Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting

Valentines' day. A day where most restaurants are packed, menus are fixed to identical sets, flowers are priced 3x the usual, and chocolates sales probably hit a sweet festive peak.

Husband and I prefer to spend a quiet evening at home with a simple home-cooked korean galbi meal with lots of fresh lettuce and sharp garlic. A home-baked red velvet cake, with a sweet creamy cheese frosting and fresh cherries completed the happy v-day meal.

Inspired by Joy The Baker, sourced from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, cake turned out a deep vibrant red, dense and moist with the cocoa flavor shining through clearly. Hubs love it. Yay!

Ingredients:

57gram unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoon cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

2 tablespoon red food coloring

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, let stand for 10min)

1 cup + 2 tablespoon cake flour

1 teaspoon fleur del sel salt (or normal sea salt, or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1.5 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

1. Using paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and continue mixing. 

3. Mix the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red coloring together into a thick paste. Add to mixture and mix together thoroughly, ensuring that the colour is evenly incorporated.

4. On low speed, add half the buttermilk, beat, half the flour, beat, rest of buttermilk, beat, rest of flour, beat until a smooth batter is formed.

5. Add the salt, baking soda and cider vinegar. Beat on high until completely mixed.

6. Pour into 2 6-inch lined cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until skewer test comes out clean. 

Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

250g cream cheese, slightly cooled
125 unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat Cream Cheese and butter using the paddle attachment until smooth and well-homegenized. Add vanilla extract and beat further. On low speed, add icing sugar gradually, until smooth and creamy, to the desired sweetness level.

Can be used immediately to frost cooled cakes.