Red Velvet Cake is such an iconic and beautiful dessert. Buttermilk and vegetable oil makes this cake batter very moist and tender. The frosting is a more traditional one, made with cooked milk and flour. Once cooled, it’s whipped in to softened butter and granulated sugar. Like magic, the frosting is transformed into a fluffy whipped-cream texture. The addition of melted white chocolate is a unique twist on a more common Cream Cheese frosting. By baking the cake in square cake pans, then cutting them into four layers, the cake makes a stunning presentation.
After all of my whining stress about this Christmas Season, I am most thankful that my family gathered together for a traditional German Christmas Eve Dinner. What made this particular holiday so different, is that we adults mutually agreed that we would not exchange purchased Christmas gifts. Know what? I was perfectly fine with that. My gift to my family was slaving standing in my kitchen for several hours, making Austrian Goulash, Bavarian Semmel Knoedel (can you say that?) red cabbage, cherve’ and an assortment of sausages.
I wanted to make a dessert that would look festive, and wouldn’t be too difficult to make. After all, I had about four hours to create the entire menu. I spotted this recipe in the most recent issue of Cuisine At Home Magazine. Having never made a Red Velvet Cake, before, I loved the idea of a White Chocolate Frosting. This particular recipe uses buttermilk and vegetable oil, in lieu of butter. I was banking that this combination would be essential components to a really moist cake.
I got a little nervous, because it took a lot of red food coloring so that the cake wouldn’t be pink! I had to dig in to my gel food coloring (for frosting), as I didn’t have one full ounce of liquid food color– not to self, for the future. That was a real challenge to get it to break the gel paste into the buttermilk. At last, I mixed the buttermilk with vanilla and the food coloring, first, since the recipe said it would help to avoid a huge mess. Ha! (More on that later.)
I confess. I usually skip sifting cake dry ingredients. In this case, I sifted both unbleached flour and cake flour together. This recipe listed 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, plus some espresso powder and salt. Sift, sift, sift… done. Last, but not least, I whisked all of the dry ingredients together.
To the white sugar, add three eggs, and beat until white and fluffy — about 5 minutes. Next, slowly drizzle the vegetable oil until it was fully incorporated. Alternating the dry ingredients…
…and the red buttermilk mixture. Add some white vinegar at the end. Divide the batter into 2 8×8 square baking pans. These were baked at 375 for about 35 minutes.
TIP: Set two timers– one for the time recommended, and a second one for about 10 minutes sooner. Test each cake a little early from the recommended time, so that you don’t risk over baking the cake. The cake in the metal pan baked much faster than the glass one. Of course, you can bake the cakes in a round pan, but I wanted my photo to look like the one in the magazine (background of picture below). About that mess…
Red dye is a mess! You can see the magazine photo in the background. Stunning, isn’t it? Speaking of red dye– if you don’t like red dye, then don’t use it. I did a little bit of research on Red Velvet Cake. Camps are divided on what a true definition of Red Velvet Cake is. (If you’re curious, you can click here for the story.) I’m not afraid of a little food quality red dye, on occasion. Heck, I like maraschino cherries!
I was relieved that my cakes didn’t look pink. Let the cakes sit for about 10 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack. While the cakes completely cooled,make the frosting.
Cream cheese frosting is what is most common with Red Velvet Cake. However, that’s not a traditional frosting. Did you know that? It’s true! A Cooked Vanilla Frosting is a more traditional frosting. I’ve made this before, with my favorite chocolate cake. On medium heat, cook whole milk and flour together until it’s thick. Whatever you do, don’t boil it and don’t walk away! It thickens up super fast, and then you’ve got a mess. Mine got a little lumpy (because I decided to clean up, and got distracted). I ended up putting the milk/flour mixture through a fine sieve.
Cover the mixture with plastic wrap, to prevent a “skin” from forming over it. Put it in the fridge to cool.
I once took a Wilton cake decorating class. While I’m not a super-pro, I have learned a few tricks to make things a little easier. A serrated knife works great to level off the one cake that rose higher than the other. A Cake Lifter, prevents breaking my cakes whenever I transfer them.
It was a bit of a struggled to cut off the edges of the square cake. The edges turned out a little crispy an dark. Not pretty. It took some cursing patience, but the edges succeeded in getting cut off so that it would reveal the pretty red color of the cake.
TIP: When cutting a cake in half, place it on a rotating cake stand. Place a serrated knife in the middle, and slowly rotate the cake until the lines connect. Keep rotating, while cutting in deeper. Finally, the cake is cut in half and it’s even. Otherwise, you can insert toothpicks to give you margins to cut.
For the frosting, you’ll need 4 ounces of Ghirardelli White Chocolate, which is pretty thin. Use the microwave, at about 30 seconds, to melt the chocolate; then set it aside to cool. In a stand mixer, use two sticks of softened, unsalted butter and white sugar.
The melted chocolate and cooled flour/milk mixture is on standby. Cream the white sugar and butter, until it’s really fluffy– about 7 minutes. Add the chilled milk mixture and white chocolate, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy– about five more minutes.
It’s pretty amazing how the frosting whips into a whipped cream texture. I tasted the frosting, and I felt it really needed vanilla, so I added about 1 teaspoon. Perfect.
NOTE: No, you don’t have to add white chocolate. I happen to love white chocolate, so that’s what intrigued me most about this recipe. I think I would have doubled the amount of white chocolate, though, as I thought it was barely detectable.
Using a vegetable peeler, I shaved the long (and very thin) side of the Ghirardelli bar. A thick block of white chocolate would have made pretty and longer curls. Crumble some of the cake trimmings, for decoration.
Piping an edge of frosting is the easiest way to fill all four layers. Cuisine At Home suggested piping the entire surface– however, I realized I’d run out of frosting really fast.
So, I “plopped” some frosting in the middle and spread it with an offset spatula. I wasn’t worried about crumbs, either.
I was going to cut some wooden dowels (like I use for grilling shrimp etc.) but I decided to skip that process. Here’s the challenge– this frosting is very soft! The cake can easily turn into the leaning Tower of Pisa! I sprinkled some cake crumbs on top, for decoration and then the white chocolate. Then, I immediately chilled the cake. The frosting sets pretty quickly.
More mess to cleanup. Sigh. I put the cake into the refrigerator and got busy making dinner.
The cake definitely was a show-stopper at the dessert table.
The crumb of the cake definitely had a velvet texture, which is really how the cake got it’s name.
The frosting did ooze over the edges a bit. Next time, I think I’d leave a bit more of a cake edge, since this frosting down soften very quickly.
So, the moment of truth–
TASTING NOTES: The cake was very moist, and I was happy with the fine crumb texture. The color definitely was a beautiful red, and I thought it was visually appealing.
Work Involved: I thought this cake was a bit labor intensive, and certainly used a lot of dishes.
Flavor: My niece, I didn’t realize before, adores Red Velvet Cake. She was so excited that I had made this, and I was so pleased that she was delighted. I wouldn’t describe Red Velvet Cake as being a chocolate cake, though. Not because of the color, but the notes of chocolate are very mild. The cake, was indeed, very moist.
Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Frosting
This Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate Frosting is a show stopping dessert! Red Velvet Cake is such an iconic and beautiful dessert. Buttermilk and vegetable oil makes this cake batter very moist and tender. The frosting is a more traditional one, made with cooked milk and flour. Once cooled, it's whipped in to softened butter and granulated sugar. Like magic, the frosting is transformed into a fluffy whipped-cream texture. The addition of melted white chocolate is a unique twist on a more common Cream Cheese frosting.
Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
- 1 serrated knife for better ease of slicing layers and trimming cake
- 1 off set spatula for frosting cake
- 1 piping bag and large round tip for piping in edges of frosting
- 1 large cake spatula for less risk in transferring cake layers
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/4 cups vegetable oil
- 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
- 1 ounce liquid red food color
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
FROSTING:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces quality white chocolate bar chopped
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
FROSTING GARNISH:
- Additional white chocolate bar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Line bottoms of two 8x8x2-inch square pans (or three 9×2-inch round cake pans) with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray. Note: I use Baker’s Joy spray and my cakes never stick!
Cake:
- Sift together the flours unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, table salt and instant espresso powder; whisk to combine. Set aside.
- TIP: For less mess, in a large glass measuring cup with a pour spout, combine the buttermilk, food color and vanilla before mixing into the cake batter.
- Beat sugar and eggs in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed until white, thick and creamy for 5 to 7 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil until it is full incorporated.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the batter (starting and ending with flour mixture) until combined.
- Mix vinegar into batter and immediately divide evenly between prepared pans.
- Bake cakes until a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool, for about 10 minutes. Turn cakes out of pans and cool on racks. Once cooled, peel away parchment.
- Slice each cake in half horizontally to form 4 layers. Note: My cakes were baked square, so I trimmed off the edges to reveal the red cake color. Save the crumbs for later, to crumble and sprinkle on top as decoration.
White chocolate frosting:
- Whisk milk and flour together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until thick and paste-like and no longer lumpy, about 15 minutes. Note: Don't panic if it becomes lumpy, as you can always push it thrown a fine sieve. However, keep stirring and scraping the pan at all times.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl, press plastic wrap over the surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill until cold.
- Melt chocolate in a double-boiler (I had thin chocolate, so I melted it in 30 second intervals in my microwave). Cool slightly.
- Cream sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on high (I use my Kitchen Aid Whisk Attachment)) for about 7 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.
- Add chilled milk mixture and melted chocolate and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes more.
- Note: I added 1 teaspoon additional vanilla, as I felt it really needed it. I also think an additional 4 ounces of melted white chocolate would be more noticeable. Of course, I love white chocolate!
Assembly:
- With a serrated knife, level each layer if the center is a high dome (like one of mine was). Split each layer in half. Turn the first layer upside down onto your serving platter (I place narrow strips of wax paper along each edge to catch frosting drippings). Fill the piping bag and pipe the frosting onto the edge of each layer. Plop some frosting in the center, and evenly spread with an off-set spatula. (We aren't frosting the sides of the cake, because this is makes a beautiful presentation.
- Note: Before adding the final layer, add cut wooden dowels at each corner and in the center. I didn't do this, so my cake leaned a bit!
- Repeat with each layer. If desired, sprinkle some fine red crumbs and/or shave some additional white chocolate with a vegetable peeler and sprinkled on top.
- Note: The frosting is very much liked whipped cream. Therefore, the cake could be in danger of sliding (if you haven't used wooden dowels). Freeze (or refrigerate the cake, immediately) for about 15 minutes, and that should stabilize it. Allow to come to room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing.
- Slice with either an electric serrated knife, or a regular serrated knife. This prevents the layers from becoming “squashed”.
Notes
This recipe is slightly adapted from Cuisine At Home Magazine (December 2011).
Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!
Merry Christmas Debby!
Your German dinner sounded grand! Makes me miss the Midwest! Try to find garlic summer sausage in L.A.! Mission Impossible.
That cake was a lot of work but it's gorgeous!!
Enjoy your vacation!
Wow, Debby! This cake is Gorgeous! I'm with you on the cake preferences…there is such a thing as too much chocolate, so it's good to have vanilla around for balance. As far as red velvet cake is concerned, as long as it contains vinegar and buttermilk, everything's okay. 😀
Beautiful work! Thanks for the frosting tip too!!
OMG Look amazzaing and delicious:))
I don't think you could have made a more festive dessert, Debby. Your cake is beautiful and was a special treat for your niece. My mother made a similar frosting that we all loved, but I have to admit that I am adicted to the cream cheese version. I made a chocolate roll for yesterday's dinner and filled it with whipped cream flavored with some of the hazelnut cream I sent you. OMG, it was so good. All this over indulgence must soon come to an end.
GORGEOUS! Red velvet is actually my favorite kind of cake…mostly because of the cream cheese frosting. But that white chocolate sounds fabulous as well. Hope you had a GREAT Christmas!
This looks beautiful and so delicious! I also made red velvet cake for Christmas and it was so good! I can just imagine how amazing this tasted 🙂
Beautiful cake! I love that you used a white chocolate frosting, although I do love the cream cheese. I like Red Velvet, but do kind of agree with you that it doesn't have the flavor of a white or chocolate cake, but it's still good.
Debbie, I knew I loved following your blog. This looks heavenly. Paul and I have become huge suckers for Red Velvet cake and had it on Christmas Eve too at my fathers house. Yummmm!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Debby, this cake seems like it is perfect for those special occasions. I can envision all of those Southern women with kitchens covered in red dye. I had read you can use beets, but I wouldn't let a little mess stop me:D
Una verdadera tentación luce perfecta,muy bien elaborada,felicitaciones y felices fiestas,abrazos hugs,hugs.
It's beautiful and my hat goes off to you. I am not a baker and have never made a cake. There would have been panic everywhere in my kitchen if I'd attempted what you did Debbie. Great job.
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Sam
Debby,
This cake is a showstopper! I am your newest follower. Pat
Red Velvet Cake is my all-time favorite, but I've not found a good recipe yet to match our hometown – famous baker who is one the only 8 master sugar artists in the U.S. She was on one of the cake shows on tv and baked my daughter's red velvet wedding cake. Every Christmas I order a 3 layer R.V. cake from her and can't get enough. Debby, your cake looks like hers with the DEEP red color and moisture. I have got to try this and let you know! Thanks for sharing!
How did I miss this cake? I love RV cake!
Everyone has an opinion about it though. I made one from Southern Cakes that I loved as part of the Cake Slice Bakers and others didn't care for it, so I guess you'll just have to keep trying more recipes 🙂
Hi!
I made this and the cake part was wonderful. I'm just wondering if the frosting has too much flour as written. It tasted very floury to me, although the others who had it did not notice. I have made a similar frosting with corn starch so knew what to expect, I thought.
I do enjoy your blog and I appreciate how appetizing you make it all look and sound!
Dear Anonymous.
To answer your frosting question– no, mine doesn't taste floury. I use unbleached all-purpose flour, if that makes a difference. A cream cheese frosting would be a good alternative, too.
Thank you for your compliment!
I took several cake decorating classes. I had a great teacher that gave us a great hint. Right after you take the cakes out of the oven, use a clean hand towel placed on top of each cake and use your hand to push down on any areas that are higher than the rest. Works great. No need to use a knife to trim the top level.
To prevent all the crumbs in your icing as you make layers, freeze your cake layers, yes it will add in an additional hour or two, but it's worth it! My friend who's a very successful professional baker and has her own dessert cookbook out, shared that tip with me a few years ago!
This is such a wonderful recipe! Makes a perfect red velvet! Thanks a lot for this.. My husband says its the best cake he's eaten in his life.. and thats SOMETHING!! 🙂
Thank you, Nandini! So glad you enjoyed the cake.