Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake

 Ingredients:

150ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

250g plain flour

1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

280g light brown soft sugar

200ml buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

15g red food colouring

2 large eggs

Method:

Firstly you need to pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and prepare your baking tin by greasing and lining the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Ideally use a deep baking tin. If it is a shallow one, then use baking paper to make it deeper when you line it.

The method is to mix all the dry ingredients together, then all the wet, and finally combine the two.  So, the dry ingredients are 250g flour, 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and 280g light brown soft sugar. Put them all into in a large bowl and mix well by hand ensuring there are no lumps. Use your fingers in the way that you would mix for a scone or rub flour and butter together for pastry.

Next you mix all the wet ingredients together. Mix the 200ml buttermilk, 150ml oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 100ml water and 15g food colouring in a jug. Add 2 eggs and whisk until smooth. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry and whisk together until they have combined. Pour this mixture evenly into the prepared baking tin and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on your oven. Check to see if it is cooked by using a think skewer that you stick into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it is sticky and wet, the cake needs a few more minutes. 

When cooked, let the cake sit in the tin for 5 to 10 minutes to cool down a little and then turn out onto a wire rack to fully cool.

Add the icing (frosting) of your choice.