Red Velvet Cake

Last weekend I decided to make this red velvet cake purely on a whim.  Also, I was looking through the drawers in our kitchen and it seems like we had at least 4 bottles of red food coloring.  I don't bake very often so when I do I have to use a recipe from someone else.  This recipe came from one of the most recent editions of Saveur Magazine.  Supposedly, it is traditional to ice red velvet cake with a cream cheese frosting but their recipe uses what they call a whipped cream frosting.  Nonetheless it was still delicious.  I hope you try this soon!

Ingredients

For the cake:

16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

2 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for pans, sifted

2 tbsp. Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp. red food coloring

1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

For the frosting:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 8″ cake pans, and set aside. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Whisk together buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in 3 batches and wet ingredients in 2 batches. Increase speed to high and beat until batter is smooth, about 5 seconds. Divide batter between prepared pans, and smooth top with a rubber spatula; drop pans lightly on a counter to expel any large air bubbles. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cakes cool for 20 minutes in pans; invert onto wire racks, and let cool.

2. Make the frosting and assemble cake: Whisk together sugar and flour in a 4-qt. saucepan; add milk and whisk until smooth. Stirring often, bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook, stirring constantly, until very thick, about 5 minutes. Remove pudding from heat; cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and 1/4 of the pudding on medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add half the remaining pudding, beating until smooth, and then add remaining pudding and vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat frosting until white and fluffy, about 3 minutes. To assemble, place one cake on a cake stand, and spread with 1 1/2 cups frosting. Place second cake over frosting; cover top and sides with remaining frosting; chill to firm frosting. Serve at room temperature.