Red Velvet Cake | Bake the Book

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Alison Conklin

Rich, deeply hued red velvet cake has become a bakery staple. Though you'll often see it made as cupcakes, this version from The Brown Betty Cookbook makes a serious, full-size deeply chocolate cake with a fluffy cream cheese buttercream.

Tips: The buttercream frosting is a little tedious to make, but it's worth the effort. Make it an hour or so before baking the cake so you aren't rushing while it's in the oven. And though it's tempting, make sure the cake is fully cooled before frosting. Pull out the ingredients for the frosting and let them sit while you assemble the cake ingredients; giving the cream cheese time to come up to room temperature yields a fluffier frosting.

Tweaks: No buttermilk? Use a cup of whole milk with a tablespoon of vinegar, set aside for ten minutes. Red velvet cake gets its color not just from the food coloring used, but the interaction of vinegar with cocoa powder.

As always with our Bake the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of 'The Brown Betty Cookbook' to give away.