Second Pretty Cake

This week was week 3 of Wilton Course 1, this week we learned figure piping and drop flowers and the shell border. I decided this week that I wanted to make a red velvet cake from scratch with a cream cheese filling. I wanted to frost the cake in the cream cheese frosting too, but it ended up way too thin to hold up to the decorating I knew I would be doing, so I ended up making a regular batch of the Wilton buttercream to frost the outside of the cake with like usual. I had never made a red velvet cake before, and found it surprisingly easy to make and it came out wonderful!

 

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Filling (from cdkitchen.com)

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (I subbed 1 TBSP lemon juice and just under 1 cup of skim milk (put the lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup and then add the milk until it gets to the 1 cup line) and let it set out for about 5-10 minutes before it was ready)
2 ounces red food coloring (2 full bottles of red food coloring)
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened (I used 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, I used Crisco)
1 pound box confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans (I used Pam for Baking, makes it a lot easier!). In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in confectioners sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla Use frosting to fill and ice cake (or just fill like I did).

It was so delicious, at least the one small slice I had was delicious! And it must have been considering Tony brought me home an empty carrier after taking it to work on Friday! And now, without further ado, is my newest creation: