By now many of us know the purported foundation chronicle of red velvet cake—a nerdy account though-provoking a chemical response between pure cocoa powder and baking soda. Whereas which will had been the case in old cases, the red velvet of this century is printed by its startling color, a hearth engine red so involving it stains your tongue for hours. Somewhere along the potential the flavour began to matter no longer as a lot as the hue. Red velvet became as soon as now no longer correct a cake—it became as soon as a everyday life. It became as soon as a cheesecake, an air freshener, a candle to be lit whereas you respect the bathtub. And it is miles a shame due to red velvet wants to be more, to realize better, to head beyond correct being a automobile for cream cheese frosting and red dye 40.
Right here then is our apogee of red velvet cake. It’s red, yes, but subtly so, just like the flocked lining of a luxurious get. Most importantly, it tastes perceptibly of chocolate. Nothing just like the bitter depth of fancy darkish chocolate, more just like the warming milkiness of sizzling cocoa in a cup. Unsweetened chocolate proves to be a winner: The cocoa butter in the chocolate makes the cake extra fudgy and prosperous, with correct the staunch quantity of squishiness. We like Guittard, Ghirardelli, or Lindt.
From the many rounds of developing this recipe, it change into bound that bleached all-cause flour is an absolute imperative. In a cake as soft and comfortable as this one, with a increased quantity of sugar than flour (known as a excessive-ratio cake in professional circles), excellent bleached flour can take in and face as a lot as the extra moisture. With unbleached flour, the cake will likely be dense, bearing a visible band of gumminess toward the backside.
The amount of cream cheese frosting, lightened by a beneficiant pour of heavy cream, is discreet, designed to blow their very bask in horns the cake. Double up whenever you occur to prefer a thicker blanket of icing.
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Substances
Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3
oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
¾
cup bitter cream
1
Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. liquid red meals coloring
2
tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
2
tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2
cups (250 g) bleached all-cause flour
1¾
cups (packed; 350 g) mild brown sugar
1
tsp. baking powder
1
tsp. baking soda
¾
cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, slit into 1″ pieces, room temperature
3
mountainous eggs, frivolously beaten to mix
Frosting and Assembly
8
oz. cream cheese, room temperature
½
cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2
tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1
tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
1
cup (110 g) powdered sugar
¼
cup chilled heavy cream
Flaky sea salt and sprinkles (for serving; optional)
Preparation
-
Cake
Step 1
Put a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly coat backside and aspects of a 13×9″ metal baking pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Line backside of pan with parchment paper. Put 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped, in a medium bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over chocolate and dawdle until melted and mushy. Add ¾ cup bitter cream, 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. liquid red meals coloring, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract; dawdle to combine.
Step 2
Beat 2 cups (250 g) bleached all-cause flour, 1¾ cups (packed; 350 g) mild brown sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. baking soda in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the lope attachment on low speed until effectively combined, about 1 minute. Amplify speed to medium-low and beat in ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, slit into 1″ pieces, room temperature until mixture resembles breadcrumbs, about 1 minute. Be troubled in chocolate mixture and beat until batter is mushy and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in 3 mountainous eggs, frivolously beaten to mix, in 3 additions, beating until integrated between additions and scraping down aspects of bowl with a rubber spatula as wished; batter must restful be mushy and creamy. Be troubled batter into ready pan and mushy surface with an offset spatula.
Step 3
Bake cake until space and prime springs relief when frivolously pressed (an instantaneous-read thermometer inserted into the center must restful register 200°), 35–40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan, about 1 hour. If you occur to prefer to encourage the cake unmolded, invert cooled cake onto rack and fastidiously peel away parchment, then invert cake, staunch facet up, onto a platter.
-
Frosting and Assembly
Step 4
Beat 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in the elegant bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the elegant lope attachment on medium-excessive speed, scraping down aspects of bowl halfway thru, until mild and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Turn off mixer and add 1 cup (110 g) powdered sugar and ¼ cup chilled heavy cream. Starting on low speed and progressively increasing to medium, beat until frosting is mushy and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Step 5
Unfold frosting evenly over prime of cake, working all of the potential to the perimeters with an offset spatula. Using a spoon or offset spatula, compose decorative divots and swirls in frosting if desired. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and sprinkles if desired.
