Halloween Red Velvet Drip Cake

Red velvet cake with jam filling, vanilla buttercream and red coloured white chocolate ganache

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cake

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 35

Total Time 2 5

Servings

Calories 958kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the sponge

500 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
500 g Caster sugar
6 Eggs large
2 tsp Vanilla extract
200 ml Buttermilk
500 g Self raising flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp Cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp Red food colouring I use Sugarflair Red Extra

For the buttercream

400 g Butter softened, unsalted
800 g Icing sugar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp Milk

For the filling

200 g Strawberry or raspberry jam

For the ganache

140 g White chocolate
55 ml Double cream
Red food colouring I use Sugarflair Red Extra

For decoration

Red sprinkles optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line three 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)
Make the sponge by mixing the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl, ideally using an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes)
Add the eggs and buttermilk, and mix until fully incorporated
Add the self raising flour and cocoa powder and mix in gently and just until you can't see any flour anymore
Add the red food colouring and mix gently until you get the desired shade
Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy if you like
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 tins and place on cooling racks
To make the buttercream mix the butter on it's own for a few minutes, then add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk, and mix until smooth. Use an electric mixer for best results. If the buttercream is too stiff, you can add more milk
If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a serrated knife
Put one of the sponges on a decorating turntable and put some of the buttercream in a piping bag to pipe 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
Fill in the centre of the sponge with half of the jam, then add the next sponge on top
Do the same again - pipe a buttercream border and fill the centre with the remaining jam, then add the final sponge
Use a thin layer of buttercream to fully crumb coat the cake, then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up
Remove from the fridge and smooth on a final thicker layer of the buttercream, use a palette knife or buttercream smoother to make it smooth all over. Refrigerate again for 30 mins
To make the white chocolate ganache, put the ingredients into a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 10 second blasts, stirring between each blast, until melted and smooth
Then add the red food colouring and mix until you have the desired shade
Put the ganache into a piping bag and snip a small section off the end, or put it in a squeezy bottle
Pipe blobs around the edge of the cake, allowing the ganache to drip down the sides in varying amounts
Pipe more ganache on top of the cake and use a palette knife to smooth it out
Then put the remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice and pipe rosettes in a circle on top of the cake
Add sprinkles if desired, and a bloody plastic knife for a spooky effect!
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place or in the fridge for 3-4 days

Video

Notes

To make the cake with two layers you will need:

335g Butter, 335g, Caster sugar, 130ml Buttermilk, 6 eggs, 335g self raising flour, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tbsp cocoa powder and red food colouring.

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the eggs, butter and buttermilk) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I prefer to use a baking spread like Stork for the cake, and unsalted butter for the buttercream as I find they provide the best results.
For the brightest red shade that stays vibrant and strong after baking, use a good quality professional food colouring. My favourite brands are Pro Gel and Sugarflair. Sugarflair do a shade called Red Extra, which is excellent for red velvet cakes.
For all the tips and tricks on how to make a drip cake, including a how to video, check out my Ultimate Drip Cake How To Guide!
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition