KL Marathon Red Velvet

It has been quite a while since my last RV. A couple of weeks ago, one of my colleague who will be running on KL Marathon on Sunday June 24th mentioned it. So in conjunction of the KL Marathon 2012 and celebrating my friends' run...this cake was made for them: Ezwani & Azrul  as well:)

 

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

1 tablespoons Americolor Bright Red

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 155 degrees C (fan forced oven) and place rack in center of oven. 

2. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

4. In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

5. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

6. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.  

7. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. 

8. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

1 tsp lemon juice

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add lemon juice and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.