Red Velvet Cake

By cirql8or

From Swans Down Cake Flour

Ingredients

• Frosting:
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter or shortening, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup red food coloring
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups plus 5 tablespoons Swans Down Cake Flour
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter or 1 stick unsalted butter and 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Details

Adapted from swansdown.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Make cake:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter or shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl whisk together food coloring and cocoa powder and add with salt to butter mixture, beating until blended. In another small bowl stir together buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour to butter mixture in batches alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until batter is blended well. In another small bowl stir together vinegar and baking soda and gently stir into batter, do not beat.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottoms of two 9- by 2-inch buttered cake pans with parchment paper. Butter paper and flour pans, knocking out excess.

3. Divide batter between pans and smooth tops. Bake layers in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on racks 10 minutes before turning out onto racks. Remove paper from cakes and cool completely.

4. Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate and spread evenly with about 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer and spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake.

5. Make frosting:

In a small saucepan stir together milk and flour and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until thick. Cool milk mixture. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until blended well. Add cool milk mixture and beat until spreadable.