Martha Stewart Red Velvet Cake Recipes

RED-VELVET SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush a 9-by-13-inch or 8-by-12-inch baking pan with butter. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. Butter parchment.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Combine eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Add flour mixture; beat just to combine. Add butter, food coloring, and vanilla; beat to combine. Add sour cream; beat until smooth.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with a spatula. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (for 9-by-13-inch) or about 40 minutes (for 8-by-12).
• Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Using parchment overhangs, lift out of pan; let cool completely on rack. (Cake can be made to this point and stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.)
• Frosting: Beat together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Spread frosting over cake. Frosted cake is best the day it's assembled, but can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day. Return to room temperature before serving.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.

RED VELVET POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly brush a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter; dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• With an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium; add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition and scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and vinegar. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk and starting and ending with flour mixture, until just combined. Add food coloring; beat until fully incorporated.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan on counter; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes, tenting with foil if browning too quickly. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes, then turn cake out of pan onto rack and let cool completely. Cake can be stored, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature up to 2 days.
• When ready to serve, beat cream cheese with confectioners' sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Spread with a spatula over top of cake. Slice and serve.

RED VELVET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans. Sprinkle with flour, and tap out the excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, salt, and cocoa; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and oil, and beat on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add food coloring and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• In a small bowl, mix baking soda and vinegar until combined. Add to batter, and beat for 10 seconds. Evenly divide batter between the prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans, and return to the rack to cool completely.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting on one of the layers. Place the second layer on top; spread and swirl the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake.The cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with 20 paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and butter until combined. Mix in food color and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed for 10 seconds.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Chill before serving.

MONTCLAIR MARTHA'S RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, and butter again. Dust with flour, and tap out the excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, cocoa, and baking powder; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 15 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, salt, food coloring, and water; beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until well combined. Add reserved dry ingredients in additions, alternating with the buttermilk; beat on low speed until well combined.
• In a small bowl, stir together baking soda and vinegar; add to batter. Beat on medium speed for 10 seconds. Be sure not to overbeat. Divide batter between prepared pans, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove pans from oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack; let stand until completely cool.
• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so surfaces are level. Place a layer on a cake stand or cardboard round, and spread about 1/3 of the frosting over top. Place the second layer on top, and spread with the remaining frosting over the tops and sides of assembled cake. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill until ready to serve.