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The Perfect Red Velvet Cake Recipe

The Perfect Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Easy Red Velvet Cake Recipe Cake Recipe For Beginners

The Red velvet cake recipe is a moist and fluffy chocolate cake with lots of cream cheese frosting. The addition of the red food dye and certain ingredients is what makes this cake so unique in appearance and taste. This is perhaps why the vivid red and white cake inside bakery cases looks so striking.

It is something a little different than your usual chocolate cakes and is the ideal option for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy overly sweet cakes loaded with sugary frosting. The cake is perfect for all occasions and sure stands out as the crowd pleaser.

However, there’s a lot that people don’t know about this Easy Red velvet cake recipe.

The Red Velvet Cake Was Once a Big Deal

While we may think of red velvet as just being the name of a popular cake, there’s more to it than just that. The Velvet cakes were famous in the Victorian Era and came about when bakers figured they could create something absolutely magical using ingredients like almond flour or cornstarch and cocoa.

The Red velvet cake had a soft and smooth crumb while the chocolate cake consisting of egg yolks was dense and fudgy. The two recipes converged and what we known as the velvet cocoa cake was born. The resultant product had a smoother and finer texture as compared to other cakes at the time.

Colour wasn’t added to these cakes until quite later but, they were still known as luxury cakes. The velvet cakes were presented at the fanciest parties and if you did get served a slice, you would know you were special.

 The Origination of the Red Velvet Cake

The striking pigment of the red velvet cake is what makes it so unique. However, it wasn’t always as bright and the original colour emerged due to a chemical reaction and not from food dyes.

The red velvet cake traditionally had a vinegar or buttermilk component that activated with the addition of baking soda to make the cake extremely fluffy. Also, the cake turned a reddish-brown colour as the cocoa powder wasn’t alkalized. It isn’t a very impressive colour, so food dyes are added today to achieve that extra pop.

Interesting Fact – At one point, before dyes were used, the reaction was much stronger resulting in a much vibrant red colour. It is because the cocoa powder contained anthocyanins that gave the cake such a pronounced red colour. However, most of the cocoa powder available today has alkalizing agents that can change the colour properties by neutralizing the acidity.

The Dye in the Red velvet cake recipe

No one knows for sure when the red velvet cake was invented, but, it was promoted on a massive scale during 1940’s and 1950’s and then again at the beginning of 1980’s. The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was passed in 1938 that imposed strict rules and regulations on food extracts and dyes.

John A. Adams of the Adams Extract Company was inspired by the cake at Waldorf-Astoria that he and his wife enjoyed so much. He figured that he could boost his sales by promoting the bright red cake that used his red dye in the recipe.

What went on after that was some brilliant marketing and the eggless red velvet cake recipe began emerging everywhere. It soon became people’s favourite. Recipes were included in the food dye packages and tear-off displays for the same were made available at grocery stores.

The Main Difference Between Chocolate Cake and Red velvet cake recipe 

A Red velvet cake recipe has chocolate in it too but in very less quantity. The red velvet also has buttermilk and vinegar in the batter that reacts so as to form a fluffier cake.

Due to the addition of cocoa powder, the red velvet has a rather mild chocolate flavour. The cream cheese frosting gives it the main flavour. When made the right way, you would get to enjoy a rich moist cake with very delicate frosting.

The Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Start by blending the dry red velvet cake ingredients; flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, take room-temperature butter and add sugar in it. Keep mixing it on medium heat until combined. Add in the vanilla extract and then add eggs to the mixture. Sift cocoa powder into the mixture and blend. Add vinegar and red food dye to the buttermilk and whisk together.

Add half of the wet and half of the dry mixture to the buttermilk until it combines well. Pour the batter into the three pans laid with parchment paper. Put away the extra better in a cupcake paper which can later be used for the crumble.  Bake for 30-35 minutes. To check, put a knife or a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, your cake is done.

The batter in the cupcake mould should be baked for nearly 20 minutes. Let it all cool for 5 minutes and then let flip it out on a wire rack.

For the frosting, bring out your handy stand mixer and cream the butter. Add cream cheese along with vanilla and a pinch of salt to it and blend away. Once that is done, add the confectioners’ sugar to the mixture and blend until combined properly.

If you want a firm texture, keep adding more sugar until you achieve the desired consistency. Transfer the freshly prepared frosting to your piping bag and cover each layer of the cake with it and then the entire cake. Use a spatula to smooth it out and let it sit in the fridge for about ten minutes to set.

Next, break the cupcake into tiny pieces by hand or grate for more consistency. Now take the crumbs and cover the entire cake with it. Enjoy your delectable simple red velvet cake recipe.

The Red Velvet cake recipe is equally loved by people of all age groups. The fluffy cake combines well with the smooth frosting for an unforgettable experience.

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