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Prep time
1 hour 20 minutes
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Cook time
20 minutes
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Makes
an 8-inch cake with two layers
Author Notes
Red velvet is a classic cake, flavored with just a hint of cocoa powder, that has a deep red crumb contrasted with fluffy white icing. The early versions of the cake weren’t quite as technicolor as the ones we see today, but in the 1940s, the Adams Extract company saw an opportunity to sell some food coloring and reimagined the cake with a hefty dose of their product. It was a huge hit.
Now, while I love the idea of red velvet, ingesting that much Red 40 isn’t quite as appealing, so for this Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day, I set out to make an all-natural red cake, using red beets.
Casual research indicated that the batter needed to be acidic to hold the color, so I pulled out my favorite red velvet recipe from my bakery days. In addition to buttermilk and vinegar (which I figured would provide sufficient acid), it calls for an entire 1-ounce bottle of red food coloring—yikes! I added some cooked beet purée, made a few swaps to account for the extra liquid it contains, and crossed my fingers.
The batter looked rosy and beautiful, and I had high hopes. But, while what came out of the oven tasted great, the color left a lot to be desired...
I went back to the drawing board and tried a couple of more recipes with beet powder and beet purée without much luck. After a bit more research and a very helpful social media S.O.S. (see below), I learned that even though my batter had just a hint of cocoa and some acidic ingredients, those things alone weren’t enough to make a truly red cake.
Many, many folks chimed in with advice, and here are the top tips that helped make my red velvet truly red:
1. For this recipe, fresh beet purée is the key to the color. Cooked beets were easier to purée but oxidized in the cooked batter and turned brown.
2. The batter must be very acidic to prevent the beets from oxidizing. That means no baking soda and lots of acidic ingredients like buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, and, for a little extra acidic punch, some cream of tartar.
3. Just a touch of natural cocoa powder does the trick—too much and the cake looks too chocolatey. Dutch process cocoa is also a no-go for the same reason.
The finished cake has a slight earthy flavor from the beets, but it's barely noticeable—especially with a healthy swipe of cream cheese frosting. —Yossy Arefi
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Ingredients
- For the cake:
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1 cup
beet purée, from fresh red beets (not cooked)
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3/4 cup
buttermilk
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1 tablespoon
white wine vinegar
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2 tablespoons
lemon juice
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1 tablespoon
vanilla extract
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2 1/2 cups
cake flour
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3 tablespoons
cocoa powder, not Dutch-process
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2 teaspoons
baking powder
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1 teaspoon
cream of tartar
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1/2 cup
neutral-flavored oil
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1/2 cup
unsalted butter, softened
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2 cups
granulated sugar
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3
large eggs
- For the cream cheese frosting:
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8 ounces
cream cheese, at room temperature
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8 ounces
unsalted butter
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2 tablespoons
crème fraîche
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1 pound
confectioners' sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
lemon zest
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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1 pinch
salt
Directions
- For the cake:
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Preheat oven to 350° F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Butter two 8-inch cake pans and line them with parchment paper. Butter the paper too, then dust the pans with flour.
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Add the beet purée, buttermilk, vinegar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until very smooth.
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Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt together in a bowl.
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In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, and butter together until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition.
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Alternating, add the flour mixture and beet mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide between the prepared pans and bake until a bake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.
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Cool the cakes on a rack for 20 minutes, then invert onto the rack to cool completely.
- For the cream cheese frosting:
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To make the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until fluffy and smooth add the crème fraîche. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the confectioners' sugar until just combined, then turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until fluffy and smooth, making sure to stop the mixer and scrape down to the bottom of the bowl so everything is evenly mixed. Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt.
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To assemble the cake: Trim the tops of the cake layers so they are flat, if necessary. Place one layer on a serving plate or pedestal and spread about 1 cup of frosting on top. Top with the second cake layer, then smooth a thin coat of frosting on the outside of the cake. Chill for at least 30 minutes, then cover the cake with a second, heavier coat of frosting to finish.
Yossy Arefi is a photographer and stylist with a passion for food. During her stint working in restaurant kitchens, Yossy started the blog Apt. 2B Baking Co. where, with her trusty Pentax film camera, she photographs and writes about seasonal desserts and preserves. She currently lives in Brooklyn but will always love her native city of Seattle. Follow her work at apt2bbakingco.blogspot.com & yossyarefi.com.
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