Recipe: Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

السّلام عليكم

PEACE be upon YOU! ;) 

PHEWW~ It seems that i've forgot that i used to have my own blog! LOL! It has been four months i didn't post anything on my blog huh? Thus, here it is! my very first entry for the year 2012! HAHAHA. Is it too late for me to wish HAPPY NEW YEAR? What a silly question,, absolutely YES, it's too late Fatin! duhh~ I've been so busy back in these four months with my campus life, till i've no time to spend on this blogging thinggy. Awwh~ how sad it sounds right? >,<" Well anyway, now is my semester break. Therefore i've got a plenty of time to spend on my hobbies! YEAH! However, today i'm not going to write about what i've been doing during the past four months first, cause i'm going to blog about another cake recipe! as requested by my old friend, Afiq. :D Hehe, he asked me for the complete recipe so that he can give it to her sister, and then ask her to bake it for him. ;) Okay, after quite some time i didn't came back home, i'm now back in the kitchen! Weehooo~ I'm the one who'll rule the kitchen! First thing first, of course i started with my favourite stuff in the kitchen which is the oven! theehe~ Thinking of baking, a Red Velvet Cake immediately popped-up in my mind. Well, i used to searched for the recipes back then before i continued studying, but i procrastinated to do it from time to time and end up didn't bake it at all at that time. LOL! Since i've got lots and lots of free time, i've finally make up my mind to made a first attempt of baking this Red Velvet cake last week. Even thought that was my first time baking this kind of cake, but it was a success! As usual, i've got compliments from my very best food tester who is my beloved MAMA! :D So, here's the recipe that i found and adjusted a lil' bit:

Ingredients for the Red Velvet Cake ;

2 1/2 cups (250g) sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15g) cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated white sugar - [caster sugar]

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting ;

(227 grams) cream cheese - [i used 250g]

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (115 grams) icing sugar, sifted

1/2 cup butter

P/s: Some other recipes also include the Mascarpone Cheese and heavy Whipping Cream as the ingredients for the frosting, but to me, all the 4 ingredients listed above are sufficient enough. If you'd love a richer taste of cheese for the frosting, you may omit the butter from the list! That's what kak Athirah [Hariz's elder sis] told me when i asked her for some tips. :D

*If you can't find the buttermilk at supermarket, you can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes.

Methods ;

Preheat oven 175 degrees C. Grease your cake pan using butter and flour. Set aside.

#1 - In a mixing bowl - sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix well and set aside.

#2 - In another large bowl - using mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

#3 - In a measuring cup - whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. 

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture(#1) and buttermilk(#3) to the butter mixture(#2), in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. 

#4 - In a small cup - combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter(#2). 

Put in the batter into the pan and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for half an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cake in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. The cake is ready to be frosted when it's completely cooled down. 

For the Frosting ;

 In a bowl, by using a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Assemble ;

 With a serrated knife, cut the cake into half, horizontally. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.  And then place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost the top and sides of the cake. 

 view from the inside. :P

 this is how the batter look like. :D