Steel Magnolias' as the Groom's cake which is more Southern tradition.  Over the years, the recipe was tweaked, twisted and changed but the charm never went away making it more popular than ever.The recipe ideally should have 3 layers but I do not have three 8 inch pans. Since the recipe also mentions the possible use of 2- 9 inch pans, I got away with using 2 pans.
If you have 3- 8 inch pans, I suggest you use them. The more the merrier!

I made the frosting from the original recipe involving butter and flour in addition to cream cheese frosting. Both the frostings are very good. The original frosting was a lot like whipped cream but the Cream Cheese Frosting was tangy and creamy. My family liked the Cream Cheese frosting better. The original frosting recipe has been provided below along with the Cream Cheese Frosting. If left to me, I would have frosted the cake, half with each frosting.
While frosting the cake, I let the red crumbs get mixed up with the frosting. I liked the speckled effect that it gives
 

Adapted from Internet

1/2 cup Shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 oz Red food coloring
2 tbsps Cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking powder
2 1/4 cups Cake Flour
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp White Vinegar

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Butter 2- 9" round cake pans and flour them by  dustign the excess flour off. Set aside
• In a medium bowl, beat shortening, sugar, vanilla and eggs until light and creamy. In a small bowl, combine food coloring and cocoa
• Sift the cake flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl
• Alternating with flour and buttermilk, combine the shortening mixture intil well combined. Begin and end with the flour and add in 1/3 increments
• Combine soda and vinegar allowing it to fizz
• Pour into the batter and mix well
• Divide the batter among the 2 greased and floured pans equally
• Place them in the oven for 25 - 30 min or until a fork or a skewer placed in the center of the cake comes out clean
• Allow it to cool for 15 minutes
• Invert the cakes and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack
• Place a cake on a cake stand or a tray
• Spoon 1/4 portion of the frosting and spread it evenly
• Place the other cake such that it sits well on top of the frosting. Do not press too much or else the frosting can ooze from the sides
• Spoon the remaining half of the prepared frosting on top of the cake and using a spatula or a dinner knife, spread the frosting  in order to cover any imperfections
• Then top with the remaining frosting and spread it anyway you want

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Cream the Cream cheese, butter, vanilla and sugar in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth without any lumps

Original Frosting
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of Salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine milk and flour in a small bowl to smooth batter without any lumps
Stirring constantly, cook it on medium heat until the flour mixture turns very thick
Remove from the stove and let it cool down
In another bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy
Mix with the cooked flour mixture
Continue beating on high speed until light

Notes
* Make sure not to bake it for too long or else the cake will turn very dry
* While preparing the cake, make sure to wear clothes that you are okay if red coloring gets onto it.(Lesson learnt the hard way)

For now,
Shri