The History of Red Velvet Cake.
With a resurgence in popularity, many believe that red velvet cake is a new and trendy cake; however, velvet cake actually dates back to the nineteenth century. Between the thirteenth and eighteenth century, cakes were frequently filled with bulky ingredients such as chopped nuts and dried fruit. In the Victorian Era, bakers sought out a way to bake cakes that were luxurious and smooth which resulted in the velvet cake. In replacement of fruit and nuts, bakes added coca which helped to break down and reduce the coarse texture of flour. The smooth texture earned the cake the title ‘velvet cake’, and thee distinctive red colour is believed to have been caused by a chemical reaction between the cocoa and the natural acids in the ingredients. It wasn’t until 1943 that the popular recipe book The Joy of Cooking (1943) by Irma S. Rombauer included a recipe explicitly for the dessert ‘Red Velvet Cake’.
Although the cake already had a natural red colour, it wasn’t until the Second World War that the cake’s signature red colour was introduced. Civilians and soldiers alike had to live off of rations, despite the rations including butter and sugar, bakers opted to use beet juice. The introduction of beet juice made red velvet cake even more smooth and gave the cake its striking crimson appearance that we all know and recognise today. Some red velvet cake recipes to this day use beet juice, but mostly, recipes now call for the use of red food colouring as an easy way to achieve a vivid colour without interfering with the cake’s texture and flavour.
Red Velvet Cake Recipe.
Serves: 12-16
Hands on Time: 1hr 30mins
Baking Time: 25mins
Ingredients for the Sponge:
- 3 Eggs, beaten
- 280g of Unsalted Butter, cubed & softened
- 25g of Cocoa Powder, sifted*
- 245g of Golden Caster Sugar
- 335g of Self-Raising Flour, sifted
- 270ml of Buttermilk
- 6tsp of Hot Water
- 2tsp of Red Food-Colouring Paste
- 2tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 1tsp of Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1tsp of Salt
- 1tsp of White Vinegar
*The colour of the cake can be dependent on the type of cocoa that you use in the recipe. Natural cocoa is known to produce a lighter colour, whereas, Dutch process cocoa produces a darker red cake as the cocoa has been washed with potassium carbonate to neutralise the acidity.
Ingredients for the Filling and Icing:
- Pinch of Salt
- 400g of Full-Fat Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 300g of Icing Sugar, sifted
- 250ml of Double Cream
- 200g of Mascarpone
- 2tsp of Vanilla Extract
Equipment:
- Oven
- Fridge
- Stand Mixer Fitted With Beater
- 2 x Large Mixing Bowls
- 3 x Small Bowl
- 2 x Large Spoon
- 2 x Small Jug
- Cake Plate or Stand
- Medium Piping Bag Fitted with Medium Closed Star Nozzle
- Wire Rack
- Palette Knife
- Skewer
- Sieve
- 3 x 17cm Round Cake Tin Greased with Baking Paper
- Small Hand Held Whisk
Method:
Step One:
First of all, we’ll start baking our sponges. To do this, you’ll want to heat your oven to 200℃, 180℃ fan or Gas 6. Using a stand mixer that has been fitted with the beater, mix the butter and sugar on a medium speed for approximately 3-5 minutes, using a spoon to scrape down the inside of the bowl from time to time until the mixture has become pale and creamy. Once the butter and sugar has been combined thoroughly, add the eggs, beating well between each edition until the mixture has fully combined.
Step Two:
Grab your small jug and mix the vanilla extract, cocoa powder and red food colouring and hot water together to create a paste. Once the paste has formed, add this to the egg, butter and sugar mixture and mix again until combined.
Step Three:
Using the other jug and hand held whisk, add the salt and buttermilk and whisk together. Mix one third of the salt and buttermilk mix to the mixing bowl with the existing mixture, then add one third of the flour (111g). Continue to mix in the remaining buttermilk mixture and flour alternately until thoroughly combined.
Step Four:
In a small bowl, mix together the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar and add to the large mixing bowl and gently beat until the texture becomes smooth.
Step Five:
Now that the cake mixture has been created, divide the mixture equally between the three lined tins and spread it level. Using the middle shelf in the oven, bake for 20-25 minutes until the sponges have risen and your skewer is able to pierce the centre of each sponge and come out clean. Leave the sponges out to cool whilst still in the tins for 5 minutes and then gently turn them out onto your wire rack to cool completely.
Step Six:
We have now made the sponge component of the cake, whilst it cools, let’s make a start on the cake’s filling and icing. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the double cream, cream cheese, icing sugar, mascarpone, vanilla extract and salt using the stand mixer fitted with the whisk until the mixture is combined entirely and can hold in stiff peaks. Divide the icing mixture equally between two small bows and leave to chill in the fridge until needed.
Step Seven:
It’s now time to assemble the cake – we’re one step closer to eating! Remove one bowl of the icing mixture from the fridge and using a large serrated knife, level the sponges but make sure to save any off-cuts for decoration. Slice each of the three sponges in half horizontally so that you now have six thin sponges.
Step Eight:
Using a large spoon, spread one fifth of the icing mixture over the first sponge, then top with a second sponge. Spread the second sponge with another fifth of icing, then top with the third sponge. Continue this layering process until you have five layers of icing between six sponges.
Step Nine:
Now we need to remove the second bowl of icing mixture from the fridge. Using a palette knife, spread half of the icing over the outside of the cake which you will then need to smooth out and neaten. Clean the used palette knife and smooth off any of the excess icing and create a smooth even layer of icing around the cake.
Step Ten:
Using half of the remaining icing, spread a second thin, even layer over the top of the cake. Using the palette knife, smooth the second layer of icing.
Step Eleven:
Using a large spoon, load the remaining icing into the medium piping bag fitted with a medium closed star nozzle and pipe eight rosettes around the top edge of the cake.
Step Twelve:
Crumble the off-cuts of the sponge and gently press them into the bottom third of the cake and sprinkle a few crumbs over each of the piped rosettes.
Step Thirteen:
Give yourself a nice big pat on the back and an even larger slice of cake – save the washing up for someone else, you deserve a break