Triple-Layer Red Velvet Cake
- Jan 13, 2018
- 3 min read
One of my favorite things is finding a perfect, simple recipe for classic desserts that quickly get added to a list of go-to desserts. This red velvet cake is surely one of those recipes. The actual cake is moist with a perfect, subtle chocolate flavor. The cream cheese icing is flavorful and not too sugary, which pairs perfectly with the sweet cake. I based this recipe off one I found at savoryspicerack.com
The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven (350 F) and prep your pans. I used three nine-inch pans, but you could also make two, thicker layers (just know that the baking time will also change). To make sure the layers wouldn't stick at all, I lined the pans with a circle of parchment paper cut to size of the bottom of the pan. Then grease the bottom and sides well with a non-stick cooking spray.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together in a bowl until well combined. In another bowl, beat together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar. Finally, slowly mix the dry mixture into the wet. At this point, you should have a bright red batter with a fairly thin viscosity.
Once your batter is ready, divide it evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes. The cook time will depend on your oven, so keep an eye on it and take them out of the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. In addition, if you are baking three layers, it may be a good idea to rotate the pans every once in a while, to ensure that all of the layers cook at the same pace.
While the cakes cook, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar for about five minutes, to make the frosting. Use anywhere from 3-4 cups of powdered sugar depending on your preferences, but note that the more powdered sugar there is, the thicker the frosting will be. Once the cakes are cooked, allow them to cool completely, level if necessary, then start assembling.
I cut four small pieces of parchment paper and put them around the edges of a cake stand, then put the first layer of cake on top. This will prevent any messes on the cake stand, and will allow you to easily slide the parchment pieces out from under the cake when you are done decorating.
While you can decorate this cake any way you want, I decided to go with a minimalist, naked piping design. To do this, I put some of my frosting into a piping bag with a number 2D tip, and piped concentric circles onto the top of the first layer of cake. When using a piping bag, I find it very helpful to tie the end of the bag with either a rubber band or hair tie, as this helps to maintain pressure while piping and prevents icing from coming out of the top of the bag. I then repeated the piping process with the second layer of cake.
Finally, I placed the third layer of cake on top of the first two, and again piped concentric circles on top of the cake. For this layer, I switched my piping tip to a number 2A. After removing the parchment from the bottom, that's it! You have successfully made a delicious and beautiful red velvet cake from scratch. Enjoy.
The Ingredients:
2.5 cups flour
1.5 cups sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 T. cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 T. red food coloring
1 t. vanilla
1 t. white vinegar
1 pound cream cheese
2 sticks butter
1 t. vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar
The Method:
1. Grease three nine-inch pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together dry ingredients
3. Beat together wet ingredients
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet until well combined
5. Divide among the pans and bake for 18-22 minutes
6. Beat together the frosting ingredients for 5 minutes
7. Let the cakes cool, and ice as desired
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