Red Velvet Cake "Baked" with Charity

On a previous post I mentioned that Charity from Sweet Charity  Pie and I collaborated on a Double Chocolate Layer Cake well, this week we've "Baked" up a Red Velvet Cake.  Charity picked last week's cake so this week was my turn.  I've been wanting to make a red velvet cake for a long time but being the scaredy cake baker that I am I needed a push.  When Charity inquired about what cake I was interested in I knew with out a doubt it was red velvet.  I crossed my fingers that she didn't hate red velvet and sent her an email.  She didn't and sent along links to various red velvet recipes but there was one red velvet post that I just couldn't shake and knew now was the time.  Finalizing our plans I emailed Charity the link to Cassie's post about the red velvet cupcakes she had made along with a boiled frosting.  Yay, Charity agreed it was the perfect recipe. 

I've got to tell you that this cake started out well but in the middle became a small disaster that I thought would end as a HUGE disappointment. 

The red velvet cake we made was from the popular cookbook Baked by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito.  If this cake is anything to go by then the rest of the recipes are going to be as awesome everyone else has raved. 

My only change to the cake recipe was to use two smaller 6 inch pans. With the balance of batter I made  twelve cupcakes.  As usual I over filled them and only two were presentable.  Half of the cupcakes went to work as a birthday to treat to one of our vendors, half stayed home, and the two layers went in to the freezer to be frosted at a later date (Tuesday night after baseball practice).  For the cupcakes I made a cream cheese frosting from Simply Recipes.  Let me tell you that frosting was darn good, best cream cheese I've had yet! (I did halve the recipe.) With regards to the frosting recipe for the cake I used the one that went with it in the cookbook, Baked.  I followed Cassie and only added two out of the three sticks of butter the was called for in the recipe.  The frosting which is a boiled frosting, tasted, oh my goodness good! Unfortunately for me it did not really firm up. I eventually did after an overnight stay in the fridge but not without  slipping a bit.  The other thing I noticed about the frosting was it looked sort of like over whipped whipped cream.  You can see it in the photos of the cake.  (I don't think the book's instructions for making the frosting were detailed enough.)  After going back today to look over Cassie's post I noticed in her final photo of the cooked flour/sugar mixture that hers looked thicker than mine so perhaps that was the culprit for the slippery soft frosting. 

I'm sure you're wondering what about the cake and small disaster.  Well, the both the cake and cupcakes were soft, fluffy, moist and tender.  They were worth all the trouble I went through.  I'm almost sure I'd make this again it someone I LOVED was to request it again.  LOL!  It will probably be along the lines of childbirth for right now the pain is fresh but in the end it will be fade and even be forgotten enough that I'll give another go!

Now the story of my disaster.  I'm not sure about you guys but I have the very bad habit of cleaning as I go and maybe I get a little distracted by the cleaning.  On this occasion it bit me in the butt because as my butter, egg, and buttermilk was slowly mixing in my KitchenAid I started to wipe the surrounding area.  I noticed a spot behind the mixer and brilliant me reached behind with my sponge.  As I pull my arm back it hits the lever and increases the speed to THE MAX sending pink eggy, sliming, stinky batter sans flour EVERYWHERE.  All over my new white t-shirt (why the heck didn't I wear my apron, my consolation was it really wouldn't have helped), all over my clean dishes sitting near by, my glasses, my hair, over my containers of utensils, on the walls, and floors.  I mean everywhere three days later I'm still find small dots of red. (I actually have photos which I intended to post but everything looked so gross I just couldn't.)  Now mind you its 1o o'clock at night when this happens.  I've lost part of my batter and it's going to take me a while to clean up (Thanks, honey, for helping and not laughing too much!).  I cleaned up enough to forge on despite my worry that I've lost too much of the liquid part of my batter.  All's well that ends well because my cake tasted wonderful and (I think) the cupcakes even better.  I wish I learned my lesson but the following night as I was making frosting I found myself doing the same thing again.  The dummy just won't learn!

Please take a moment to read about Charity's take on this cake.  I won't give it away, so go on now and check!  (Charity, sorry about posting this soo last minute!)

*The lovely cake photos are courtesy of Miss Karolyn & the cupcake ones are me.

** Sorry I haven't been around as much to read and comment on your blogs. I've been struggling with the time change and am just so behind. I have three other posts to add photos to and publish and another three to add photos and links!  Hope to be all caught up soon!

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