Hello all,
I haven't been on CC in a long while and things have really changed so I hope I'm doing this in the right place.
I had a red velvet recipe that I tweaked a little and it turned out nice, right texture, taste, flavour etc... but for one thing. I found out that the bottom and sides of the cakes were more brown than red, especially for the bigger sizes, 10" and above.
The 8" had the same problem but to a lesser extent, the 12" had the brown colour even inside the cake, about halfway to the bottom.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong as all other red velvets I see are red all through, mine are only red on top and about halfway down. I usually bake the cakes in layers.
Here is the recipe I used.
Ingredients
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1/2 cupshortening
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1 1/2 cupswhite sugar
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2eggs
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2 tablespoonscocoa
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4 tablespoonsred food coloring
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1 teaspoonsalt
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1 teaspoonvanilla extract
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1 cupbuttermilk
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2 1/2 cupssifted all-purpose flour
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1 1/2 teaspoonsbaking soda
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1 tablespoondistilled white vinegar
-
-
Directions
- Grease two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Cream shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar WELL. Add eggs and beat well.
- Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla and buttermilk together. Add alternately the flour with the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix soda and vinegar and FOLD INTO CAKE BATTER. DON'T BEAT OR STIR NOW.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
I substituted half cup oil for the shortening, 1 cup whole milk and one tbsp vinegar for the butter milk and used 2tbsp red colouring instead of 4 as my first attempt with four yielded a very bitter cake.
Any insight or ideas would be very welcome.
I'd try sifting your cocoa with the dry ingredients and mixing your food color with the wet ingredients. That might help with incorporating it better. This is an idea someone (sorry, can't remember who) mentioned on another thread a few days ago.
Is there a particular reason you are switching the butter for oil? The switch sort of defeats the purpose of creaming the butter and sugar does it not?
The switch from butter to oil actually yielded a very moist cake, it was a suggestion in the thread I got the recipe from, and I still mixed the oil and sugar for about 5 mins in the mixer.
I'm not sure the problem is improper incorporation of the colouring as the batter color is usually very even when pouring into the pans, and there are usually no darker or lighter streaks or shades in the cake.
Imagine a regular yellow cake, the bottom and sides that touch the pan are usually brown in colour, its something like that effect only in this case, its supposed to be a red cake and its looking brown and the brown actually extends into the cake, not just on the outside...
Sorry I'm rambling but I don't know how best to describe this and its soooo frustrating!!
BTW, the main part of the cake that doesnt change in colour is usually a beautiful even red..
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