Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

Traditional Recipe

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle liquid red food coloring
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Alternative Dye Free Red Velvet Cake
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 4 medium beets to make = 1 cup beet puree
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, vinegar, and vanilla, beating well.
2. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Add food coloring, beating until combined.
4. Combine flour, and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
5. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.
6. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch cakepans.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove from pans and cool on wire racks.
9. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
10. Cream Cheese Frosting: beat cream cheese and butter until creamy; gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating well.
11. Alternative Dye-Free Red Velvet Cake
12. Prepare beet puree by cutting off the stems of beets, and wrapping each on in aluminum foil with the skin on.
13. Bake in oven at 400F for 1 hour.
14. Beets are done with you can easily poke a fork in them.
15. Unwrap beets, and let cool in a bowl of ice cold water.
16. Use fingers to slide the skins off.
17. Cut beets into sections and puree in a food processor.
18. Reserve 1 cup of puree for the recipe below. If you have extra, you can keep in fridge and put into your next smoothie recipe.

For cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9” cake pans.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk, beet puree, orange juice and vinegar.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a third of the liquid ingredients, followed by a third of the dry ingredients, alternating wet and dry and mixing well after each addition.
6. Pour into your prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops look firm.
7. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
8. Frost cake and serve.