Mysterious... Passionate... A little demonic even... Snow-white on the outside and bright red on the inside... It's all about the cake with the luxurious name Red Velvet. It seems to combine both innocence and passion. What else is so perfect as a dessert for Valentine's Day?

Red velvet cake is a classic American culinary classic. Its original name is The Red Velvet Cake (pictured). It looks stunning thanks to its red sponge cake and stunning white buttercream. The cake's hue can vary from soft pink to bright red, as well as deep red or auburn. The desired hue is achieved by adding food coloring to the cake batter. This dessert has a chocolatey flavor, and the airy, soft sponge cake truly feels like velvet.

The History of a Masterpiece

There are many theories about the origins of red velvet cake. Its recipe was known long before it acquired its enchanting name. According to one theory, red sponge cake was already known in the 19th century. Another theory suggests that the idea for a cake with an unusual red color came to confectioners during the Great Depression in the United States, when demand for all foodstuffs declined.

In this way, bakeries tried to attract customers and increase their profits. During World War II, bakers used beetroot juice or cooked, grated beets to give sponge cakes the desired color.

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This original cake was extremely popular in the 1940s and 1950s in bakeries and restaurants across Canada and the United States. The recipe for this culinary masterpiece was considered exclusive and kept a closely guarded secret.

Red Velvet Cake (pictured) got its name in 1972. It was named in a book by American pastry chef James Beard. He described three recipes for the red velvet dessert, each with slightly different ingredients. Food coloring was already quite popular at the time, but it was James Beard who first discovered that the reaction of acidic buttermilk and vinegar releases the color pigments (anthocyanins) in cocoa powder. This cocoa processing was called Dutching. The resulting color was more pronounced than artificially produced. This natural coloring became the basis for the name "Red Velvet."

This cake also has another name: "Devil's Food." John Mariani's "The Dictionary of American Food" suggests that it was so named not only for the distinctive color of the cake layers, but also for its mind-blowing taste, which some puritanical citizens considered sinful.

The recipe was featured in the 1989 film "Steel Magnolias." Following the film's release, the dessert's popularity experienced a resurgence. It can still be found in most international pastry shops and stores.

Red velvet cake has been a favorite dessert of thousands of Americans and Canadians for decades. Nowadays, there are even competitions among pastry chefs in the US to create the brightest red sponge cake.

Cooking secrets

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This dessert isn't that difficult to prepare, but there are still a few nuances worth considering:

  • The classic recipe calls for buttermilk. It gives the dough its tenderness and velvety texture. Buttermilk has a fairly thick consistency and a rich, buttery flavor, making it ideal for baking crusts. You can make it at home by mixing a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a glass of milk and letting it sit for 10-15 minutes. You can substitute buttermilk with low-fat kefir.
  • Freshly baked cakes are very soft, so don't glaze them right away. It will spread and the cakes will become soggy. Refrigerate the finished cake for a few hours or even overnight. This will make the glaze easier to apply and will create a more even layer.
  • The traditional recipe calls for using cream cheese for the frosting and icing. Mascarpone is considered ideal – it has a smooth texture and a mild flavor. Furthermore, its light beige color pairs beautifully with the red sponge cake. Besides cream cheese, you can add whipped cream to the frosting; it adds a light, creamy texture.
  • The batter for this dessert uses food coloring, but if you're planning to make a Red Velvet cake for a children's party, it's better to use beetroot juice or chopped boiled beets to give the layers the desired color.

Creating a work of art

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So, in order to make this cake  according to the classic recipe, we will need:

for the biscuit:

  • 250 grams of flour;
  • 3 chicken eggs
  • 115 grams of butter;
  • 300 grams of sugar;
  • 200 grams of buttermilk or low-fat kefir;
  • 10 grams of vanilla sugar;
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder;
  • 1 teaspoon of soda slaked with vinegar or lemon juice;
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt;
  • 1.5 teaspoons food coloring.

for the cream:

  • 10 grams of vanilla sugar;
  • 200 grams of butter;
  • 250 grams of powdered sugar;
  • 450 grams of cream cheese.

Necessary utensils and kitchen equipment: baking pan (diameter approximately 20 cm), sieve, mixer or blender, large dish.

Cooking steps

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  1. Line the pan with baking paper and grease the edges well with butter. Turn on the oven and set the temperature to 180 degrees;
  2. Sift flour, cocoa, salt through a sieve, mix well;
  3. The recipe then recommends beating the butter until creamy using a mixer or blender. This will take 2-3 minutes.
  4. Carefully add sugar and beat the resulting mixture again;
  5. Continuing to beat at low speed, add the eggs. The recipe recommends adding them gradually, rather than adding them all at once.
  6. Whip a little more. You should get a very fluffy, airy mixture with a uniform consistency. This is the key to a perfect cake.
  7. The recipe then tells us to dissolve the food coloring in buttermilk or kefir;
  8. Gradually whisk in the flour, then the colored kefir or buttermilk. The recipe recommends whisking in the following order: starting at the lowest speed, add a third of a cup of flour, then half a cup of buttermilk with the coloring. Then add another third of a cup of flour, followed by the remaining half a cup of buttermilk. Finally, whisk in the remaining flour. Continue whisking at the lowest speed until smooth and uniform.
  9. We extinguish the soda with vinegar or lemon juice and very quickly mix it into the dough;
  10. Beat cream cheese (mascarpone, Philadelphia) and softened butter until smooth and creamy;
  11. Add vanilla sugar and powdered sugar to the resulting cream and beat again. The recipe calls for the cream to be very thick—so thick that a spoon can stand upright. Refrigerate it for a couple of hours;
  12. Let's begin baking the cake layers for our dish. Pour half of the batter into the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. Once the time is up, remove the pan, let it cool for 10 minutes, and then unmold. Repeat with the other half of the batter. Refrigerate the finished cake layers for a few hours.
  13. Remove the cake layers and frosting from the refrigerator and get to work. Place them on a beautiful serving plate and generously spread frosting on all sides of the cake layers, using generous amounts of frosting—the more, the better.

You can decorate the top with whipped cream, chocolate, fresh strawberry slices, other fruits or berries, or marzipan hearts. The recipe calls for the finished cake to be refrigerated for 9-10 hours.

Red Velvet Cake (photo) is a luxurious dessert, perfect for a romantic evening. It has a special energy—it captivates with its provocatively bold contrast of innocence and vice... And its taste is simply delightful! Make it for your loved one, and they're sure to appreciate your efforts. Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake Video Recipe