Red Velvet Cake

I’ve never tried this cake before. Because of the suspicious red color. I love colors but not artificial ones in food. The striking red was halting me from giving it a try, and at the same time it was fascinating and enticing. Visually this is definitely one of the most stunning cakes. And I made it last weekend for the family gathering, measuring all the ingredients properly and trying to follow the instructions as carefully as possible:) [except the frosting is my own creation, because I needed it low-fat]. The obtained texture was really soft and velvety, moist and with a hint of chocolate. My bro said that lemony frosting made it fantastic:)
This bright cake was a tiny trial thing and it fits an Ø18 cm springform pan perfectly.
Makes 8 Servings
Takes: 1 hr 30 mins (30 mins preparation, 40 mins baking, 20 mins assembling) + cooling 2 hrs

Ingredients

Cake
1/2 cup vegetable oil (grapeseed/corn) (125 g)
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain unsweetened buttermilk/kefir/yogurt (150 ml)
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (150 g)
1 1/4 cup cake flour/plain flour (180 g)
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon juice (if using yogurt)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla bean sugar/extract
1 tsp red food coloring (I had powder)
Frosting
1 cup / 250 g Greek yogurt
160 g cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp agar/gelatin
2 tbsp hot water

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Either grease and dust with cocoa powder, or line a Ø18 cm springform pan with parchment paper.

To make the cake: In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until stiff and fluffy. Mix in the vegetable oil and beat everything again.
In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk/kefir, soda and food coloring (if using yogurt – you need acid to activate baking soda, hence add 1 tsp of lemon juice). Blend into the egg mixture. Sift in flour and cocoa powder. Mix until evenly incorporated. The batter should be quite runny but not thin. Pour it into the pan and bake for about 40 mins. (Meanwhile, you can make a frosting). Cover the cake with foil at around 30 minutes, otherwise the top may get too brown. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 mins. Then remove from the pan and cool on a rack completely.

To make the frosting: mix gelatin and hot water, let it set until completely dissolved. Run through a strainer. If using agar, soak it in cold water. Put in a pan with water and boil slowly until agar has dissolved, about 5 mins.
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Add the dissolved cooled agar/gelatin to the mixture and mix well. Place to the fridge to thicken.

To assemble the cake: cut the top off the cake and crumble it. Cut the cake evenly in half. Place the bottom layer on a serving platter. Spread it evenly with a bit more than half of frosting. Place flat side of upper layer down on top of first layer. Use remaining frosting to cover the top of the cake. Decorate the top rim with a crumbled offcut and sprinkle some berries over. Place in a fridge to set for a couple of hours, or better overnight. Slice, serve and enjoy!:)

Bon Appétit!