Red Velvet Cake and Valentine’s Day just seem to go together, don’t you agree? So I thought I would bake a double layer cake for the big day of love, but I wanted to top it with the original frosting recipe, not the cream cheese frosting, although I love it also! I found a copy of the original recipe on the New York Times web site and gave it a try. I know you will really like it! It is not as sweet as the cream cheese version, but you get a lot of sweet from the cake!
RED VELVET CAKE w/ ERMINE FROSTING (printable recipe at end of page)
2 1/4 cups AP Flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 Eggs
1 1/3 cups Cold Water
1-2 tablespoon Red Food Coloring
ERMINE FROSTING
5 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Whole Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1 cup unsalted Butter
1 cup Sugar
4-5 fresh Strawberries
Melting Chocolate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour two 9″ pans. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in well. Add vanilla and mix.
Alternate pouring in the flour mixture and the water to the batter. Add all of each on low speed.
Add red food color to cake batter. Mix thoroughly. Add more if necessary, until you are happy with the color.
Pour batter into the 2- 9″ pans. Ignore small pans in the pictures. Bake for 35-40 minutes, then remove and cool completely.
While cakes are baking, melt chocolate wafers in a double boiler. Using a parchment paper, use a heart cookie cutter and trace the hearts on the paper. Flip the paper over and use a decorating bag with a #2 tip. Follow the outline of the hearts, and add some squiggles. Sprinkle the hearts with confectioner’s sugar. Set tray in fridge to harden.
While you have the melted chocolate wafers, dip the strawberries for the top of the cake. I dipped a couple extra, just in case I needed them for the top of the cake.
Over medium heat, whisk the flour and milk in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer. Stir constantly until it becomes thick like pudding. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour into bowl to cool. Cover the bowl with plastic to prevent the mix from forming a skin on top.
Cream together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. Add the cooled flour mix, a little at a time. Beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy like whipped cream.
Frost cake with Ermine Frosting.
Garnish cake with strawberries and chocolate hearts. Sprinkle chocolate over the cake and enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day!
I am joining the #foodbloggerlove party today with some other fabulous food bloggers! Check out their yummy blogs:
Cake:
2 1/4 cups AP Flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 Eggs
1 1/3 cups Cold Water
1-2 tablespoon Red Food Coloring
ERMINE FROSTING
5 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Whole Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1 cup unsalted Butter
1 cup Sugar
4-5 fresh Strawberries
Melting Chocolate
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour two 9″ pans. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in well. Add vanilla and mix.
- Alternate pouring in the flour mixture and the water to the batter. Add all of each on low speed.
- Add red food color to cake batter. Mix thoroughly. Add more if necessary, until you are happy with the color.
- Pour batter into the 2- 9″ pans. Ignore the small pans in the pictures. Bake for 35-40 minutes, then remove and cool completely.
- While cakes are baking, melt chocolate wafers in a double boiler. Using a parchment paper, use a heart cookie cutter and trace the hearts on the paper. Flip the paper over and use a decorating bag with a #2 tip. Follow the outline of the hearts, and add some squiggles. Sprinkle the hearts with confectioner’s sugar. Set tray in fridge to harden.
- While you have the melted chocolate wafers, dip the strawberries for the top of the cake. I dipped a couple extra, just in case I needed them for the top of the cake.
- Over medium heat, whisk the flour and milk in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer. Stir constantly until it becomes thick like pudding. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour into bowl to cool. Cover the bowl with plastic to prevent the mix from forming a skin on top.
- Cream together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. Add the cooled flour mix, a little at a time. Beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy like whipped cream.
- Frost cake with Ermine Frosting.
- Garnish cake with strawberries and chocolate hearts.
