Easy Red Velvet Cake recipe
This easy Red Velvet Cake recipe is an English version of a very popular American cake. My daughter asked for a Red Velvet Cake for her birthday and, as I had never made one before, I had to do a bit of research! I have to say that I was a bit sceptical – it is a chocolate cake but with relatively small amount of chocolate and a large amount of vanilla – but the end result was delicious. It seemed to be a strange mixture of chocolate and vanilla but the tastes work brilliantly with each other and the vanilla flavour is picked up in the cream cheese icing. So, it is really a vanilla cake with a bit of chocolate rather than a chocolate cake!
My go-to recipe for cakes is generally a basic Victoria Sponge. However, this recipe has encouraged me to be a bit more adventurous in my cake making. Using a combination of butter and oil makes the cake both flavoursome and moist and the buttermilk adds a tangy richness that works well with the cream cheese icing.
A cake and a dessert…
When I served this Red Velvet Cake for my daughter’s birthday, I decided to use it as dessert. It is the kind of versatile cake that works well as either a dessert or as a stand-alone, afternoon tea type cake. I served it with lots of juicy fresh strawberries which complemented the vanilla and chocolate flavour of the sponge and the tangy cream cheese icing. It was a large cake, and we had already had a substantial main course, but it disappeared extremely quickly!
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Easy Red Velvet Cake recipe
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Cakee
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: English
Description
This Easy Red Velvet Cake recipe has a strong vanilla flavour combined with a delicate taste of chocolate and is coated with tangy cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 115 g slightly salted butter
- 400 g soft brown sugar
- 250 g vegetable oil
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 250 ml buttermilk
- red food colouring (gel gives the best colour)
- 300 g plain flour
- 50 g corn flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
For the icing:
- 450 g cream cheese
- 110 g unsalted butter
- 550 g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set your oven to 180 C, 400 F or Gas Mark 4.
- Grease two 9 inch cake tins and line the base of each with a circle of baking parchment,
- Using a food processor, mix the butter and soft brown sugar. Then add the vegetable oil, egg yolks, vanilla extract, vinegar, buttermilk and red food colouring to the mixture.
- Using a sieve, sift in the plain and corn flours, baking soda and cocoa powders.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Then fold them into the cake mixture.
- Put half of the mixture into each greased baking tin and put them in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Make the icing by beating together the cream cheese, unsalted butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract.
- Use the icing to sandwich together the two cakes and then spread it on the top and sides of the assembled cake.
Delicious!