Showing all posts tagged Red Velvet

Halloween Red Velvet Cake

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Halloween Red Velvet Cake

Whilst you can enjoy red velvet cakes anytime of year I do think they lend themselves particularly well to Halloween with their bright red centres. This Halloween Red Velvet Cake is made with three gloriously scarlet sponges, filled with red fruit jam, covered in sweet vanilla buttercream and dripping in a blood red white chocolate ganache for that spooky factor! It would make a great centrepiece for a Halloween party, try displaying it with a plastic knife stabbed in the centre! Or if it’s not the time of year to scare your guests then omit the ganache and serve a pretty red velvet cake instead.

Jump straight to the recipe!

To make the sponge I started by creaming the butter and sugar together, then whisking in the eggs and buttermilk.

Then I added the flour, cocoa powder and red food colouring and whisked until combined.

 

I divided the mixture equally between my cake tins and baked them for 25 – 30 minutes. Then I left them to cool completely.

Next I made the buttercream by mixing the butter, icing sugar and vanilla together until smooth.

I layered up the cakes, first piping a ring of buttercream around the edge, and then filling the middle with jam.

Once they were stacked up I gave the whole cake a crumb coat and put it in the fridge to firm up.

Then I gave the cake a final coat of buttercream, and put it back in the fridge.

I made a white chocolate ganache that I coloured red with food colouring.

After I’d covered the cake with the ganache and let it drip down the sides, I added some extra buttercream around the top and some red sprinkles.

Red Velvet Cake

I thought the Halloween Red Velvet Cake looked perfectly creepy with the blood red ganache dripping down the sides! It could also take on a prettier effect at another time of year!

Red Velvet Cake

Despite it’s creepy appearance, the Halloween Red Velvet Cake was delicious and my friends and family were impressed by both the look and taste of the cake. And the dripping ‘blood’ didn’t put anyone off!

 

I’m linking this recipe up with Cook Blog Share hosted by Flipped Out Food, Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching For Spice, and Fiesta Fridays hosted by The Frugal Hausfrau and Milk And Bun.

5 from 5 votes
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Red Velvet Cake

Servings 12

Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 500 g Butter or baking spread
  • 500 g Caster sugar
  • 6 Eggs
  • 195 ml Buttermilk
  • 500 g Self raising flour
  • 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
  • Red food colouring

For the buttercream

  • 400 g Butter or baking spread
  • 800 g Icing sugar
  • 2 tsp Vanilla extract

For the filling

  • 200 g Strawberry or raspberry jam

For the ganache

  • 110 g White chocolate
  • 90 ml Double cream
  • Red food colouring

For decoration

  • Red sprinkle optional

Instructions

For the ganache

  1. Make the ganache first so it has time to cool and thicken up

  2. Heat the double cream in a pan on a low heat until it starts to steam

  3. Remove from the heat, add the white chocolate and stir until it melts into the cream

  4. Add the red food colouring until you have the desired shade

  5. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and put in the fridge to fully cool down

For the cake

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line three 8" cake tins

  2. Make the sponge by mixing the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl with a spoon until fluffy, or mix using an electric mixer

  3. Add the eggs and buttermilk, and whisk until fully incorporated

  4. Add the self raising flour and cocoa powder and whisk in until you can't see any flour anymore

  5. Add the red food colouring and whisk until you get the desired shade

  6. Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy

  7. Bake them for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or remove from the tin and place on cooling racks

  8. To make the buttercream mix the butter and icing sugar together. Once it starts to come together add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth. I use my electric hand whisk to do this but you can also do it by hand with a spoon

  9. If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a serrated knife

  10. Put one of the sponges on a decorating turntable and use the crumb coat buttercream in the piping bag to pie a border of buttercream around the edge of the sponge - this is to stop the jam seeping into the buttercream that you will spread around the sides of the cake

  11. Fill in the centre of the sponge with half of the jam, then add the next sponge on top

  12. Do the same again - pipe a buttercream border and fill the centre with the remaining jam, then add the final sponge

  13. Use more buttercream to fully crumb coat the cake, then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up

  14. Remove from the fridge and smooth on a final thicker layer of the buttercream, using a palette knife or icing smoother to make it smooth all over. Refrigerate again for 30 mins

  15. Put the ganache into a piping bag and snip a small section off the end

  16. Pipe blobs around the edge of the cake, allowing the ganache to drip down the sides in varying amounts

  17. Pipe more ganache on top of the cake and use a palette knife to smooth it out

  18. Then put the remaining buttercream into piping bags fitted with a nozzle of your choice and pipe rosettes in a circle on top of the cake

  19. Add sprinkles if desired

  20. Move the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place or in the fridge for 2-3 days

You can find more of my Cake recipes by clicking here!

Red Velvet Cake

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Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Red Velvet Cupcakes

What is it about red velvet that people love so much? The dessert has surged in popularity over the past few years and The Hummingbird Bakery sell around 440,000 Red Velvet Cupcakes every year! I’ve made Red Velvet Cupcakes a few times in the past, so I really wanted to share my recipe with you as it is absolutely delicious, and it’s such a perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day. My two favourite things about red velvet are firstly the bright vibrant colour – it’s so attractive and appealing. Secondly – cream. cheese. frosting! Need I say more?! Cream cheese frosting is absolutely heavenly! If you want to find the way to my heart, presenting me with some Red Velvet Cupcakes is a pretty good way to start!

Jump straight to the recipe!

I started by creaming together the butter and sugar, then I whisked in the eggs, buttermilk and red food colouring.

I added the cocoa powder and flour and whisked them in.

Then I divided the mixture between the cupcake cases. I decided to use white cases so the red of the sponge could be seen through the sides.

They baked for 20 minutes, then I put them on a rack to cool fully.

To make the cream cheese frosting I mixed together butter, icing sugar, cream cheese and vanilla extract until smooth.

I piped the frosting on top of the cupcakes, then added some cute little heart sprinkles.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

These Red Velvet Cupcakes are so light and fluffy, and the cream cheese frosting on top is an absolute dream! I’m usually quite happy to just have one slice or piece of my bakes, then give the rest away, but I wanted to eat several of these gorgeous Red Velvet Cupcakes!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

If you can’t hold of buttermilk, you can use milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice added, leave it for a few minutes until it goes lumpy. I use rainbow dust food colouring to get a vibrant red colour and you can find this on Amazon (see link below).

      

I’m linking this recipe up with Recipe of the Week hosted by A Mummy Too, Cook Blog Share hosted by Recipes Made Easy, Baking Crumbs hosted by Only Crumbs Remain, Bake of the Week hosted by Casa Costello, and Fiesta Fridays hosted by Everyday Healthy Recipes and Life Diet Health.

 

5 from 6 votes
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Red Velvet Cupcakes

Servings 12

Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 175 g Butter or baking spread
  • 175 g Caster sugar
  • 2 Eggs large
  • 65 ml Buttermilk
  • 175 g Self raising flour
  • 1 tbsp Cocoa powder
  • Red food colouring I use Pro Gel

For the cream cheese buttercream

  • 120 g Butter or baking spread
  • 280 g Icing sugar
  • 160 g Full fat cream cheese I use Philadelphia
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • Heart sprinkles Optional

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake cases

  2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl with a wooden or silicone spoon

  3. Add the eggs and buttermilk and whisk them in. If you can't find buttermilk, use milk with a squeeze of lemon juice, let it sit for 5 minutes then add to the mixture

  4. Add the cocoa powder and flour, whisk in. Then add enough red food colouring to get a very bright red colour

  5. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases

  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean, then put them on a rack to cool fully

  7. To make the cream cheese frosting use an electric hand whisk to mix together the butter and icing sugar, when they start to come together, add the cream cheese and vanilla extract and mix until smooth

  8. Pipe or spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes, then add sprinkles of your choice

  9. Store in the fridge and eat within 3 days

You can find more of my Cupcake recipes by clicking here!

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Bleeding Brain Cupcakes

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Bleeding Brain Cupcakes

I love celebrating Halloween and every year I decorate my home with candles and pumpkins to celebrate. It’s such a fun time of year and a great opportunity to get creative with baking. These Bleeding Brain Cupcakes are perfect spooky treats to delight family, friends, or your local trick or treaters! They are made with a simple red velvet sponge, filled with strawberry or raspberry jam and then decorated to look like a brain, which is so easy to do. They’re definitely the yummiest brains I’ve ever eaten!

Jump straight to the recipe!

To make the sponge I creamed together the butter and sugar, then I whisked in the eggs and buttermilk. Next I added the cocoa powder and flour and whisked them in, then enough red food colouring for a bright shade.

Then I divided the mixture between 12 black cupcake cases.

They baked for 20 minutes, then I put them on a rack to cool fully.

Once they were fully cool, I removed the centre with a cupcake corer and filled them with strawberry jam.

I made the buttercream by mixing the icing sugar, butter, vanilla extract and pink food colouring together.

Then I piped it onto the cupcakes using a circular nozzle, I piped a line down the centre first, then squiggles on either side.

Bleeding Brain Cupcakes

And the Bleeding Brain Cupcakes were ready for any nearby hungry zombies!

Bleeding Brain Cupcakes

My friends and colleagues absolutely loved these creepy Bleeding Brain Cupcakes! They were gone in no time and I had lots of compliments on the flavour and appearance. I hope you enjoy making them for your Halloween celebrations!

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Bleeding Brain Cupcakes

Servings 12

Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 175 g Butter or baking spread
  • 175 g Caster sugar
  • 2 Eggs large
  • 65 ml Buttermilk
  • 175 g Self raising flour
  • 1 tbsp Cocoa powder
  • Red food colouring I use Pro Gel

For the filling

  • Strawberry or Raspberry Jam

For the buttercream

  • 200 g Butter or baking spread
  • 400 g Icing sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • Pink food colouring I use Pro Gel

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a muffin/cupcake tin with black cupcake cases

  2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl with a wooden or silicone spoon

  3. Add the eggs, buttermilk and enough red food colouring to get a very bright red colour, and whisk them in

  4. Add the cocoa powder and flour, whisk in

  5. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases

  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean, then put them on a rack to cool full

  7. Once fully cool, use a cupcake corer or a knife to make a hole in the centre of each cupcake

  8. Fill each hole with the jam

  9. To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar with a spoon or electric hand whisk, when it starts to come together, add the vanilla and a small amount of pink food colouring and mix until smooth. You only want a pale pink colour so be sparing with the pink food colouring

  10. Put the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a circular nozzle. Pipe a line down the centre of the cupcake, then squiggles on either side for the brain effect

  11. Keep in a cool place, and eat leftovers within 3 days

You can find more of my Halloween recipes by clicking here!

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Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

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Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

I am a huge fan of cheesecake brownies as they combine two delicious desserts into one even more delicious dessert! These Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies combine moist fudgey brownies with creamy vanilla cheesecake. If you like brownies and you like cheesecake, you will love them! They’re so easy to make too and you need relatively little equipment. The bright red is really eye catching and they would be perfect at a bake sale or for Valentine’s Day!

Jump straight to the recipe!

To start, I made the cheesecake filling and set it aside.

For the brownie batter I first whisked the eggs and sugar together.

Then I added the melted butter, vanilla, vinegar and red food colouring.

Lastly I whisked in the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

I poured the brownie batter into the lined tin, added the cheesecake mixture in blobs on top, then used a butter knife to swirl the mixture together.

It baked for 30 minutes, then I left it to cool completely before slicing up.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

The Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies looked so pretty and colourful! The white cheesecake swirl against the red brownie is so striking.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

They’re also super moist and fudgey – just what you want from a brownie! And the cheesecake is so creamy and absolutely scrumptious. They won’t last long!


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Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Servings 12

Ingredients

For the cheesecake

  • 350 g Full fat cream cheese
  • 65 g Caster sugar
  • 1 Egg large
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

For the brownie batter

  • 3 Eggs large
  • 250 g Caster sugar
  • 180 g Butter melted
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp Red food colouring
  • 120 g Plain flour
  • 20 g Cocoa powder
  • A pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 and grease and line a 12" x 9" traybake tin

  2. To make the cheesecake filling mix together the full fat cream cheese, caster sugar, egg and vanilla extract with a hand whisk or electric hand whisk until smooth

  3. In a bowl, whisk together the caster sugar and the eggs until frothy

  4. Add the melted butter, vanilla, vinegar and red food colouring, and whisk in

  5. Add the plain flour, salt and cocoa powder and whisk in

  6. Pour the brownie mixture into the traybake tin, then pour the cheesecake mixture on top in blobs

  7. Using a knife, swirl the mixture around a bit, then bake it for 30 minutes

  8. Leave it to cool completely before cutting into squares

  9. Store in the fridge and eat them within 3 days

You can find more of my Brownie recipes by clicking here!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

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