I used to be intimidated by baking...give me a box mix any day and I would be happy! But then I had some kids and really wanted to make things from scratch... mainly so I would know what went into the things I was feeding them!
Yes a ton of sugar goes into cakes and icing, but I have been trying to play with recipes to use less. Especially in icing! I am not a fan of 'sugar icing' found on most store bought cake... You now there is at least 3 lbs of sugar on top of your cake.
So when my husband kept asking for Red Velvet I never wanted to make it. Too much food coloring and the icing too sweet. But I switched out the colors, the amount of food coloring and poof... We have Purple Velvet Cake and awesome Cream cheese frosting.
So here I am sharing with you the awesomeness that is Purple Velvet Cake... And my own Cream Cheese Frosting recipe!
Purple Velvet Cake:
2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
1/4 tsp purple gel color
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Now this recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of sifted flour. This is always so confusing... Do I measure first.. Sift second.. Or the other way around?!? Easiest way to do it.... Put a piece of parchment paper on your counter, then put measuring cup ontop. Sift the flour into the measuring cup. Use parchment paper to reuse the sifted flour that didn't make it into the cup!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the purple food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
Now comes the fun.... Get your kids in the room, or really anyone who wants to see...
In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)
Em's Cream Cheese Frosting
2 bricks of cream cheese @room temp
1/2 cup of butter @room temp
2 heaping Tablespoons sour cream
Pinch of salt
2 cap full pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar sifted
a couple of Tablespoons of milk
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream, cream cheese, butter and sour cream until smooth. About 2 minutes.
Change to whisk attachment , add Salt and vanilla. Mix on med low just until combined. Slowly add sugar. (so you don't wear it) and milk.
Beat on med high for 3 min until light and fluffy. Add a little more milk if it looks to thick and not spreadable.
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