By Request

By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto

Wednesday, October 29, 1997

File photo
Red Velvet Cake has a generous amount
of red food coloring added to the batter.

Velvety cake
rich with chocolate

ISLE fisher Cliff Chow of Manoa wondered why a cocoa-laced confection is called red velvet cake.

The recipe for red velvet cake calls for a considerable amount of red food coloring -- one-fourth cup -- and "velvet" suggests a rich, smooth texture.

An old-fashioned recipe follows for the beautiful red cake with a delicate chocolate flavor. Cream cheese frosting is traditional on the red velvet cake.

But Americans are more likely to purchase a bakery cake than to bake their own, according to NPD Group, an Illinois-based market-research firm. And when they do bake a cake, they usually reach for a mix rather than a cookbook for a from-scratch recipe.

Here are some pastry-chef tips for those set to the meet the challenge of holiday baking, courtesy of the Sacramento Bee:

Good-quality cocoa powder makes a big difference in the color and flavor of the cake.

To get more volume, allow eggs to warm to room temperature before adding them to the batter or whipping them. If the recipe calls for folding in egg whites, do it in three stages so that the whipped egg whites will retain their volume.

Line cake pans with parchment, and the cake will come out of the pan more easily. Or, if greasing and flouring pans, substitute cocoa or sugar instead of flour so that the cake won't have white flour stuck to the sides.

To avoid air bubbles in the cake layers, pour the batter into the pan, lift the pan a few inches from the counter and let it drop. That will force the air bubbles to the top.

To help cakes rise more evenly, spin the pans around on the counter to start the batter climbing up the sides of the pan before putting them into the oven.

Leave enough space between pans to make sure plenty of air circulates around them when they are in the oven. If the oven is small, bake layers one at a time.

Red Velvet Cake

(From "The South, The Beautiful" cookbook,
Collins Publishers)

2-1/2 cups sifted cake flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup red food coloring
3 tablespoons lukewarm water
1 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable cooking spray. Insert waxed paper cut to fit the bottom of the pans and lightly coat the waxed paper with the cooking spray, then dust with flour.

In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa and baking powder and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Beat in the red food coloring, then the water, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until well blended.

Using the lowest speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk for a total of 4 additions, ending with buttermilk and blending well. In a glass measuring cup, dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar. Pour in and beat on medium speed until just blended, about 10 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not over beat. Turn into the prepared cake pans.

Bake on the middle oven rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely in the pans on a wire rack.

Frost as desired.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving, based on 12 servings: 302 calories, 9 grams total fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 82 milligrams cholesterol, 291 milligrams sodium.*

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the cream cheese, butter and confectioners sugar for 10 seconds. Then beat on high speed until well blended and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and blend well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 348 calories, 20 grams total fat, 13 grams saturated fat, 62 milligrams cholesterol, 113 milligrams sodium.*