Red Velvet Cake

If you've never had Red Velvet cake, it's good. I really like it. I can't say I LOVE it because it's hard for me to get over that whole Red Dye #40 thing. So it's not something I have often. It's certainly something the girls don't get often. I think this is their second piece when I made this cake. And we live in the south.
If anyone has ever told you that Red Velvet cake is just "chocolate cake with lots of red food coloring", don't believe them- or at least I've been told not to believe them. Perhaps SOME Red Velvet cakes are that. But the taste of a true southern Red Velvet cake apparently (I'm not truly Southern) comes from the reaction of the acidic ingredients, and some recipes have as little as a teaspoon of cocoa in them. Red food coloring wasn't always used- shocking isn't it. Sometimes beet juice is used, and sometimes no colorant is used and the cake gets it's color from the vinegar and buttermilk's reaction with the cocoa powder. Anyway, who cares. Let's make a cake. OH- and for me I like Cream Cheese frosting. This vanilla bean cream cheese frosting rocks.

Red Velvet Cake 

2 1/2 c cake flour
1 1/4 c sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c buttermilk
2 tablespoons red food coloring (Breath, I know, scary... just breath)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt together. Set it aside.





Place the wet ingredients into the bowl of your mixer. Including the red food coloring.
(yes, a whole ounce, yes, a whole bottle, yes, it's scary- stay with me here people, it will be OK... if you can't do it, have someone hold your hand)
Beat until well combined.




Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.







Yes, I know, that color just is not natural. Everything in moderation right?





Pour the batter into 3 8-inch round pans or 2 9-inch greased and floured round pans.
Back for 25-30 minutes. Let the cakes sit for a few minutes then invert them onto a cooling rack to completely cool before frosting.



YUM, if you want I guess you can press some chopped pecans on to the side of the cake, but I had not time for that. I didn't even let the cake chill for the frosting to set before I had a slice.