Graduation/Welcome Home Cake (Red Velvet Cake)

Sliced red velvet cake

A closer look at the decorated red velvet cake

A mixture of white and semi-sweet chocolate shavings

Fresh from the oven (look at that gorgeous red color)

Red batter with my red spatula

Mise-en-place

My sister S is coming for her summer vacation--Yey!! She called me from Beijing last Friday lunchtime to tell me she just came home from her graduation, i felt happy and sad at the same time, happy because all her hardwork has paid off but sad too because i wasn't there to celebrate with her. But, because she was coming home today (Monday!!) I promised her I'd make her a graduation cake. And so after we said our goodbyes, I quickly went online to browse for a cake recipe...lo and behold--I saw this recipe for red velvet cake, knowing my sister's sweet tooth and her penchant for all things red, I thought this would be perfect, and so I woke up early today and baked her cake.



RED VELVET CAKE



1 cup SHORTENING (I used butter instead)



2 EGGS



1 1/2 cups SUGAR



1 teaspoon COCOA POWDER



2 ounces RED FOOD COLORING



2 1/2 cups CAKE FLOUR



1 cup BUTTERMILK (I substituted 1 cup milk + i teaspoon vinegar)



1 teaspoon SALT



1 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT



1 teaspoon BAKING SODA



1 teaspoon VINEGAR



Crean butter, sugar and eggs. In another bowl, mix together cocoa and red food coloring, blend into a paste. Add paste to butter mixture. Sift flour and salt together. Add it alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions. Add vanila extract. Fold in baking soda and vinegar. Pour batter in a greased 9inch cake pan. Bake 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool and invert on cooling rack.



WHITE FROSTING



2 tablespoons ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR



1 cup MILK



1 cup UNSALTED BUTTER



1 cup CONFECTIONER'S SUGAR



1 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT



Over medium heat, cook flour and milk until thickened. Let cool. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in flour mixture. Use as desired.

Next time I make this cake I'm going to make more frosting, the sides weren't frosted so nicely because i ran out of it. I decorated the top with white and semisweet chocolate shavings which i made with a microplane.