Red velvet cake needs no introduction, this cake always stands out even when placed with other well decorated and frosted cakes in pastry displays. We all love the gooey and soft texture and taste of red velvet cake. Red velvet cake is also known as Waldrof red cake or red Waldrof cake or Waldrof Astoria cake or red mystery cake or flame cake or $300 cake. It is a layered cake with a distinctive bright red hue produced by a considerable amount of red of food colouring. It has a typical rich, soft and fluffy sponge that provides much of the cake’s flavour punch and a rich white frosting that provides much of the cake’s flavour punch and colour contrast.
Original red velvet cakes got the “velvet” part of their name not because they resembled bright red velvet dresses but because their texture was so smooth and velvety. The texture was influenced by the special ingredients put into the cake. Red velvet cake recipes vary but almost all contained baking soda and either vinegar or buttermilk. Both vinegar and buttermilk are acidic, and anyone who has experimented making a volcano in school knows that bubbles erupt when vinegar is mixed with baking soda. The bubbles fluffed up the cake, making it light and smooth. The vinegar and buttermilk did not just react with baking soda, they also reacted with the cake’s cocoa powder. Cocoa powder has anthocyanins, these are compounds that are also found in foods like red cabbage. Red cabbage leaves can be used as pH indicators, getting redder in presence of strong acids. It is the anthocyanins that change colour in cabbage, and they do the same in the cocoa, giving it a red finish. But most cocoa powder in the market today is neutralised. It is the reason why a lot of recipes for red velvet that use cocoa powder specify the type of cocoa powder they use. A proper red velvet cake is moist and soft, with a slight tang, and not overly sweet. The flavour of cocoa is vaguely present, but not pronounced. The original red velvet was made from vegetable shortening, which produces a tender crumb and light texture.
Some sources also attribute the red velvet cake to the Adams Extract and Spice Company of Texas. To increase the sales of their food colour and create a demand for it, they came out with this recipe. American corporations have a long history of creating dishes incorporating their products. Another story relates this recipe with a house wife, dissatisfied with the brownish hue of her chocolate cakes, mixed in a lot of food colouring. Another story relates it to someone careless in measuring the food colour added a lot of it in the recipe. Another story relates it to a baker wanting to make a red cake for Valentine’s Day added the colour resulting in a flaming red coloured cake. Whatever related story you believe in, the result was an outstanding, distinct cake, which has its character and identity and is popular among all the age groups and is a part of almost all pastry shop menu offerings across the globe.
Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
All-purpose flour 2 ½ cup
Castor sugar 1 ½ cup
Baking soda 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Cocoa powder 1 tsp
Vegetable oil 1 ½ cup
Buttermilk 1 cup
Eggs 2 nos.
Red food colour 2 tbsp
White vinegar 2 tbsp
Vanilla extracts 1 tsp
Cream cheese frosting to frost
Almond to garnish
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese 400 gm
Icing sugar 4 cups
Unsalted butter 1 cup
Vanilla extracts 1 tsp
Method
Preheat the oven at 350-degree Fahrenheit and lightly oil and flour three cake pans (9-inch dia.).
In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder and add sugar, keep aside.
In a separate bowl whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil, food colour vinegar and vanilla extracts until all ingredients are combined.
Mix all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in a mixer to gate a smooth batter.
Divide the cake batter among the three cake pans, Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart, pour water in the baking tray.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pan.
Check the cake by pricking a knife, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked and ready.
Remove the cake pans from the oven and run a knife along the edges to loosen the cakes.
Invert the cakes and place them on a cooking rack, to bring them to room temperature and then refrigerate them for about 2 hours or preferably overnight.
For the frosting combine cream cheese, sugar and butter over high speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce the mixer speed and add vanilla extracts and mix for 2-3 minutes.
Store in a clean dry container and refrigerate, it can be stored for 3 days in refrigerator for layer use.
To frost the cake, divide each prepared sponge into three layers using a palette knife.
Place one layer on cake stand and sing a spatula or palette knife spread some cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
Spread enough frosting to make ¼ to ½ inch layer of frosting.
Carefully place another sponge layer on top and repeat the frosting layer.
Top with the remaining layer and cover until the entire cake with the frosting, sprinkle with chopped almonds to garnish.
Refrigerate and divide into required spice or serve as required.
* Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]
MOIST: A proper red velvet cake is moist and soft, with a slight tang, and not overly sweet. Photo by the author
