Baking: Red Velvet Cake

It is the year of the cakes! So recently, I've made a promise to myself to get better in baking. I'm a pretty decent baker already but I want to be a phenomenal one. Cookies are what I'm truly good at. But I want to expand my knowledge. So last year was the year of the pie. It was great and I really got a good handle on my pie dough and seasonal fruits. This year, I want to be better at cake. Now I'm talking about whole cakes, not cupcakes. I definitely like whole cakes better. Oh and here's an early disclaimer: I'm more about the taste than aesthetics. I like to call my baking products rustic. Delicious but rustic. So here, I start the year with Red Velvet Cake. I looked up a recipe online from epicurious.com. I found this recipe that most viewers liked. I'm a stickler for well reviewed recipes. So below, I have culminated the ingredients (from left to righ, top to bottom): baking soda, salt, cake flour, sugar, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, food coloring, cocoa powder, baking powder, cream cheese, eggs, butter, and buttermilk (not pictured). Following the recipe (see below): I mixed my dry ingredients, then my wet ingredients. Then they met in the middle. Always use a mixer when handling cake batter. It helps prevent lumps, and creates a nice even mixture. Hand mixing is really difficult! Hmm, this batter looks more pink than red to me. Into 2 greased and floured cake pans. I like to use the Pam baking spray. It really does save a lot of work. That's one thing I hardly do from scratch. But if you must, use the butter wrapper from the butter you used earlier. There's enough residual butter for the pans. Fill the pans up evenly. Spread out into an even layer. And I like to pang the pans a bit to get any air bubbles out. Then into the preheated 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Once a tested/toothpick comes out clean, remove and let cool. I've learned from experience that it is very important to let a cake cool in its own pan for a little bit before removing. If you dare to remove it before a bit of cooling (around 10-15 minutes), you risk the cake from breaking apart. It sure did for me one sad day. Once cooled enough to handle, fully cool on some racks. Mmmm, cake. I can eat this as is. But frosting is enough reason to wait. So I made a cream cheese frosting with butter, cream chease, and powdered sugar. I creamed the butter and cream cheese together. Then I added the sugar until everything was well incorporated. So here, I frosted my cake. First, I took 1 layer of the cake, turned it upside down, and frosted the now new top. Use about half of your frosting mixture. Then the other layer, also upside down, goes on top. Frost the top and the sides. You have enough for everything. Don't worry. The key is to make sure the cakes are complete cooled. If not, your frosting will melt on contact. Not fun. So here's what the cakes looks like sliced. So how'd it go? Well, flavor-wise, it was good but could be better. Someone told me that the frosting could be a little sweeter. But I have less of a sweet tooth. I could use more frosting in the middle than on the sides. The cake tasted good by itself. It was very moist. Almost too moist. A day in the fridge firmed it up nicely and had the perfect texture. However, it got dryer as the days went on. As any of my other baked goods go, 3 days is the shelf life. Of course, I eat it after the 3 days. But it starts getting stale after that. Epicurious.com Bon Appétit June 2003 Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries and Blueberries 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured) 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon red food coloring 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 2 large eggs Frosting 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 3 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries 3 1/2-pint baskets fresh blueberries For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 27 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely. For frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over top of cake. Arrange 1 basket raspberries and 1/2 basket blueberries atop frosting, pressing lightly to adhere. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange remaining berries decoratively over top of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)