Very easy to prepare cake "Red Velvet" turns out to be tender and tasty. Almost everyone likes the bright appetizing color and airy texture of the dessert. The recipe for the classic "Red Velvet" with cream, as well as the subtleties of cooking, you will find in the article.
Any dessert, which is prepared from soft layers and covered with butter cream, immediately becomes the decoration of any table. What is Red Velvet? In fact, this is a chocolate cake made with a little cocoa powder. This component reacts with acidic vinegar and buttermilk and, in turn, keeps the cakes moist, light and airy. The taste of chocolate is quite soft, but very pleasant.
How to make a traditional dessert?
What ingredients does the classic Red Velvet cake recipe contain? Experts say that the following will be required:
- Cupcake flour. You can bake cakes with simple universal flour, but it’s its cupcake variety that will allow you to get a softer, “velvet” cake. Such a dessert is so perfect that it looks bought in an expensive pastry shop. However, this is a recommendation, not a mandatory requirement.
- Butter. This ingredient ensures that you get a dessert with a velvet texture. Mix it with cocoa powder and red dye so that these three ingredients evenly fit into the cake dough. This ensures that cocoa powder for the most part dissolves before mixing.
- Buttermilk or milk with vinegar. According to many confectioners, the addition of homemade buttermilk from whole milk with 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar to the dough allows you to get the same delicious dessert as the original product.
How is such a delicacy formed?
Prepared batter is separated in two separate 20-centimeter forms to make two cakes. If you take the baking sheets of a larger diameter, the result is not very good. The texture of the cakes will be just as tender, but the layers of the cake are too thin.
What is needed for an American traditional treat?
Classic cake "Red Velvet" with cream of soft cheese - airy, soft, buttery and moist. It should have a really delicate texture. It is easy to do with a few tips and tricks for best results. What do you need to get a tasty treat? You will need the following components:
- half a glass of unsalted butter, aged at room temperature;
- one and a half glasses of powdered sugar (or fine white granulated sugar);
- 2 large eggs;
- a quarter cup of vegetable oil;
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon additional for sprinkling;
- 2.5 tablespoons (45 ml) food coloring red (liquid, not gel);
- 2 tsp (10 ml) of pure vanilla extract;
- 1 tablespoon (20 ml) of white vinegar;
- 2.5 cups (350 g) flour for muffins, sifted (or general purpose flour);
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (two-carbohydrate soda);
- 1 teaspoon of salt;
- a glass (250 ml) of buttermilk.
Cream Cheese Cream:
- 400 grams of cream cheese (not spreading), stored at room temperature;
- half a glass (120 g) of unsalted butter, stored at room temperature;
- 2 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract;
- 4 cups icing sugar or powdered sugar glaze;
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional - this adds a subtle touch of lemon flavor).
Cooking cakes: recipe with photo
The classic "Red Velvet" is prepared simply. Preheat the oven to 175 ° C in advance. Lightly grease two 20-centimeter baking tins with butter or a non-stick spray and lightly sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sifted cocoa powder.
To make homemade buttermilk, mix 1 cup whole cow's milk with a teaspoon of vinegar. Leave for 5-10 minutes, and then add to the dough.
Beat butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each of the additions to combine these components well.
In a medium container, mix the butter, remaining cocoa powder, food coloring and vanilla extract until smooth. Combine the dye with a little vinegar and powdered sugar in advance to facilitate mixing.
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a separate bowl. Add half dry ingredients and half buttermilk to wet ingredients, mix well. Repeat with the rest of the test. How to bake a classic red velvet cake? The recipe with the photo offers the following instructions.
Divide the dough into two prepared forms and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the match inserted in the center of each piece is clean. Refrigerate completely. Further, the classic recipe for the cake "Red Velvet" with step-by-step instructions offers the preparation of cream.
How to make the right cream?
Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until a homogeneous mass of light color (about 3-4 minutes). Add the powdered sugar gradually, continuing to beat until the cream becomes airy and light (if it turns out to be too liquid, add more powdered sugar and beat until the desired consistency is achieved). If desired, mix the prepared mass with lemon juice.
How to collect dessert?
The classic recipe for "Red Velvet" with a step-by-step photo ends with recommendations for the assembly of dessert.
Transfer the first cake to the dish or large plate with the flat side down. Trim the top of the biscuit to create a flat surface. Put about one and a half to two cups of cream on the cake and spread evenly on top.
Place the second biscuit and use the remaining cream to cover the top and sides of the cake. Crush the cut pieces of cake for decoration.
Older version
This recipe for the classic "Red Velvet" was often found in American newspapers and magazines from the 1960s to the 1980s. The product differs from other desserts that can be tasted in various pastry shops. Its taste is more pronounced, chocolate, and the cream is very lush and soft. To prepare it, you will need the following:
- half a glass of unsalted butter, softened;
- one and a half glasses of sugar;
- 2 large eggs, stored at room temperature;
- 2 bottles (30 ml each) of food coloring red;
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar;
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- 2-1 / 4 cups flour for baking;
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for baking;
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda;
- 1 teaspoon of fine salt;
- 1 cup buttermilk.
For a gentle cream:
- 1 tablespoon of corn starch;
- half a glass of cold water;
- 2 cups butter unsalted, pre-softened;
- 2 tablespoons of tea vanilla extract;
- 3.5 cups of confectionery sugar or icing sugar.
Cooking dessert in the old way
For many people, this is the version of the truly classic American Red Velvet cake recipe. Make it easy. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C in advance. Beat butter and granulated sugar until light and airy. Add eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. In the process of whipping, pour in food coloring, vinegar and vanilla extract.
In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter-egg mixture in small portions, alternately with buttermilk, whisking well after each addition.
Pour the cooked dough into two round baking dish greased and sprinkled with flour (24 cm in diameter). Bake until the match inserted in the center comes out clean (20-25 minutes). Cool the cakes for 10 minutes before removing them from the molds onto the wire rack. After that, let them cool completely. Then the classic "Red Velvet" should be smeared with cream.
To prepare the cream, mix water and corn starch in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until thickened and opaque for 2-3 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Combine the oil and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. In the process of whipping, add the mass of corn starch. Gradually add confectionery sugar or powder. Beat until light and airy. Smear the cream between the cakes, and also decorate the sides and top of the dessert with it. This stage is considered the classic recipe for "Red Velvet" final.
Colorless option
Modern desserts are usually tinted with food colors. But is it possible to make red cakes with a natural composition? Of course, this is possible. Just add a little beetroot puree to the dough. For this recipe for a classic Red Velvet cake without dyes, you need the following:
- beetroot puree - 3/4 cup;
- whole grain flour - one and a half cups;
- cocoa powder - 4 tsp;
- baking powder - one and a half teaspoons;
- salt - ¼ tsp;
- 125 ml (half a cup) of milk + 1 tablespoon of vinegar;
- granulated sugar - 1 cup;
- vegetable oil - half a cup;
- vanilla essence - half a teaspoon of tea;
- milk - ¼ cup (if necessary to improve the consistency of the dough).
For the cream you will need:
- thick cream - 2 glasses;
- beetroot juice - 2 drops;
- vanilla essence - ¼ tsp
For sugar syrup:
- boiling water - half a glass;
- sugar - 1 teaspoon.
How to make a natural biscuit?
Take 2 medium-sized beets, wash them and cook in a pressure cooker until soft, without peeling them. Once the vegetables are ready, let them cool and peel. Cut into pieces and grind in mashed potatoes. Then the recipe for a classic biscuit for "Red Velvet" implies such actions.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees in advance. Sift all the dry ingredients into a deep bowl: whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine milk and vinegar and leave for five minutes. Combine granulated sugar and butter separately and mix with a blender until sugar dissolves. Stir in the milk with vinegar and vanilla essence with beetroot puree.
Now add the mixture of dry ingredients to the liquid, and beat until they mix well for about 3-4 minutes. Cover two baking dishes with a diameter of 15 cm with baking paper, pour the dough evenly into them and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Leave the products on a cooling rack until they have cooled completely at room temperature. Remove the baking paper and align the shape of the cake layers with a serrated knife. Put one cake on the aligned side in a plate, then pour sugar syrup. Do the same with the second workpiece. Then give the cake any design you want.
Making sugar syrup
The classic recipe for Red Velvet Cake requires the addition of syrup. To make it, add sugar to boiling water and mix well. Leave the mixture to infuse at room temperature until the sugar has dissolved.
Cooking cream
Whip the cream with vanilla essence until solid peaks form. Divide the resulting mass into two parts. Add a little beetroot juice to one bowl and mix gently. Take bags with small holes in the corner, transfer the cream into them. Cover the cakes alternately with white and pink cream. Decorate the dessert as you wish.
This will allow to slightly improve the classic recipe for "Red Velvet". To decorate the dessert, you can use any slices of fruits and berries.
The recipe from Emma's grandmother
Do you know this dessert option? If you want to cook something tasty and special, but you have no experience in baking, this recipe for the classic cake "Red Velvet" from Emma's grandmother is ideal for you. For it you will need the following:
- 2 cups of flour;
- half a glass of semolina;
- one and a half glasses of sugar;
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda;
- half a teaspoon of salt;
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder;
- a glass of vegetable oil;
- a glass of kefir;
- 4 medium eggs stored at room temperature;
- 2 tablespoons food coloring red;
- 1 teaspoon of vinegar;
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract.
For cream:
- 2 cups of milk;
- 4 tablespoons Sahara;
- one and a half tablespoons of corn starch;
- 2 tablespoons tablespoons mascarpone.
How to cook?
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees in advance. Warm the mold well. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, semolina, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
In a large container, mix butter, eggs and kefir. Add this mass to the dry mixture gradually. Mix with a spatula until fully combined. Stir with food coloring, vinegar and vanilla extract.
Pour the batter into the mold and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the test with a toothpick begins to indicate readiness. Let the cake cool, prepare the cream at this time.
To do this, put everything except the mascarpone in a small pot and cook over low heat, stirring regularly to a boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum and cook the mixture until it thickens a little. It should not be too thick.
Remove from heat and add the mascarpone. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes. Do not wait too long. Otherwise, the cream will begin to thicken. Cut the cooled cake in half lengthwise and brush with cream inside and out. Decorate the cake on top with your favorite berries.
Recipe from Andy Chef
Did not like the previous option? For lovers of bright delicacies, this recipe for the classic cake "Red Velvet" according to Andy Chef will be able to give real pleasure. Three layers of airy chocolate biscuit remain moist thanks to the addition of a small amount of yogurt and a large amount of gentle cream. To cook it, you will need the following.
For a red velvet cake:
- 150 grams of unsalted butter, softened;
- 150 grams of golden powdered sugar;
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten;
- 4 tablespoons Greek style yogurt;
- 1-2 drops of food coloring red (gel);
- 150 grams of self-rising flour;
- 50 grams of cocoa powder;
- 1 tablespoon skim milk.
For cream:
- 100 grams of butter;
- 200 grams of cream cheese;
- 500 grams of powdered sugar;
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
How is such a dessert made?
Since there is no recipe for the classic cake “Red Velvet” according to GOST, many consider Andy Chef's option as a standard. It is pretty simple.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Lightly oil and cover with paper a deep round shape (15 centimeters in diameter).
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a deep bowl until the mass turns pale and airy. Add the eggs one at a time, whipping after each addition (if the mixture looks liquid, add a spoonful of flour).
Mix yogurt with food coloring - it should look very, very red, as the color will turn pale after cooking. Add it to the mixture prepared in the previous step and beat thoroughly.
Add the remaining flour and cocoa powder, then milk, and beat until everything is combined. Put the mixture in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the cake rises well and becomes golden brown. Also do a toothpick test.
Remove the mold from the oven and let the product cool in it for five minutes, then remove it, put it on the cooling pad and set aside until it cools completely.
To make the cream, mix the butter and cream cheese in a deep bowl. Then whisk the mixture with powdered sugar a little. Once everything is evenly whipped, add lemon juice and whip the cream for another five minutes, or until pale.
Cut the cake into three equal layers along and spread them with cream. Garnish with the rest of the cream and slices of any fruit of your choice. You can also sprinkle dessert with grated chocolate or small chocolates.