Recipe: The Best-Ever Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake is on the menu at almost every self-respecting lunch spot or cake shop. No wonder, because when it’s wonderfully moist and has a good layer of frosting on top, it’s definitely one of my favorite cakes too.
My friends jump up and down when I make this cake, and everyone even thinks it’s the most delicious one they’ve ever tasted. My secret ingredient? A cup of strong coffee. It gives the cake a more intense flavor, and the coffee also enhances the chocolate flavor. Because you use buttermilk and sunflower oil instead of butter, it’s also incredibly moist.
I use a 24 cm springform pan. You can also use a smaller springform pan for a beautifully tall cake (but keep in mind that it will need a longer baking time). I prefer the cake slightly thinner, so that you get proportionally more frosting.
How to make the best-ever Red Velvet Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Line the bottoms of 2 springform pans (ø 24 centimeters) with baking paper; grease the sides. If you only have one cake pan, bake the layers one after another.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a larger bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, sunflower oil and vanilla. Add the food coloring little by little until the batter is bright red.
3. Mix the coffee and vinegar into the egg mixture, followed by the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk a splash at a time until a homogeneous mixture forms. Stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the wet ingredients. If you continue mixing, the gluten will develop and the cake will become tough. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake the cakes for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out dry.
4. Let the cakes cool slightly and release them by running a knife around the sides of the pans. Remove the cakes from the pans and let them cool to room temperature. This takes about an hour. In the meantime, make the frosting.
5. Mix the butter and cream cheese on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until you have a light and fluffy mixture. Fold in the powdered sugar little by little. Taste as you go to see whether it’s sweet enough; you may not need all the sugar.
Finally, add the vanilla extract.
6. Assemble the cake once it has cooled completely. If the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt and everything will collapse. Spread a generous spoonful of frosting over the bottom layer using a (palette) knife. Place the next cake layer on top and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Place the cake in the refrigerator for half an hour so the frosting can set.
Also read:
- How to make the Austrian winter sports hit Kaiserschmarrn
- 5x the most delicious sweet dishes from the Airfryer
- Recipe: speculoos tiramisu so easy that anyone can make it
Title: The 100 Best Dishes You Must Have Eaten
Author: Marcus Polman, Renée Conradi, Emma de Thouars
Publisher: Carrera
Price: €27,50
