Red Velvet Cake

What’s a mom to do when her baby boy turns 30? Bake a cake of course. Not just any cake but his most favorite in the world – a Red Velvet cake. He always says, “Why have plain chocolate when you can have Red Velvet?”

Part of the fun is of course the fabulous color, there’s just something special about a deep red cake. Then there is the icing – if you can’t make butter and cream cheese taste marvelous something is off in the universe. All of that aside, I personally think the real trick is the buttermilk that gives the whole cake a little zing. To make thinks a little zingier a tiny bit of vinegar is secret ingredient that is so worth it. Using only 2 eggs keeps the cake from having that annoying “eggy” taste.  Of course, cocoa powder is a must and so is red food coloring. If you are a person who does not like using food coloring, then my advice is this just isn’t your “piece of cake.” Once a friend (or was she?) tried to pass off a Red Velvet cake made with beet juice. I am a total fan of beets, but it was not a good cake. Once you’ve determined that you will live after ingesting a little food coloring you will be delighted to know that all the ingredients for this cake mix up in one bowl. It’s easy to bake the cake a day ahead of time and ice it the next day. The icing has 4 ingredients, all delicious. Here is a hint – don’t have a meltdown when red crumbs get into the icing. It will happen – it’s part of the charm. Decorating is a matter of personal preference. Roses are beautiful now and the white chocolate curls are just adorable so that was it.

My neighbor finds amazing candles and we had quite a showstopper last night. It knocked those little #30 candles right off the cake. It would be impossible for a picture to reveal how fantastic this cake tastes so it looks like you are just going to have to make one. A Red Velvet cake is always cause for celebration! Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

½ cup (one stick) butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (Usually it’s okay to “make” buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar – but for this the real stuff is important.)

3 Tbsp red food coloring

2 2/3 cups flour

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp or just a pinch of salt

Icing

½ cup (one stick) butter

16 oz cream cheese (1 ½ blocks)

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions (for cake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray cake pans with cooking spray and if desired dust with a little cocoa powder for extra flavor.

Combine butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.

Add eggs one at a time.

Add oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk, and food coloring and beat until well combined.

Add dry ingredients, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until center is done.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Icing

Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in an electric mixer until smooth.

Add powdered sugar in 2 batches and beat until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar if icing isn’t stiff enough. (Not all cream cheese is the same, some may not be as thick.)

Ice, decorate, and celebrate!