Bloody velvet




I love red velvet cake. I mean I love all devils's food cakes but red velvet is extra special. It's so beautiful, with contrasting cream and red colouring. And the taste… Ooh! the sinful chocolate and the tingling taste of cream cheese… This is a cake fit for gods. A BIG thanks to New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel "Adams Extract" the company responsible for bringing the red velvet recipe to the house hold. It was first made during WWII food rationing when boiled beetroot juice were put in cakes to give them the risk natural red colouring and keep the moisture in. But the recipe became more and more famous from 1940s through 1950s in Canada at a department store chain called "Eaton's" making a lot of people believe it was invented there… However, the real origin would never be known.
  
Anyway, history aside, the fun fact about Red velvet is that two of the magic ingredients used in the cake are vinegar and buttermilk, and it is the acidic reaction between the vinegar and buttermilk that brings out the natural red tinting in Cocoa itself, meaning it is rather a natural effect. But the colour may be enhanced using food colourings to make it brighter or darker. The reaction also helps make the cake moist, soft and fluffy...

Here is a "bleeding" red velvet cake that I made for a birthday. My recipe is quite simple given that I used Betty Crocker's cake mixes :p. 

All you need:
  • 1 packet of Betty Crocker's red velvet cake mix. You can get it in any supermarket (well, I'm lazy and I really was running late so I had to use the short-cut).
  • 3 large eggs
  • 205ml water
  • 65ml oil
  • 150g dark chocolate chopped
  • 1 tub of Betty Crocker's cream cheese icing
  • Pink food colouring
For detailed recipe to make your own cake check here.

Procedure:


  • Mix the contents of the Betty Crocker's red velvet cake mix packet with water, oil and eggs one item at a time while whisking the batter. It should take not more than 10 minutes to mix everything. Once done, add the chopped chocolate pieces and mix it gently one more time.


  • Grease and sprinkle some flour in a baking tray and transfer the cake mix in it. Bake at 200 degree Celsius for 28-30 minutes or more depending on when the knife slides up clean when poking at the centre of the cake. Then set aside and cool.


  • Once cooled, divide the cake horizontally into two and layer it with the Betty Crocker cream cheese icing. Best is to put the icing tub in the microwave for 15 seconds and let it pour out easily on your cake. Cover the cake and decorate with the pink food colouring.



  • Finally, for dramatising add some more pink or red food colouring on a sliced section ;)



Now enjoy you bleeding red velvet goodness. Hope you like the idea and the look of the cake. Now go make yourself some easy red velvet too :)

Love always,
JB

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