Rich and smooth red velvet cake has a lot of fans. If you are baking this
cake to make the Christmas tree cake for your holiday party, you will need two
batches. Its deep red color makes it makes it a good fit for the red and green
Christmas color theme, but this cake will elicit oohs and ahhs any time of
year.
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
Vegetable oil for the pans
1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch
round) cake pans. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt,
andcocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil,buttermilk, eggs,
food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans
in the oven evenly spaced apart.
Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the
cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick
inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen
them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate
and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool
completely.
Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a
rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the
cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make
a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down,
and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the
remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held
electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low
speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and
fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down
the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to
high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in
the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the
refrigerator for 3 days.