Daring Bakers March Challenge - Red Velvet Cake

After a year of blogging, I have come to know some really great bakers. One of the very first blogs I read was Cream Puffs in Venice, written by the inimitable Ivonne. When I saw that she was part of a monthly baking challenge I quickly emailed her and asked to join. It looked like fun and I hoped would compel me to make new and interesting treats.

For the March challenge, the group, now named Daring Bakers, decided to tackle Red Velvet Cake. I have never made a Red Velvet cake but have heard about them here and there. It is a pretty simple cake to make requiring a standard creaming method. There was some debate on which recipe to use as some members did not want to use oil. It was decided we would all use our own recipe. I used a recipe initially posted by Peabody which contains oil. I don’t mind using oil and like to make a recipe to the letter when first trying it out before making changes.

When I made my cake, the batter was almost fuchsia. I only have two pans so I measured the batter out evenly; baked two and then the remaining batter when they were finished. Baked, the cakes were darker brown, like a chocolate cake, and I wondered if I put enough food colouring in the batter. Next I made the icing by melting butter and cream cheese. To me, this made no discernable difference than had I creamed them.

After assembling the cake it was time to try it out. I was nervous about this because I had no idea what to expect. After cutting it, the red layers were very noticeable and most people liked it. The cake was moist and the icing was yummy. The cake didn’t have a specific flavour – it just tasted like cake that happened to be red. After putting it in the fridge overnight I found the flavour improved the next day.

The best part of this challenge is not so much the cake, but the great women I’ve met this past month. I would also like to thank Ximena from Lobstersquad for making our fantastic logo. If you’d like to check out the other Daring Bakers’ Red Velvet adventures, just follow the links below.

All Things Edible – Quellia

Alpineberry – Mary

Cream Puffs in Vemice – Ivonne

Culinary Concoctions – Peabody

Feeding My Enthusiasms – Elle

Food Art and Random Thoughts – Morven

Hester in Geneva – Hester

Jumbo Empanadas – Brilynn

La Mia Cucina – Lisa

My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna

Tartelette – Helene

The Sour Dough – Breadchick

Trembon in English – Valentina

Veronica’s Test Kitchen – Veronica

Writing at the Kitchen Table - Freya