Velvet Cake is a cult classic beloved by everyone that has existed for several decades! Each confectioner has his own recipe for this visually stunning dessert. As a rule, cakes in it are tinted in red, adding food colors and cocoa powder to the dough.
The history of the original red velvet cake dates back to the 1920s, when it was first served at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Homemakers figured out his recipe and started serving dessert for Christmas and Valentine's Day. The cake, which has been around for almost a hundred years, deserves a special place in every kitchen.
Classic version
The classic cake "Red Velvet" is prepared on the basis of buttermilk or milk with vinegar. Cocoa powder and food coloring make the dough rich in mahogany. To cook it, you will need the following:
- 1 cup (236 ml) of whole milk;
- 1 tablespoon (14 ml) vinegar;
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter melted butter;
- one and a half glasses (300 g) of white granulated sugar;
- 4 large eggs;
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- 1 3/4 cup (218 grams) of universal flour;
- 4 tsp. (16 grams) baking powder;
- 2 tablespoons (14 grams) cocoa powder;
- red food coloring.
For cream:
- 453 grams of softened cream cheese;
- a glass (226 grams) of softened oil;
- 4 cups (500 grams) of confectionery sugar or powder;
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) thick cream;
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- Strawberries for decoration as desired.
How to cook a classic dessert?
The biscuit recipe for Velvet cake is as follows. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees in advance. Line two forms with parchment paper (20-24 cm in diameter), set aside.
Mix milk and vinegar, leave for 5-7 minutes to make the milk sour. Meanwhile, combine the remaining wet ingredients. Place sugar and butter in a bowl and, using a mixer or hand mixer, beat until lush. Add eggs and vanilla extract and continue to beat for a few more minutes. Pour in the prepared fermented milk mixture and mix again.
Prepare the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Using a sieve with a fine mesh, pour this mass in several stages into the batter, thoroughly mixing each time. Add food coloring to the dough. The amount you need depends on its type. Gel food coloring tends to be more concentrated.
Divide the crust dough into prepared forms. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the match inserted in the center is clear. Remove the products from the molds and place them on the cooling racks so that they are completely cool before cream coating.
How to make cream for this dessert?
This recipe for Velvet Cake Cream is considered classic. Place the softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed for 5–7 minutes, often scraping off the mass from the walls of the container until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add a few tablespoons of cream and vanilla extract. Start pouring sugar or powder 1 cup at a time. Finely whip the cream for "Red Velvet" for about 5 minutes to a light and airy consistency.
How to collect dessert?
Use a sharp serrated knife to align the top of each layer. Save pieces of cake if you want to decorate the cake with crumbs. Distribute a very large amount of cream between each layer, top and sides. The best decoration for Velvet cake is strawberries (or other fresh berries), as well as crumbs from cakes.
Keep dessert covered and chilled. Remove from the refrigerator half an hour before serving.
Lemon Cream Option
This is not a classic Red Velvet cake. However, many people will like a luxurious dessert covered with a cream with a lemon flavor. To prepare it you will need:
- 350 grams of granulated sugar;
- 2 eggs;
- 210 grams of universal flour;
- 5 grams of bicarbonate of soda;
- 1 gram of salt;
- 20 grams of cocoa powder;
- vanilla essence for aroma;
- 15 ml of white wine vinegar;
- 100 ml melted margarine;
- 250 ml of sour milk (yogurt, yogurt, kefir);
- 45 ml of red caramel dye.
Ingredients for Cream:
- 60 grams of Philadelphia natural cream cheese;
- 30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 250 grams of powdered sugar.
For decoration: chocolates.
Cooking a velvet cake with sour milk
Beat sugar and eggs together until the mass is light and airy. Combine the dry ingredients and pour in a mixture of white wine vinegar, margarine and sour milk. Add dye and mix well.
Pour the mixture into a greased spring and flour-sprinkled spring mold (about 25 cm in diameter). Bake in the center of the oven at 175 ° C. The cooking time for Velvet cake at this stage is about 40 minutes.
Leave the cake in shape for a few minutes, then put it on a stand so that it can cool completely.
Whip cream cheese, lemon juice and powdered sugar. Divide the cake into three layers and distribute the cream between them. Apply the rest of the cream evenly on the sides and top of the dessert. Garnish Red Velvet with Praline Chocolates.
Velvet Cake with White Chocolate
Buttermilk and vegetable oil make the dough very moist and tender. Cream of milk and butter gives Velvet cake even more moisture, and the addition of melted white chocolate allows you to get a unique taste. This dessert option is best baked in square baking sheets and then cut into four layers.
The ingredients for Velvet Cake will require the following:
- one and a half glasses of universal flour;
- 1 1/4 cup flour for baking;
- a quarter cup of unsweetened cocoa powder;
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda;
- 1 teaspoon of table salt;
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso;
- 2 1/4 cups sugar;
- 3 eggs;
- 2 1/4 cup vegetable oil;
- 1 2/3 cup buttermilk;
- 30 ml of liquid red food coloring;
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar.
For white chocolate cream:
- 2 cups whole milk;
- one and a half glasses of universal flour;
- 120 grams of quality white chocolate crumbled into small pieces;
- 2 cups granulated sugar;
- 200 grams of unsalted butter softened.
How to cook this dessert option?
Preheat the oven to 175 ° C in advance. Cover the bottoms of two square baking sheets of the same size with parchment paper and cover with a non-stick spray.
Sift together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, table salt and instant espresso powder, mix well. Set aside.
In a large glass measuring bowl with a spout, mix the buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla extract.
Beat sugar and eggs in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until a thick consistency and cream color for 5-7 minutes. Switch the mixer to a low speed and slowly add oil. Beat until the mass is completely homogeneous. Pour the mixture of dry ingredients alternately and pour the buttermilk. Keep whipping. Pour the vinegar into the finished batter and immediately evenly distribute the latter on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cakes until the match comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the baking sheets for 10 minutes to cool. Then remove the cakes and refrigerate on the racks. Then remove the paper from them.
How to gently cut a biscuit for this cake? Take a sharp serrated knife and divide each cake layer horizontally into 2 parts. Do not lift or shake products so as not to damage them. Then trim the edges so that the red color of the biscuit is visible. Save the crumbs for later to sprinkle them on top as a decoration.
White chocolate cream
Combine milk and flour in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Cook to a thick, pasty and non-bumpy state for about 15 minutes. Do not worry if the mass becomes lumpy, as you can always wipe it through a thin sieve. Nonetheless, continue to stir and clean the edges of the pan all the time.
Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover its surface with cling film to prevent a crust from forming, and cool completely.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. If necessary, you can do this in the microwave, heating for 30 seconds with the same interval.
Place sugar and softened butter in a deep bowl. Beat with a mixer for 7 minutes until the mixture turns out airy and light. Add chilled milk and flour mixture and melted chocolate and beat at high speed for about 5 minutes. According to some reviews, Velvet cake is tastier if you add even more white chocolate and vanilla extract to the cream.
What is the best way to collect this treat?
Align each layer with a toothed knife if the center of the cake is raised. Turn the first layer upside down on a serving platter. Fill a plastic bag with cream and cut a hole in the corner. Squeeze it into the middle of the cake and evenly distribute with a spatula over the entire surface. Try not to apply the cream on the side faces of the cake, as their red color should be visible.
Repeat the same with each layer. If desired, sprinkle with small crumbs left over from cutting the cakes, or crush additional white chocolate over the entire surface.
Some experts give the following tips for making Velvet Cake. The cream is very slippery, and the top cakes of dessert may shift. To prevent this from happening, you should freeze or cool the cake for about 15 minutes immediately after smearing - this should stabilize it. Remove it from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before slicing. Cut the dessert with an electric or ordinary serrated knife. This prevents compression of the layers.
Velvet Tricolor Cake
This version of Velvet Cake consists of three layers of different shades of red, air cream and decorations. Such a treat is ideal for holidays and celebrations. It will require the following:
- 2 packets of cupcake baking mix;
- food coloring red;
- one and a half glasses of vanilla yogurt;
- glass of water;
- 8 egg whites
- half a glass of unsalted butter.
Lush cream:
- 240 grams of softened cream cheese;
- 2 cups icing sugar;
- 3/4 cup soft marshmallows;
- 3 tablespoons of vanilla extract;
- 4 3/4 cups whipped thick cream.
Cooking a three-color cake
How to make Velvet cake with multi-colored layers? Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Generously oil and sprinkle flour on three baking dishes of the same size. Put parchment paper in them.
Using a mixer, mix the cake mix, vanilla yogurt, water, egg whites, and oil. Divide the dough between the three containers equally. In the first bowl, leave it unchanged, in the second add a little red dye to get a bright color. In the third, put twice as much dye to make the dough maroon. Put the dough in the prepared forms.
Bake at 170 degrees for 35-45 minutes until the match inserted in the center is clear. Allow the products to cool in the molds for several minutes, then leave to cool completely for 30 minutes on the wire rack.
Once the workpieces have cooled, align them with a serrated knife to cut off the raised tops. Set the crumbs aside.
Place the darkest red layer of cake on the stand. Apply about a glass of vanilla cream cheese cream (recipe below). Repeat the same with the two remaining layers, arranging them from the darkest to the lightest.
Use the remaining cream to cover the sides of the dessert. Level it with a cooking spatula. Sprinkle crumbs of all three colors on top. Use a fork to move and spread them out. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Marshmallow Cheese Lush Cream
Use a mixer to whip 240 grams of soft cream cheese for two minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until smooth. Then put soft marshmallows (for sandwiches) without turning off the mixer. Gently mix the resulting mass with whipped cream manually.
White velvet cake
At the mention of Velvet cake, many immediately see the red dessert. But some people do not want to eat dyes for some reason. Also, not everyone likes cakes with the addition of beetroot puree, as this changes the taste of the dessert. To prepare this treat, you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon white universal flour;
- 3 tablespoons of corn starch;
- 1 1/4 cup sugar granulated sugar;
- 2 tablespoons of tea baking powder;
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda;
- 1/4 tablespoon of tea salt;
- half a glass of white chocolate;
- half a glass of softened unsalted butter;
- half a glass of buttermilk;
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice;
- 1/4 cup thick cream;
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract;
- 4 egg whites well separated from the yolks.
How to make a white velvet cake?
Preheat the oven to 175 ° C. Coat a mold measuring 32.5 by 22.5 centimeters with a non-stick spray and set aside.
Sift flour and corn starch together twice. Then mix this mass with baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Put the crumbled white chocolate in the bowl of the food processor. Grind and mix it until you get very small pieces. But don't overdo it. Do not grind it so that the chocolate turns into a paste. If this happens, you will have to start this step all over again. Set aside.
Now it's time to collect the dough completely. In a large bowl, whisk the butter until it becomes lush and light. Gradually add sugar, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns out to be fluffy. Now put the flour mixture in four stages, alternating with buttermilk, divided into three parts.
This means that you add a quarter of the available flour and beat until it is completely mixed. Then pour in the buttermilk (and lemon juice the first time you add it) and beat until the ingredients are completely combined. Continue until you get a uniform dough. Then add the egg whites one at a time and beat until completely combined.
Now put the ground white chocolate in the dough and stir it with a spoon or spatula. Put the dough (it will be thick) in the prepared baking dish and smooth. Bake for 28–33 minutes or until the cake becomes light golden brown, the edges simply begin to separate from the mold, and the match inserted in the center does not come out clean. Let the product cool completely on the wire rack.
Oil Cream for White Velvet
Most types of cream contain butter with the addition of powdered sugar and flavorings. This type of filler is often very good. But in order to prepare a lush white cream, you may need more components. In total you will need:
- 3/4 cup of milk;
- a quarter cup of thick cream;
- 6 tablespoons of bleached flour;
- a pinch of salt;
- half a glass of softened unsalted butter;
- half a glass of solid butter unsalted, diced;
- 3/4 cup sugar granulated sugar;
- a glass of powdered sugar;
- 2 teaspoons vanilla tea extract.
In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream, flour, and salt. Beat well with a whisk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes very thick. Cook for about 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and the solid. Gradually add granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Then the chilled milk and flour mixture, constantly whipping. The cream should be light and airy.