Red Waldorf / Velvet Cake (2)

I actually used the same Red Waldorf (Velvet) Cake recipe I posted a while back but I kinda adjusted some of the ingredients because I find measuring with ‘cup’ is not as accurate as going by weight and I got to weighing by estimation and am pleasantly pleased with the success this cake turned out …light, moist & melt in the mouth with each bite … so, I reckoned I better blog it before I forgot the adjustments I made to the recipe 😉

This time because I baked it for Valentine’s Day, I used a heart-shaped cake tin … greased & dusted with some flour

Stir together 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 oz red food colouring

This is how the mixture of the cocoa powder mixed with the red colouring looks … lovely red mixture!

In a large mixing bowl, cream/beat 113g (1/2 cup) shortening (I use butter) at medium speed for about 30 seconds

Add 1 – 1½ cups (I used just about 1 cup) sugar + 1 tsp vanilla essence to the creamed shortening and beat until well combined … then add 2 eggs, 1 at a time and beat until well combined

Beat in the cocoa mixture …

This is how it looks after the cocoa mixture is mixed with the creamed sugar, eggs & shortening … a beautiful red batter

You will need 280g (2¼cups) sifted cake flour or 250g (2 cups) sifted all purpose flour… alternately with buttermilk/sour milk, fold sifted flour into mixture until combined

…alternately with flour, fold in buttermilk / sour milk just until combined … you will need total 250ml (1 cup) buttermilk / sour milk … if you don’t have buttermilk then make sour milk by adding 1 Tbsp in a measuring cup and top up with milk to make 250ml (1 cup) … let stand for 5 minutes before using

Awesomely beautiful red batter … now, mix 1 tsp baking soda with 1 tsp vinegar and mix into the batter

Pour batter into prepared tin and bake in a 180°C preheated oven for between 30 mins to 45 minutes depending on size of your pan as well as oven you used … my oven is temperamental so I often just go by own estimation towards the end and cake is done with a skewer inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean or when I lightly press cake with my finger cake springs back 🙂

See how temperamental my oven is? I set it at 175°C and top of my cake actually cracked half-way through baking!  Anyway, when cake is done, remove from oven and set it atop a wire rack to cool in tin for 10 minutes then remove from pan and allow to cool totally on wire rack before you ice it

Meanwhile, prepare 1 or ½ recipe of either Creamy Frosting or Cream Cheese Frosting … I used ½ recipe of Cream Cheese Frosting for this cake … I normally don’t ice cakes for ourselves as we prefer our cakes plain but since it’s Valentine’s Day, I decided to do a simple icing on it ❤

I actually turned top of cake down to let the cake cool so that I can flatten the top a little … I don’t want it totally flat as a heart looks nicer a little rounded at the top 😉

Ta-da! The iced cake just in time for our Valentine’s Day after dinner dessert 😉

I can never get enough of admiring the rich, romantic red colour of the cake and it looks even more awesome when iced with the white creamy frosting!

Red Waldorf (Velvet) Cake

Baked a Red Waldorf (Velvet) Cake for hubby’s birthday …he has great passion for horses hence the horse-theme and I’ve coated cake with chocolate ganache instead of a white creamy frosting because hubby loves chocolate 🙂

Mix the cocoa powder and red colouring together and set aside

Sieve the all purpose flour

Beat shortening together with sugar & vanilla until well mixed then add eggs, 1 at a time … beating until combined

Beat in cocoa mixture

Alternately, add flour mixture …

… and buttermilk …. beating after each addition until combined

…..beating after each addition until combined … pour mixture into prepared pans

The cake is ready .. cool cake layers in pans for 10 minutes

Seen here, is the chocolate ganache I’m using to coat my single layer cake … you may want to opt for the normal white Creamy Frosting, which makes the cake more attractive ….red & white 😉

If you are coating with Chocolate Ganache, spoon it evenly over cake and let it flows over side of cake … transfer cake to a platter once Ganache sets

Decorate as desired

The red colour of the cake is not as vibrant against the brown Chocolate Ganache but the cake is still melt-in-the-mouth soft and the Ganache makes it tastes even richer!

A slice of Red Waldorf (Velvet) Cake coated with a thick layer of Choclate Ganache + a glass of Dom Pérignon champagne …. can’t get any better than this to kick-start a birthday celebration 😉

Seen here, is a cake I baked last Valentine’s Day with white Creamy Frosting ….and as you can see, the red colour looks more vibrant against the white frosting 🙂

RECIPE

Ingredients :

2 eggs

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup red food colouring

2  cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ cup shortening

1½ cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vinegar

½ tsp salt

1 recipe Chocolate Ganache or Creamy Frosting

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180ºC …  grease and flour two 9 x 1½ inch round cake pans or one 9 x 4 inch round cake pan 
• Stir together cocoa powder and red colouring, set aside 
• In another small bowl, stir together flour and ½ tsp salt, set aside
• In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds …add sugar and vanilla to shortening, beat until well combined
• Add eggs, 1 at a time beating on medium speed after each addition until combined
• Alternately, add flour mixture and buttermilk ….beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined
• Stir together baking soda and vinegar … add to batter, mixing until combined … pour batter into prepared pan(s)
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes for 2 round pans, about 40 – 45 minutes for one round pan or until a wooden skewer inserted into centre comes out clean
• Cool cake layer (s) in pan(s) for 10 minutes … remove cake layer(s) from pan(s) and cool thoroughly on wire rack(s)
• Frost with Creamy Frosting or coat cake with Chocolate Ganache and refrigerate to let frosting/ganache to set