This past week/weekend was incredibly busy for the three of us. We had lots to celebrate: Mother’s Day, a birthday, and most important, Stephen’s graduation. That’s right, 3 years and several clinics, papers and exams later, he’s officially done with law school! We couldn’t be more excited!!!
After all of the graduation festivities were over on Friday, we came home, relaxed, and then went to dinner with friends and family. The following day I decided to surprise Stephen with a little party. I made him this red velvet cake with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. It’s the cake version of these delicious cupcakes I made back in February. Since he went to the University of Utah I thought that red velvet would be perfect. I found some cute sprinkles and a candle for the top. I will warn you though, I only had 10 minutes to assemble, frost and decorate the cake, so if it doesn’t look perfect, it’s probably not!
For the cake I doubled the recipe for my red velvet cupcakes. I made a few alterations along the way, so make sure to follow the recipe below if you are going to make this as a layered cake. To start, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and food coloring until light and fluffy. Creaming will help add air which helps the cake rise and become light and fluffy. I usually cream my sugar and butter for 2-3 minutes or until it becomes pale. Then add the vegetable oil and the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Now in a medium size mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients with the exception of the baking soda. Once you’ve whisked them together you can turn on the mixing speed to low and alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients (this will help prevent the batter from curdling)- those wet ingredients include full-fat buttermilk and full-fat sour cream. When the batter is smooth and no flour pockets remain, it’s time to add in the vinegar and baking soda. Just mix it together in a little bowl, pour it into the batter and beat the mixture for about 20 seconds or until it’s full incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing the mixture evenly. Place the pans side by side in the preheated oven and bake.
Here comes the tricky part. Every oven is different and everyone bakes at a different altitude. In California or Florida it usually takes me a bit longer to bake a cake, however here in Utah I find that whenever I made a tried and true cake recipe (usually a family one), it needs 10-15 minutes less than the recipe states. So… bake this cake for AT LEAST 25 minutes, but know that it could take the full 30. Please keep an eye on your cake and check for doneness. Trust me, on more than one occasion I’ve thought “oh it says 45-50 minutes, I can come back around the 40 minute mark to peek.” Bad idea. They were always dry and toasty. Moral of the story- just hang around and be patient, you won’t regret it! When you see that the cakes are done (or have inserted a cake tester into the centers), remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 30 minutes before removing and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the frosting by creaming the butter, vanilla and salt, then slowly adding the powdered sugar. This will create a fondant-like mixture. Add the cream cheese and heavy cream at the very end and mix for 1 minute and 30 seconds on the lowest speed possible. I’ve found that this method yields a thick and stable cream cheese frosting, one that you can pipe or spread that won’t run all over the place. It’s the best! Now all that’s left to do is assemble the cake. I think that’s pretty straightforward. I chose to garnish mine with festive graduation sprinkles, but feel free to leave the cake as-is or add sprinkles, crumbs or nuts. This red velvet cake with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting is perfect for any occasion and tastes great with a big glass of milk. Allowing the cake to rest overnight will intensify the flavor, leaving you with an even more decadent and rich cake that is absolutely divine! Enjoy and happy baking!
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter - room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tsp -2 Tbsp red food coloring*
- 4 large eggs - room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sour cream - room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk - room temperature
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp apple cider or distilled vinegar
Cream Cheese frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter - room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 vanilla bean scraped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 16 ounce (12 blocks) original cream cheese - room temperature for 30 minutes
- 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and food coloring until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the oil, then the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds on medium speed after each addition until incorporated.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually alternate adding the dry ingredients with the sour cream and buttermilk. Mix until combined. In a small bowl, stir the baking soda and vinegar together, then beat the mixture into the batter for about 20 seconds on medium speed.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes or until the tops are firm and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the cream cheese frosting, use the paddle attachment to cream the butter, vanilla, and salt for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar, beating until it forms a fondant-like ball. Add cream cheese and heavy cream. Mix on the lowest speed for 1½ minutes, then STOP! Place the frosting in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes to set up. Allow it to stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before frosting. Frost the first layer, set the second layer on top, then frost the top and sides. Decorate as desired.
NOTES
Nutrition
Recipe source: Life Made Simple
I’m from Kenya and I love this recipe!!!
It’s so light and fluffy.It’s my first time making cinnamon rolls and will now try you red velvet cake.
Thank you.
it looks delicious!
I just love a classic velvet cake and the graduation cap is a great touch! Congrats!
Thanks Bill! It was a fun cake to make for such a special occasion!