Basically Yummy Baking: Red Velvet Cake

For my daughters 7th birthday, she requested a red velvet cake. I suggested cupcakes, but she insisted on cake. I have nothing against cakes, I just like cupcakes, they just seem more fun to me. But she was the birthday girl, so cake it was!

Cake Ingredients:

* 2 Cups of Sugar
* 2 Sticks of Butter
* 2 Eggs
* 4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
* 1 Ounce Red Food Coloring
* 2 1/2 Cup Cake Flour
* 1 Teaspoon Salt
* 1 Cup Buttermilk
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1 Tablespoon Vinegar

***If you don't have Cake Flour, you can make your own using All Purpose Flour and Cornstarch. For every cup of All Purpose Flour, substitute 2 tablespoons flour with Cornstarch***

* Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 3 round 8-inch cake pans.

* In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, beat until light and fluffily.

***Sometimes if I need to get the butter warmed up to room temperature, I will set it on top of the pre-heating oven for a few minutes. Or you can always stick it in the microwave for a few seconds if needed. The butter mixes a lot better when it is not cold straight out of the fridge, yet I always forget to bring the ingredients out early to warm up.***

* Add Eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.

*** The original recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder and 2 Ounces of Red Food Color. I doubled the amount of Cocoa Powder for added flavor, but depending on your tastes you can use more or less. I also only used 1 Ounce of Red Food Color instead of 2. 1 Ounce equals 1 bottle. I didn't feel the need to spend money on 2 bottles of food color when I felt that 1 bottle would do what I wanted in way of color. If you want it a darker shade of red though, use the additional bottle. The recipe also asked to mix the food color and cocoa powder together before adding it to the mixing bowl. Since I doubled the cocoa powder and halved the food color, it did not mix together easily, so next time I will just add it to the mixing bowl separate.

* Add cocoa powder and food color to mix and mix well.

* In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

* Add flour mix alternately with the buttermilk. I did this in 3 additions. I started with half the flour, then all the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour.

* Blend in Vanilla.

* In a small bowl mix together the vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will foam when combined.

***You must work quickly after adding this to the rest of the mix. I am not sure of the exact reason, but it has something to do with the bubbles making the cake light, and if your air too long, it will flatten your cake.***

* Pour the batter into your 3 prepared cake pans.

* The recipe originally calls for baking for 20-25 minutes. I found it needed closer to 30 minutes. But ovens may vary. Remove from heat and cool before frosting.

***I found this at Bed Bath and Beyond awhile ago. Its supposed to be a 3-tiered oven baking rack, but I found it also works great as a cooling rack when I make layered cakes. I have never actually used it to bake!***

Frosting Ingredients:

* 1 Stick of Butter
* 8 Ounces of Cream Cheese
* 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
* 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

* Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

* Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

***Depending on your personal tastes, you can use more or less sugar. I usually go on the lower end, because I don't like it super sweet, but if you have a sweet tooth, add more if desired.***

* Add vanilla and beat on high speed until light and fluffy.