Recipe: Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake
rec.food.cooking/Michael Gottuso/1998

You can bake the cake in a heart-shaped pan if you like.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup milk
1/4 cup red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans.

On medium speed, cream butter until light & fluffy. Add sugar and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add vanilla extract. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add red food coloring. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.

Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans. Bake on center rack in oven to about 30 minutes or until done. Let the cake cool completely in the pans on a wire rack before removing from the pan.

To make frosting, on medium speed, beat 8 oz. cream cheese & 1 stick unsalted butter (both softened). Add 4 cups confectioners' sugar one cup at a time. Beat until light and fluffy.. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy. Chill the frosting for an hour.

Frost the cake and garnish generously with chocolate shavings.

Store the cake at room temperature.