Tiny Red Velvet Cake

Let them eat cake!  Or should I say, let me eat cake!  There is something about the moistness paired with the creamy frosting… what could be better.  But the problem is that I only make cake when I am going to be around a lot of people because then it actually gets eaten.  Having just two people in the house, it feels like a waste making a big cake and then having ¾ left over to dry up and crumble.  For this reason I rarely make cake.  But last month, when I was in NYC I went to my new favorite store NY Cake where I bought 5 inch cake pans.  That’s right… TINY CAKE PANS!!!!  Which means tiny cakes!  And even more perfect, if you halve a cake recipe, it equals three 5-inch cakes to make a layered masterpiece.

Since moving to the south I find any excuse to make cream cheese frosting.  So what goes best with cream cheese frosting?  Pumpkin and apple spice are my immediate answers, but it’s not fall and those are saved for my favorite month of the year, October.  Instead Red Velvet seemed like the next best thing.  Adam doesn’t like Red Velvet much, but I’m the baker, so I get final say.

I decided since Red Velvet is a quintessential Southern dessert, I needed to get a recipe from a southern baker.  Again I turned to Savannah’s own, Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.  It also helped that it was halved easily, with everything divisible by two!

My only big mess up here was that I skimped on the red food coloring and ended up with more a Pink Velvet Cake than Red.  But all in all this cake was YUMMY.  Even Adam loved it. We took it to our monthly movie club and between the four of us we only finished just over half the cake.  Which meant leftovers, but just the right amount that could be eaten before it became crumbly and stale.  The cake was super moist with a hint of chocolate and tanginess of buttermilk, smothered in cream cheese frosting.  Now that I have my 5 inch pans… I may turn into the cake baker instead of the cookie baker (doubtful, but my cake baking will definitely increase).  Perhaps if you come visit I will make you your own tiny cake!

My favorite addition: sugar crystals from Wild Flour Bakery

 Red Velvet Cake

(Three 5 inch cakes)

If you double the recipe it will make two 9-inch cakes.

1 ½ cups cake flour

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp cocoa powder sifted

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

½ ounce red food coloring (I just estimated)

½ tsp cider vinegar

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk

Butter and flour the cake pans and line with parchment paper on the bottom.  Sift together the flour, baking soda and cocoa and set aside.  I once skipped this step and I had balls of cocoa powder throughout the cake, so make sure to sift!  Cream together the butter, oil, and sugar until very pale and thick.  Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition.  Add the food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.  Mix.  Slowly add the sifted dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the four.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans.  Tap the pans firmly on the countertop to remove any air bubbles.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes then remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

To assemble the cake, use a bread knife and cut off the top of two of the cakes so they are flat.  This will make layering possible.  Frost making sure to leave generous frosting between each layer.  The cake can be stored wrapped in plastic for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(makes about 2 ½ cups)

4 tablespoons butter but into chunks, at room temperature

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

½ tsp vanilla

2 ½ cups confectioners sugar

Mix the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the confectioners sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  I add the sugar in small doses tasting until I feel like it is the perfect sweetness.