Luscious red velvet cake
Preparation Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 85 - 90 minutes
Serves: Makes 2 large three-layer cake
A classic make!
Ingredients
125g butter or margarine, softened
250ml (210 g) castor sugar
30ml cocoa powder
30ml red food colouring
15ml milk
500ml (280 g) Snowflake cake flour
2ml salt
250ml buttermilk
5ml bicarbonate of soda
15ml white vinegar
5ml vanilla essence
2 extra-large eggs
Coconut icing
60ml (35 g) Snowflake cake flour
250ml milk
80g butter or margarine
125ml (105 g) castor sugar
5ml vanilla essence
200ml (65 g) desiccated coconut
60ml (25 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped
Method
- Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and creamy.
- Make a smooth paste of the cocoa powder, food colouring and milk. Add to egg mixture and beat well.
- Sift flour and salt together. Add, alternately with buttermilk, to creamed mixture.
- Dissolve bicarbonate of soda in vinegar and add, with vanilla essence, to mixture. Spoon mixture into three lined and greased 20 cm round cake pans and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 15 minutes.
- Leave in pans for a few minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Icing: Beat flour and milk together in a small, heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients, except nuts. Ice cake when completely cooled and sprinkle nuts or decorate with crystallised rose petals.
