Ok, I have a possible wedding cake order from a lady where my sister works (where I've been getting all these orders) for a red velvet cake. Well, she wants to sample it, so she decided that she wants the cake she ordered for a party this saturday to be red velvet also. Well, I have never made one before, but I said I could, 'cause I figure, how hard could it be?? No one around here will make it for her, I guess since it's a southern thing, no one here knows about it.

I guess I need to know a really good recipe for it, and any tips you have about making it. Also, does it bleed into the icing, since there is so much red dye in it? TIA

Melissa

I use the following recipe for my red velvet cake and it gets rave reviews...it is a bit tricky icing it, kinda like chocolate cake seemd to be more crumby that white cake, the red velvet cake is the same way.

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of red food coloring ( can be made with 2 but the color isn't as intense)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I use pure vanilla extract, not imitation)
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1) Grease two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C )
2) Cream shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar, make sure it's creamed very well.
3) Make paste of red food coloring and cocoa. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt, 1 teaspoon
vanilla and buttermilk together. Add alternately the flour mixture with the buttermilk mixture
to the creamed mixture. Mix baking soda and vinegar and FOLD INTO CAKE BATTER. DON'T
BEAT OR STIR NOW.
4) Bake for 30 minutes
5) Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then turn out onto cooling rack.

Thanks! Do you use the liquid food coloring or the paste that we use to color our icing?

Melissa

If you don't want to make it from scratch, I would recommend Duncan Hines Red Velvet, I have used it before without any bleeding problems. Good Luck

You could also try flayvurdfun's Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake located in the recipes section. I haven't tried it yet, but from the forums, I heard it was a really good recipe. Good luck!

I use Cakeman Raven's recipe. He is very well known here in New York City for his Red Velvet cake. Here is a copy of his recipe


Yields: Three, 9-inch layer cakes Baking Time: 15-20 minutes, 325 degrees pre-heated oven Level of Difficulty: Moderate.

Dry Ingredients: 2-1/2 cups of cake flour, 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of fine salt and 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder.

Wet Ingredients: 1 cup of buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vinegar (white distilled), 1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil, 1 oz. of red food coloring and 1 tsp. of vanilla extract. Frosting: 4 cups of Confectioners Sugar, 1 lb. of cream cheese (room temperature), 1 lb. of butter (softened) and 2 tsp. of vanilla. extract.

Sift together all dry ingredients. Add liquid in an electric mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Slowly add dry ingredients to bowl, until all ingredients are combined.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Frosting: Mix together the cream cheese and the softened butter. Gradually add confectioners sugar until it reaches desired sweetness and smoothness. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and frost the cake.

Serves 10-12

Enjoy a traditional Southern treat.

Here is his wed site http://www.cakemanraven.com

I have been to his shop to buy his cake and i have used his recipe. It is GREAT. I get very good reviews.

I only add more red food coloring because if you follow his recipe the cake comes out red but I want id darker. I even add a little more coco, but not too much.

Good Luck

There is even a recipe on this site I have yet to try it but it is very similar to Cakeman rtaven's

I even meet his at the ICES convention in LA.

I ues Liquid coloring

Do you have to use cream cheese icing with it? Will it taste ok with buttercream? Cream cheese is outrageous here... almost 3$ a pkg.

Yes that is true Duncan Hines Red velvet cake Is VERY VERY GOOD. I use that when I am feeling lazy. No one know the difference.

Sometimes I fill with creamcheese and use butter cream out side.

Buttercream NO Problem

Thanks for all your help ladies! I will definitely have to make it from scratch, they don't sell red velvet cake mixes here.

Also, do you think it will taste good with strawberry filling?

Melissa

I don't see why not I have not tried it but I love chocolate cake with strawberry filling so I guess.

I use a recipe close to the first one posted for you. Just make sure to blend the paste well and blend it into the creamed mixture very well. Otherwise, you'll get chocolate streaks in the cake.

Since it's basically a chocolate cake, I'm sure strawberry filling would be fine.

Good luck! Are you doing a test cake?

You are right, no one here really knows this sort of cake. My dad tries to order it whenever he can while he's in Florida, he really loves it. For his birthday i decided to try and make it for him and like you I had no clue where to go. I found a really good one at epicurious.com. Go to www.epicurious.com and do a search for red velvet. you will see a recipe called "Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries and Blueberries". It is really good. My dad loved it. I don't think the berries are a usual addition but it was still yummy. I think though that I used a lot more colouring than the recipe calls for in order to get that really red look. I used my Wilton stuff so it wasn't so bad.

I have also seen discussions on here on whether or not it should have cream cheese icing or another sort of white icing. Seems to be a split decision depending on where they were from. I used the cream cheese icing and it was really rich, delicious, but rich.

Good luck!

I'll be making a DH mix soon, and will add the chocolate pudding and substitute buttermilk for the water (thanks for those good ideas, by the way!

Instead of cream cheese icing, I plan to add Lorann's cream cheese flavoring to BCI. I have iced red velvet with plain BCI before, and thought it was fine that way too. Janice

Now that you all mentioned that Red Velvet cake is a southern thing, it reminded me of the movie "Steal Magnolias" and the armadillo red velvet cake that was done as a groom's cake for Julia Roberts wedding...

Do you all remember? What an ugly groom's cake! And what did Shirley McLain said: "That's the ugliest thing I ever saw."!! or something like that....

I would like to try Red Velvet... My husband doesn't care for it but I want to try... Maybe for Thanksgiving as an extra dessert just to try it out...

Someone in the first five post posted a good recipe for red velvet cake.

My Great-Grandma used to add a little cherry juice to hers when she baked it. It had the traditional red velvet cake but with a twist.

I live in Maryland. Red Velvet Cake is well known in our area. The recipe that CIndy44 gave you is the same one our family has used for years, except our recipe only calls for 1 tsp. cocoa and 2 oz. red food color (liquid). Here is the recipe for Icing for Red Velvet Cake that is very popular here.

Cook & Cool
5 Tbsp. flour & 1Cup milk
This mixture will be come very thick as it cooks. Is is important to let the mixture cool completely.

Cream well:
1 stick butter
1/2 C crisco
1 C. sugar
1tsp vanilla extract

Add cooked mixture to creamed mixture and beat for 12 minutes until creamy.

Makes a large quantity. 1/2 recipe will cover a 9x13 sheet cake.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1960-2-Waldorf-Astoria-Red-Velvet-Cake.html

this is so much easier then I have seen or done...try it

I guess my question now is:

Does anyone here really like red velvet cake?

I'm southern, but it totally isn't my favorite. My great-grandma used to make it best. However, I don't really like it as much anymore.

It is the favorite cake of my daughter and husband. So is pecan pie.

Martha made Red Velvet on her show last week, check her site. It probably tastes good, but the amount of coloring was gross. I have a box of DH i've been meaning to try.