RED VELVET CAKE

Today is one of the busiest days of my life. Having arrived in Dungun at 2 am last night, I had to then type out the recipes for my class for the next morning. It was a demonstration and lucky enough, no one noticed the tremendous exhaustion I felt (not even a yawn) that made even the wall seemed comfy enough for me to lean on relaxingly. It was a 'special cakes' class and one of the items was 'Red Velvet Cake' (I reckon that words and fashion reach across this part of the country pretty fast these days, hence, this cake has made its name here as well). Whether you see it as a stale version of chocolate cake or a cake with a bitter aftertaste (due to the beetroot juice), this cake has its own distinctive class and has made its way to the best bakery boutiques in town.


Ingredients:
Cake: preheat oven to 170C

A : 280g self-raising flour + 20g cocoa powder (sifted)

B : In a jug, pour 135g milk + 2tsp lemon juice/vinegar + 80 g red dragon fruit/beet root juice + red colour (I use the Wilton deep red gel colour) + vanilla + yellow

C : 200g butter + 180g sugar + 50g oil (the oil helps to produce a moist cake)

D : 2 eggs (A grade)

Method:
1. Beat (C) until light and fluffy

2. Add the eggs one by one and mix well (mixer at medium speed)

3. While mixer is on slow speed, add in A and B alternately in 3 or 4 portions.

4. When mixture is combined well, pour onto a 14X14 inch tin. Bake for 12 minutes first and check whether the cake springs back when touched. If it does, then the cake is ready. Cool the cake in chiller.

4. Divide the cake into 4 equal layers. Line a 7-inch removable-base cake tin with one cake sheet and spread 1/4 of the filling. Layer with another sheet of cake. Spread filling and repeat the procedure until the last layer.

5. Cool the cake for at least 4 hours before unmoulding it.



The filling:
400g whipping cream

300g cream cheese (soften at room temperature)

100g icing sugar

Method:

1. Beat cream cheese until mixture is smooth.

2. Add cream and sugar and beat medium speed until it becomes spreadable.



The cake does not need to be heavily decorated as it is normally served as it is. Enjoy!