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RIGHTEOUS RED VELVET CAKE

From Sweet On Texas by Denise Gee, 2012

Makes one 8-inch three-layer cake

From the author: Sweet talk—a fun school of thought about what’s essentially a devil’s food cake is that the red coloring was added way back when to make it look, well, more devilish. That story’s more fun that the likely reason: that the coloring was added to replicate the reddish color produced by old-fashioned “un-Dutched” cocoa powder.

Red Velvet Cake

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ cups cake flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

Two 1-ounce bottles red food coloring

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar, or more as needed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Garnish: fresh blueberries (optional)

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350*F and grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add them to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in the food coloring and vanilla.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans to wire racks and let completely cool.

To make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until fluffy. Stir in the vanilla.

Spread frosting between the cooled cake layers and on top of cake and on the sides, if desired. Top with blueberries (if using). Store the cake at room temperature beneath a cake cover if planning to eat within a day, or in the refrigerator, tented with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Let the cake return to room temperature (this takes about 1 hour) before serving.