This is another 'Non-Baking-From-Text-Book' posts, but since I delved into the world of cake baking that didn't involve a box of Duncan Hines; I felt compelled to share!
Some background. I've never liked baking caked from scratch because they never seem to turn out as good as when you use a mix. But, my husband is a HUGE fan of red velvet cake! Every time I visit our local cupcakery, he insists on a red velvet with LOTS of icing! So, with Father's Day fast approaching, I set out to make my husband an extra special red velvet cake with cream cheese icing from scratch.
My first stop when searching for desert recipes, naturally, was Heather at Sprinkle Bakes (Thank You Again Heather!!). I just love all of her whimsical recipes, designs and easy to follow instructions! I combed through and found the two recipes that I used. The first being Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet and the second being Cream Cheese Frosting.
I banished my husband from the kitchen on Saturday night and got down to business making my cake. I prefer to make the cake the night before and freeze it, which makes for easier decorating!
I was a tad shocked at the amount of liquid red food coloring needed, 2 ounces seems like a lot, but how else would we get that vibrant red color?
It turns our, McCormick makes red food coloring in one ounce bottles, so I grabbed two and a pair of gloves and set to work. I've learned the hard way that when working with food coloring or decorator icing color of any kind...gloves are your friend! This stuff seeps into the cuticles and doesn't come out easily.
The cake batter came together quite easily. My favorite part was getting to mix baking soda and vinegar together again! I haven't done that since I was a kid!
I baked the cakes on Saturday night, let them cool, and wrapped them in plastic wrap before putting them into the freezer. The next morning, my son and I let Daddy sleep in and started on the frosting.
I plopped my son down into his chair, gave him an oven mitt and some measuring cups to play with and put together my frosting.
Once I assembled and decorated the cake, Fox (my son) and I had some yummy cake scraps that met with the "Fox Seal of Approval"!
Here's what Fox and I came up with! My cake decorating skills are still a work in progress. I've only learned from watching my mom decorate cakes while I was growing up and writing on a cake can be a real chore!
My husband was thrilled! In addition to the cake, I also made his favorite chicken lasagna and this made the perfect desert!
Many thanks, again, to Heather at Sprinkle Bakes for the recipes! I'm sure I'll be making this at least twice a year for my Husband's Birthday and Father's Day for many years to come!
I promise to be back soon with another CIA recipe and hope for a result as good as this!
