“Glorious Red Velvet Cake”

Why? Tell me why I haven’t posted this recipe before now? Sharing this cake goodness especially with all red velvet lovers is sheer joy. Believe me as I write this post, I can taste it. My Glorious Red Velvet Cake will undoubtedly leave an impression on all who take a bite. Tender crumb and luscious cream cheese frosting are unbeatable, and a match made in heaven.

Glorious Red Velvet Cake

First, every red velvet starts from somewhere, so I’ll give credit where credit is due. I adapted this cake recipe from “The Cook’s Country Cookbook” years ago. Once you bake something over and over again, you definitely put your own spin on it. This Glorious Red Velvet Cake is a must have during family celebrations especially for Christmas.

Everyone stands around me when I cut the first slice. No one else wants to cut the first piece. Imagine that? They’re like vultures swoping in on prey. It’s truly hilarious hence the reason I love to bake. Joy and Happiness prevails around food.

Glorious Red Velvet Cake

With its classic tender crumb, I have used this cake to make cupcakes, trifle, and cheesecake. However, in baking this cake, let me remind you to use natural cocoa powder. Do not use Dutch-processed cocoa. The results are not the same. I also incorporate the use of vanilla bean paste instead of pure vanilla extract. Use 1:1 for the same flavor result in any recipe. Just know paste has seeds from the bean pod.

Glorious Red Velvet Cake

While mixing batter, scrape to bottom of bowl during mixing. Ensure after removing bowl from your mixer, give the batter a couple good stirs to ensure even mixing. Proceed with baking, rotating pans halfway through baking. Check doneness at 20 minutes. Toothpick inserted should have a few crumbs. Do not bake any longer. If toothpick comes out totally clean, you may have overbaked your cake. Cakes and cupcakes continue baking when removed from oven so the carryover heat will finish cooking.

Glorious Red Velvet Cake

Last but not least is the decadent cream cheese frosting. No too sweet with just the right of cream cheese and light and fluffy texture. Cream cheese and butter are whipped until no lumps remain. Lumps arise when cream cheese is not completely softened. Add in confectioners’ sugar and whip, whip and whip. You can see the frosting getting fluffier and fluffier.

The frosting does have to be refrigerated and lasts at least 4 days. Any longer then refrigerate your cake but trust me it won’t last that long. Now get in the kitchen and bake my Glorious Red Velvet Cake. This is what I call a true showstopper for all cake lovers. #Chowdowlowdown or leave a message below if you make this recipe. Love red velvet cake? Visit the “Bubble Room Restaurant” on Captive Island in Florida if ever near there. So incredibly good!

Glorious Red Velvet Cake

2 T. natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed), plus more for dusting pans

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ t. baking soda

¼ t. fine sea salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 T. white vinegar

1 t. vanilla bean paste

2 T. red food coloring (1 oz. bottle)

1 ½ sticks (12 T.) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 – 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1 ¼ sticks (10 T.) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and softened

2 T. sour cream

1 ½ t. vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

¼ t. fine sea salt

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Prepare Cakes: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Ensure oven rack is in middle position. Grease two 9-inch cake pans then dust with cocoa powder and line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

Using a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla together. Mix 2 T. cocoa powder and red food coloring to create a paste. Set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in 1/3 of flour mixture followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with 1/2 half of remaining flour mixture and remaining buttermilk mixture. Beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined. Add in the cocoa mixture until the batter is uniform in color.

With a large rubber spatula, give batter a final stir to make sure batter is thoroughly combined. Scrape batter into prepared cake pans, smoothing tops and gently tap pans on counter to settle batter. Bake cakes 20 to 2 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs. Be sure to rotate pans half way through baking for even baking.

Allow cakes to cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of cakes and place on wire racks. Remove parchment paper and flip cakes over on racks to cool completely, about 2 hours before frosting.

Prepare Frosting: In bowl of stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and salt, until smooth, 3 to for minutes on medium-high speed.

Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and slowly add confectioners’ sugar. Beat until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes.

Frost cooled cake as desired and allow frosting to set for at 2 hours before serving.

Store cake at room temperature on covered cake stand.

Makes one 9-inch cake – Serves 8 to 10.