red velvet cake

Brinna Sands’s red velvet cake is a burgundy-red layer cake with a mild chocolate flavour. Her version pairs the cake with buttery buttercream, while the accompanying account acknowledges other frosting traditions.

Butter and sugar are beaten together, then eggs are added one at a time. Red food colour, Dutch-process cocoa, salt, baking soda and vinegar go in before flour alternates with buttermilk or plain yoghurt to keep the mixture smooth.

The stiff batter is spread into greased, paper-lined round pans and smoothed with wetted fingers or a spatula. The cakes bake until their tops feel set, then cool completely on a rack.

Butter and shortening are beaten fluffy for the frosting, with extra butter offered instead of shortening. Salt, vanilla, optional meringue powder, confectioners’ sugar and milk complete the spreadable icing.

Each cooled cake is cut horizontally, giving four layers to stack with frosting between them. Sands suggests leaving the sides visible to show the contrasting colours and serving slices at room temperature.