Red Velvet Cake

Its another colleagues birthday, which means more cake! Apparently it was his Birthday earlier in the week so this is a way impromptu cake, but I am a lover of Red Velvet cake so I am very happy to make it happen. Check this out at the New York Times website, you can find the Ermine icing here.

I got the idea for the decorations from google images search, basically anything to make the cake more exciting.

The Ermine icing that comes with the recipe is pretty so so. The recipe claimed that it was the 'original' Red Velvet cake, that was used when the cake was first making mouths salivate, but the taste was lacking, the texture rather stiff and it looks nothing like the fluffy white icing mixture I was expecting. Next time I will return to the good old cream cheese based frosting!

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Cake:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons to prepare pans
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup whole buttermilk
1 tablespoon vinegar

Ermine Icing:

5 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar

Method:

Red Velvet Cake:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by buttering lightly and sprinkling with 1 tablespoon sifted cocoa powder, tapping pans to coat and discarding extra cocoa.
2. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time and beat vigorously until each is incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, make a paste of the remaining 2 tablespoons cocoa and the food coloring. Blend into butter mixture.
4. Sift together remaining dry ingredients. Alternating in 2 batches each, add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture. In the last batch of buttermilk, mix in the vinegar before adding to the batter. Mix until blended.
5. Divide batter among 3 pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack completely. (Can also be made in 2 cake pans.)
6. To assemble, remove 1 cake from its pan and place flat side down on a serving platter. Drop about 1 cup of icing onto cake and, using a flat spatula, spread evenly over top. Remove the second cake from its pan. Place flat side down on top of first layer. Use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake.

Ermine Icing:

1. Over medium heat, whisk flour and milk in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer, stirring frequently until it becomes very thick and almost pudding-like.
2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and salt. Pour into a bowl to allow it to cool completely. Put plastic wrap on the surface to keep a skin from forming.
3. Use a mixer to cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add the cooled flour mixture a little bit at a time. Continue to beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy and resembles whipped cream.