Red velvet cake recipe
- 0.5 tsp red paste food colouring
- 125 ml (4.4fl oz) buttermilk
- 75 g (2.6oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g (5.3oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 medium eggs, separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g (4.4oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 15 g (0.5oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened cocoa)
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Preheat the oven to180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas 4.
- Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin (pan) with baking parchment.
- Mix the red paste food colouring and the buttermilk together.
- (Use paste food colouring to get a deep scarlet - liquid colouring cannot achieve this shade without spoiling the taste.)
- Using an electric mixer with a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- One by one, add the egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- Sift the flour, cornflour (cornstarch), cocoa powder (unsweetened cocoa) and baking powder into a bowl.
- Pulsing with the electric mixer, alternate between sifting in one-third of the dry ingredients and pouring in one-third of the buttermilk mix at a time until just fully incorporated.
- Whisk the egg whites and salt in a clean bowl until they form stiff peaks.
- Beat one-quarter of the egg white into the cake batter quickly to break some air then carefully fold in the remaining egg white one-quarter at a time using a metal spoon.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) until bubbles form then swiftly but gently fold into the mix.
- Pour evenly into the tin (pan) and pause for a minute to allow the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to work.
- Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until a cocktail stick (toothpick) inserted comes out clean.
- Leave the cake in the tin (pan) for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
colouring, buttermilk, unsalted butter, caster, eggs, vanilla, flour, cornflour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, white wine vinegar, bicarbonate
Taken from www.lovefood.com/guide/recipes/16155/red-velvet-cake-recipe (may not work)