Cakes By Catriona

Sep 25, 20204 min read

Red Velvet Cake with red marble effect

Red Velvet Cake (For 4 layers of cake / About 20 servings) - With red marble effect !

Ingredients (For the cake)

430g of pastry flour

16g cocoa powder

8g of baking soda

12g of baking powder

4g of salt

60ml of vanilla essence ('Robson' brand - 2 small bottles)

400g of white sugar

300g of unsalted butter (at room temperature)

6 eggs

6g red food coloring powder - Refer to photo Step 4

250g of Greek yogurt (2 small pots - unsweetened/ nature sans sucre)

100ml of full cream or semi-skimmed milk

4 '9 inches' cake pans (I used 2 '9 inches' cake pans in 2 separate batches)

1 '25cm' cake board (Refer to photo step 13)

Tons of love

Ingredients (For the cake filling and frosting)

1200g of cold (straight from the refrigerator) Philadelphia cream cheese (6 boxes of 200g - in original version)

240g of unsalted butter

500g powdered sugar (i.e icing sugar)

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 disposable piping bag with a round piping tip (Refer to photo step 14) - optional

Ingredients (For the vanilla cake soak - recommended when refrigerating cake to preserve moisture )

50 ml of full cream or semi-skimmed milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 tablespoon of brown sugar (I use Demerera sugar)

Ingredients (For the red marble effect)

60g of white chocolate

20g of milk chocolate

1g red food coloring powder - Refer to photo Step 4

20ml of full cream or semi-skimmed milk

Ingredients (For the white drip effect + extra decoration)

200g of white chocolate

20ml of full cream of semi-skimmed milk

Your favourite chocolates and/or candy sprinkles - Refer to photo Step 23

Note 1: This cake should be stored in the refrigerator. Moreoever it tastes truly better after 2-3 days ...

Note 2: I made my cake in two separate batches (I halved the recipe for both batches) since I have only two 9-inches cake pans ...

Procedure

Step 1 (Cake) : Using your electric hand mixer, cream your butter and white sugar on medium to high speed until fully combined.

Step 2 (Cake): Add your eggs one at a time and mix just until combined. Leave aside for use in step 5 .

Step 3 (Cake): In another bowl, weight/ add your pastry flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Leave aside for use in step 5 .

Step 4 (Cake): In another bowl, mix together your milk, vanilla essence, Greek yogurt and red food colouring powder.

Step 5 (Cake): Add (while sifting) your dry ingredients mixture followed by your wet red mixture (previous step) to your butter/ sugar/ eggs mixture from step 2.

Step 6 (Cake): Mix well just until combined (Do not overmix !).

Step 7 (Cake): Line your slightly greased baking pans with parchment paper and divide your cake batter accordingly. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center .

Note: I divided my batter into 4 portions (4 layers of cake) which I however baked in 2 batches because I have only 2 '9 inches' baking pans ...

Step 8 (Cake): Out of the oven at 18 minutes. Toothpick came out clean when inserted in the center . Moreoever the cake started to detach from the mold as indicated by the blue arrow which also indicates cake doneness . After 5 minutes, wrap your cake in cling film to allow your cake to retain its moisture !

Step 9 (Cake): Then place your cake disks in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

Step 10 (Cake filling and frosting): Mix your cold cream cheese and icing sugar together on a low to medium speed !

Step 11 (Cake filling and frosting): Once you obtain a smooth mixture, add in your soft butter

Step 12 (Cake filling and frosting): Mix mix mix until you obtain a smooth and sexy mixture . *Transfer to a disposable piping bag with a round piping tip.

*This is totally optional. You may as well use a spatula to fill your cake !

Step 13 (Vanilla cake soak): Place a small layer of frosting on your cake board and position your first layer of cake. Prepare your *vanilla cake soak by combining your milk, vanilla essence and brown sugar together. Then gently/lightly soak your cake using your silicon brush.

* The vanilla cake soak will actually ensure that your cake will remain moist even if kept in the refrigerator ...

Step 14 (Cake filling and frosting): In a circular motion, pipe your frosting on your first (lightly soaked) layer of cake .

Step 15 (Cake filling and frosting): Repeat steps 13-14 until you have 3 layers of filling (for the 4 layers of cake) as shown below - left . Then frost your cake entirely with a first coat of frosting, eventually place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes (due mainly to the hot temperature in Mauritius at this time of the year !).

Step 16 (Cake filling and frosting): After 20 minutes, add a second/ final coat of frosting to your cake and again place in the refrigerator for another 20 minutes !

Step 17 (Cake decoration - Red marble effect): In a bowl add your white chocolate, milk chocolate, red food colouring powder and milk and place in the microwave on high for 30 seconds to obtain a beautiful red mixture !

Step 18(Cake decoration - Red marble effect): Add drips around your cake while starting on the side as shown below.

Step 19 (Cake decoration - Red marble effect): Then add your red chocolate mixture on the top and spread evenly ! Do not worry if the mixture falls around (below - right) as this will make the work easy when creating the marble effect .

Step 20 (Cake decoration - Red marble effect): Using your spatula, gently spread the red chocolate mixture vertically from bottom to top as shown below. Have fun !

Step 21 (White drip effect): Melt your white chocolate at 30 seconds interval in the microwave.

Step 22 (White drip effect): Add your milk and mix until combined. Then spread your white chocolate mixture on your cake for that super drip effect !...