This recipe has served me well. To make it blue velvet, I just substitute blue food coloring for the red.
Red Velvet Cake (Adapted from Alton Brown)
5½ oz all-purpose flour
4 oz cake flour
½ oz natural cocoa
1 t baking soda
½ t kosher salt
1 c low-fat buttermilk, room temperature
1 fl oz red liquid food coloring
1 T white vinegar
1 t vanilla extract
10½ oz dark brown sugar
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, room
temperature
2 large
eggs, room temperature
Makes: Two 8” rounds or 24 cupcakes or 48
mini cupcakes
Preheat oven to 325.
Grease, flour, and parchment two 8” rounds or put liners in two cupcake
pans.
In a medium bowl,
whisk together flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk,
food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, combine brown sugar and butter.
Cream on medium speed until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2
minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater
and return mixer to medium speed. Add
eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.
Reduce speed to low. Add
one third of the flour mixture and blend until just incorporated. Add half the buttermilk and blend until
combined. Scrape down bowl as necessary
and repeat with half the remaining flour mixture and the remainder of the
buttermilk mix. Scrape the bowl down and
stir in the last of the flour mixture. Mix
on low until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Give the batter a final stir with a spatula and divide into
pans or cupcakes. Bake until top of cake
springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs
attached, about 30-35 minutes for cake and about 15-20 for cupcakes.
Awesome Cream Cheese Frosting (Adapted from
Cook’s Country)
16 T unsalted butter
16 oz confectioner’s sugar
16 oz cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces and softened
1.5 t vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Makes: 4 cups
frosting, enough to frost and fill an 8” cake.
Recipe can easily be divided to make two or three cups instead for
cupcakes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle,
beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, one piece at a time and
beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
Beat in vanilla and salt.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
