"Seeing Red" (As in Red Velvet)

"Seeing red" can be a good thing! And that's just what we wanted to see, when we sliced up our daughter-in-law's birthday cake this weekend: A beautiful, red velvet cake, with a light but still rich and creamy frosting.

But this time, I had made a few changes to the recipe I usually use (located at my recipe website). Having discovered that a bottle of grocery-store-quality red food coloring can get a bit pricey, and seeing as we make batch after batch of Red Velvet Frozen Yogurt at The New Deli, I hoped to find a more economical alternative. I discovered that a small, 1-ounce bottle of red food coloring paste (carried at Michael's Arts and Crafts) offered enough red food coloring for two cakes. All for only $1.95! (Liquid food coloring from the grocery store costs at least four times as much.)

Besides my food coloring discovery, I also realized that an extremely yummy cake could be made by making 50% more frosting. (No surprise there, right?) I made three eight-inch layer cakes and sliced each in half, ending up with six layers instead of the usual three or four. I've posted the slightly altered recipe below; when using less liquid (due to using the paste coloring and omitting the two ounces of food coloring), I add a bit more buttermilk. (To make the original recipe, using liquid food coloring, just go here.)

Red Velvet Cake using Red Food Coloring Paste

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. fine salt
• 2 TBS. cocoa powder
• 1 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1 c.plus 3 TBS. buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• half of one-ounce bottle red food coloring paste
• 1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients (For a 6-layer cake):

• 1 1/3 c. flour
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 TBS. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. butter

For cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour three 8 or 9" round cake pans.

In a large bowl, mix well, then set aside on wax paper: > 2 1/4 c. flour > 1 1/2 c. sugar > 1 tsp. baking soda > 1 tsp. salt > 2 TBS. cocoa powder

In another large bowl, mix together: > 1 1/3 c. olive oil > 1 c. plus 3 TBS. buttermilk > eggs > half of a one-ounce bottle red food coloring > 1 tsp. vinegar > 1 tsp. vanilla

With mixer on low, slowly pour the wax paper-full of dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and smooth.

Pour cake batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges of cakes to loosen them, and invert the cakes onto a plate, re-inverting them onto a cooling rack, with rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.

Frosting

Choose a larger, microwaveable bowl (one quart-size or larger) to mix flour and sugar in, as mixture might bubble up some- this will reduce chances of spills in the microwave. To the large, microwaveable bowl, mix together: > 1 1/2 c. sugar > 1/3 c. flour

In separate, smaller bowl, microwave 1 minute or so, until hot: > 1 1/2 c. milk

Add hot milk to flour/sugar mix slowly, to avoid lumps. Microwave 2 minute more, stir. Return to microwave for only 30 seconds, if necessary, until mixture's bubbly hot. Add to hot milk/flour/sugar mix: > 1 TBS. vanilla

Cover bowl with plastic; cool completely.

To a standing mixer, add: > The sugar/flour/milk mix > 1 1/2 c. butter, room temperature

Cream until light, on high speed, until very fluffy. Frost cake.