Recent conversations and this NYT article have me in the mood for some Red Velvet Cake. I've never had this concoction and frankly, at this point, I've built it up in my head (and palette) as some heavenly cloud of sweetness. Although I doubt anything will really live up to these built-up expectations, I would still like to try and make some. So I'm asking for some help from my fellow frill-seekers: Any one ever make this kind of cake before? Anyone have some tips/suggestions/recipes? The common destinations, epicurious, etc, leave something to be desired... And the NYT recipe just kinda scares me with the 2c of oil it calls for...
Peace out.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
As the NYT article mentioned, red velvet cake is strongly associated in my mind with Steel Magnolias. The Armadillo cake at Shelby's wedding is red velvet with a grey icing. Thinking about it brings back memories of the movie (Shelby: "My colors are blush and bashful"---Shelby's mom: "Her colors are pink and pink") and catty exchanges between Dolly Parton and Shirley Maclaine. Back to the cake, I don't think I have ever had it and I also balked at the amount of oil in the NYT. Now we have to look further afield-- the NYT article no doubt inspired lots of food bloggers to post about it.
AC,I'm glad to hear that you "balked" as well at the 2c oil... for a second there, I was worried I was being "wimpy." I'll try to do some google-ing and will report back post haste.
How much butter would make a baker balk?
This is from foodnetwork.com:
"Substitution: BUTTER - 1 cup (2 sticks; 16 Tbsp) = 1 cup margarine OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil, lard or vegetable shortening OR 4/5 cup strained bacon fat OR 3/4 cup strained chicken fat"
YUMMO. Strained bacon fat!
My point: if a cake recipe called for two sticks of butter, would that be a lot? (I think that sufficienly demonstrates my decidedly non savant status in the world of food, right?) Because that's kinda like two cups of oil. But I haven't seen this recipe, so maybe it calls for two sticks of butter and two cups of oil.
Aging Cowgirl, you bettah drink this orange juice!
Zuppe: exACTly. I've felt odd about balking at the 2c oil... because I'm pretty sure I use a lot of butter in my baking... I think it's that it's liquid. Something about lots and lots of oil-y liquid. Like, imagine if that dropped on your floor. That would be pretty awful. Dropping 2 sticks of butter (still in stick form)... that ain't so bad. I think that is where the balking stems from, for me at least...
I think 4 sticks of butter = 2 cups oil, which seems like a lot. I probably sticks of butter all the time when I get dessert but ignorance is bliss.
I would probably just start with a boxed red velvet cake mix and go from there. sometimes the flavor chemicals are more "accurate" than myriad recipes. i like box cake too.
i had a super heart-shaped red velvet cupcake around v-day. the red hue and cream cheese frosting were very satisfying. the cake taste is somewhat non-descript-- the flavor is denser than yellow cake, but it is certainly not all that chocolatey. i feel like it is a nice alternative to carrot cake for frosting purposes. i admit the name 'red velvet' makes me sort of love it too.
I just had red velvet cupcakes! My lab mate brought them in and they were quite satisfying. They were VERY red -- I think she went all out witht he food-coloring (there are some recipes out there that require like 6 bottles of the stuff). As SO said, it is somewhat deeper in flavor than yellow-cake; but if you're looking for a chocolate fix, please move on past this option. (I'm not really a chocolate cake person -- I know! I don't belong on this blog! -- so this worked really well for me). I am hoping that my lab mate brings in the recipe... Oh and she topped them with both cream cheese frosting and buttercream frosting, and both were a hit (although I only had the cc one).
i made red velvet cake once (back when i was in grad school) and it was really fun (and quite yummy i must say). i used a LOT of sugar and the entire bottle of food coloring. i tend to like less sweet desserts so making the cream cheese frosting really made it much too sweet...but i felt it important to stay true to the recipe since i was doing it for the first time. :0) i'd totally make it again...for it is a quite dramatic color, but i'd make it less sweet.
here's a recipe from food network: FYI
Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake
Recipe from Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook, by Sylvia Woods and Family, published by William Morrow, 1999
Show: Emeril Live
Episode: Soul Food
This recipe is available for a limited time only. Why?
For the cake:
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 ounces red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 pound box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Stir in pecans. Use frosting to fill and ice cake. Slice and serve on individual plates.
Oh fudge. I can't do math, or cook. *feels useless*
Yum, I want to make red velvet know. How is cake flour different from regular flour?
RVC with buttercream seems fab. Buttercream is a bit less sweet, right? Just very rich...
Zupster, I can't cook either :)
hmm...my understanding of cake flour is that it has less gluten than regular or bread flour and it is lighter or "sifted" through more (though you are often encouraged to do another sifting of the cake flour when you actually use it anyway to get a good cake texture)
and another thing...
i just happened upon this thread in my chowhound la browsing...
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/369379
it's all about red velvet cake...but scroll down for the reference to the NY guy who has a website and you can get his recipe!
Post a Comment