Red Velvet Cakes with Champagne Frosting
Hello and happy Thursday! We're nearly at the weekend once more, and, very nearly at Valentines day!
I can't say I get particularly involved with Valentines celebrations, but I have enjoyed doing some lovey-dovey themed recipes recently.
So, here is the first: Red velvet cakes with champagne frosting. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! These are a lovely combination of chocolatey, fluffy red velvet cake and creamy, tangy, champagne flavour. The ultimate posh indulgence!
I made mine using metal food rings but you can use the same recipe to make cupcakes if you'd prefer.
Red Velvet Cakes with Champagne Frosting
Prep 30 mins
Cook 25 mins
What you will need:
For the cake:
6 oz caster sugar
6 oz margarine
3 medium free-range eggs
6 oz self-raising flour
1 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp red food colouring
1 tbsp water
For the champagne frosting:
9 oz icing sugar
6 oz unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp champagne or cava
1 tbsp water, if needed
What to do:
Start by pre-heating your oven to 180°C (350° F, Gas Mark 4) and grease the inside of each of the food rings. Place them on greaseproof paper on a baking sheet, ensuring they are as flat as possible.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder with 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, and the red food colouring. Add the tablespoon of water and mix to bring this to a smooth, burgundy paste.
In a large mixing bowl and with an electric whisk, mix the caster sugar and margarine together until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the eggs with a fork until well combined.
Next, whilst whisking the sugar and marg mixture once again, gradually pour the egg in, a bit at a time.
When all the egg is mixed in, gently fold the flour in by hand, using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Now, add the burgundy paste in and carefully fold until the mixture is completely coloured.
Do not over mix it, fold the paste in just enough to colour the mixture. You want to keep that fluffy texture!
Next, spoon the mixture into the food rings, ensuring that they are still sitting flat on the tray. Fill them to about halfway and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Once fully cooked, remove from the oven and leave as they are to cool down. If the cake mixture has spilled out at the bottom, cut excess off with a sharp knife while they are still in the rings. Once cooled, run a thin knife around the inside of the food rings and slide the cakes out onto a plate.3 medium free-range eggs
6 oz self-raising flour
1 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp red food colouring
1 tbsp water
For the champagne frosting:
9 oz icing sugar
6 oz unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp champagne or cava
1 tbsp water, if needed
What to do:
Start by pre-heating your oven to 180°C (350° F, Gas Mark 4) and grease the inside of each of the food rings. Place them on greaseproof paper on a baking sheet, ensuring they are as flat as possible.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the cocoa powder with 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, and the red food colouring. Add the tablespoon of water and mix to bring this to a smooth, burgundy paste.
In a large mixing bowl and with an electric whisk, mix the caster sugar and margarine together until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the eggs with a fork until well combined.
Next, whilst whisking the sugar and marg mixture once again, gradually pour the egg in, a bit at a time.
When all the egg is mixed in, gently fold the flour in by hand, using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Now, add the burgundy paste in and carefully fold until the mixture is completely coloured.
Do not over mix it, fold the paste in just enough to colour the mixture. You want to keep that fluffy texture!
Next, spoon the mixture into the food rings, ensuring that they are still sitting flat on the tray. Fill them to about halfway and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
(If any excess pieces need to be trimmed, keep these aside).
Lastly, using a sharp knife, carefully cut the cakes in half horizontally, ready to fill with frosting.
(Do this on a board so you can catch any crumbs - these will be the finishing touch).
For the frosting:
Combine the icing sugar, softened butter and champagne in a food processor or with an electric whisk. (Be careful if using a whisk as the icing sugar may make a bit of a mess!) If your frosting is too dry at this stage, add in the tablespoon of water to soften it up.
Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and pipe a circle on to the bottom tiers of cake, then place the top tiers on top of each one, pressing gently down to make them hold.
Next, pipe your buttercream swirl on top using my two-point method: Pipe one circle starting from the centre of the cake then 'cast off.' (Stop piping). Pipe a second swirl on top of this and bring to a point in the centre, pushing down into the frosting slightly, then pulling away gently, to cast off once more.
Lastly, sprinkle the reserved crumbs over each cake to finish them off perfectly.
And there you have it! I really love the blend of red velvet and champagne with these, and they'll make either the perfect Valentines gift or the perfect dessert... or perhaps even both!
Have a wonderful Thursday my friends and I'll see you again soon!
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