Red Velvet Cake

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Ingredients

  • 845g plain flour
  • 3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 165g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 500g granulated sugar
  • 180ml vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla essence
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon red food colouring
  • 340ml buttermilk, at room temperature
  • Icing, recipe follows

  • For the icing:

  • 110ml double cream
  • 225ml whole milk
  • 1/2 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
  • 7 tablespoons plain flour
  • 330g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 340g caster sugar

Use imperial measurements

Method

How to make Red Velvet Cake

For the cake:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Butter and flour 2 (23cm) cake tins and line the base of each with a round of greaseproof paper.

2) Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a small bowl.

3) Cream the butter, sugar and oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food colouring.

4) Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

5) Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the tins. Allow to cool completely and then slice each cake into 2 layers.

For the filling/icing:
1) Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

2) Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste to the butter mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, and whip until light and fluffy.

3) Use part of the mixture to stack the four cake layers. Use the remaining mixture to completely cover the cake.

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