My mom makes the most fabulous Red Velvet Cake every year for the holidays. It is something I always look forward to at Christmas and everyone in our family just loves it! We were invited to a dinner party recently and I had the idea to bring over my mom's famous cake for dessert...knowing everyone would love it just as much as me! The recipe is as follows:
Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients:
1/2 c Crisco
2 eggs
2 oz red food color
2 c flour
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cocoa
1 c buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda
Directions:
1. Cream crisco and sugar then add eggs one at a time, beating in between.
2. Add food coloring and vanilla.
3. Sift flour and cocoa together, adding alternately with buttermilk, stirring between each addition.
4. Mix vinegar and soda together then add in and mix all together.
5. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes
Icing: (This is different than traditional cream cheese but SO yummy!)
Ingredients:
1 c Milk
pinch of salt
1 stick margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c flour
1 c sugar
1/2 c crisco
Directions:
1. Cook milk and flour in pan over low hear and add a pinch of salt until it thickens like a paste.
2. Set aside and let cool
3. Beat sugar, margarine, crisco and vanilla
4. Add flour mixure to crisco mixture and beat until light and fluffy
5. Ice cake...enjoy!
Here are a few pics of the steps above that I followed....
All the ingredients you will need...except Milk...I forgot to set that out!
Creaming the crisco and sugar and then....
adding an egg one at a time.
Next, I added food coloring to the mix
and got this beautiful color.
Then I sifted the flour into the mix, added the soda and baked the cake.
I cleaned up the kitchen, fixed myself a Diet Coke and sat on the couch watching a Christmas movie and anxiously awaited the cake to bake! I was so excited when I heard the timer beep!! I opened the oven door and low and behold.....!!!!!
*insert sound here* (wah wah wahhhhhhh.....)
Huge failure! I was so disappointed and totally confused!!
I still insist I followed my mom's directions perfectly but somehow things did not go as planned!
BIG bummer!
I am looking forward to heading home for Christmas and getting a private lesson from my mom on how to properly execute the famed Red Velvet Cake! Stay tuned!
Since I was unsuccessful at baking the Red Velvet Cake I turned to a cookbook that includes recipes from some of the most delicious restaurants in Atlanta. One recipe for a cake called, "A Very Good Chocolate Cake" sounded promising and was from a great restaurant, Watershed, so I decided to give it a shot.
A Very Good Chocolate Cake-Watershed
Ingredients:
For the cake: Butter and flour for pans, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 cup hot double-strength brewed coffee, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs, room temperature, 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
For the frosting: 1 cup heavy cream, 1 stick unsalted butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/4 cup double-strength brewed coffee
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
To make the cake: In a bowl, sift together sugar, flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. Stir 4 ounces chocolate into the hot coffee and allow to melt completely. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture and blend well. Add the flour mixture in 1/3 increments, stirring well after each addition. Divide batter among prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
To make the frosting: Heat the cream, butter, sugar and salt over low heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Add vanilla and coffee; stir until blended. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature and to a spreadable consistency. Frost the top of one layer, top with second layer, then frost the top and sides.
And this was my result:
I was happy to have something to take to our dinner party and it was a BIG hit as well!! :)
