Red Cake Addiction

"A Red velvet cake is...... It is usually prepared as a layer cake somewhere between chocolate and vanilla in flavor, topped with a creamy white icing. Common ingredients are buttermilk, butter, flour, cocoa, and red food coloring or beetroot; although beetroot is traditionally used, many prefer food coloring since it is seen as more appealing. The amount of cocoa used varies in different recipes. A typical frosting is a butter roux (also known as a cooked flour frosting). Cream cheese or buttercream frostings are also used.^[1]"

^{I had never made cupcake before,this is where I started..... I made three times and eventually got myself comfortable with making those red cake. Because I had so much unpleasant failure with bakery in the  early years, I am always afraid of bakery, but now, it seems it's still promising to get a decent grade for pastry if I go to culinary school}

First time（ipone picture)--very awkward 

Second time

I ran out of red color, then used orange instead, because it has cocoa powder, so it's not a very bright orange color. I know some people made green /blue velvet cake,but I got told they never look like food, few people want to eat a blue/green monster. Relieved I picked the right color

The last time, the  formal ones

aware I shot some cream cheese icing into the cake, 

The recipe , I  basically refer to this
http://www.crumblycookie.net/2009/02/12/red-velvet-cake-comparison/
I think she must be more into the red cake than I am
oh, well, glad and grateful for her work.
the keys are:
1. buttermilk
2. half vegetable oil+half butter, vegetable oil can make your cake more moisture
    the replacing rate is 4:5 = vegetable oil: butter
3. salt, important, you can't taste it, but there will be something wrong if no salt
4. never over baked, when the toothpick is totally dry after pulled out of cake, it's too late, you will  end up a dry cake. so move them out of muffin pan when there is still some battery left on toothpicks
5. always sift flour and cocoa powder before mixing them 




For cream cheese icing, I referred to one from  http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html
and it rocks, I love it more than all the other from stores. I used 16oz cream cheese instead of 8oz cream cheese and 8oz mascarpone. but I believe it will be amazing with fancy mascarpone

1 1/2 (360 ml) cups heavy whipping cream

1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) tub of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

Boston red velvet cake places::
For making the best red velvet cake, I have visited a bunch of bakery , and it seems Mike's pastry make the best one so far. But I will keep trying, still too early to conclude

Danish , Medford:  red velvet cake with pretty decoration , but not real cream cheese topping

Sweet @ Harward sq: Fancy cake, not very impressive though

Lulu @ North end:  good deal($2.5), cream cheese topping, OK

Mike's @North end:  Incredible moisture, they must put some secrete ingredient in it!

I read some article, saying using honey, which can absorb the water from the air, so no worry about dry out your cake when they are in the boxes

I will try it some day

some places have red velvet cupcake:

kick ass @Davis sq(easy to get sold out on Sat nights, the daily cake for Saturday is red velvet cake) 

Brew awakeness  , Hingham  (sold out on the Sunday I was there)