Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Take a look at the gorgeous color of this cake! My friend made me this Red Velvet cake for my birthday as a surprise. It was her first time making the cake, and it turned out so well.

I asked my friend to share the recipe. It comes from a man who calls himself the Cake Man Raven who owns a bakery/catering facility in Brooklyn, NY. He has a long list of celebrity clients who include Janet Jackson and Oprah. Here's his website: http://www.cakemanraven.com/index.htm

The key to this recipe could be the use of buttermilk. If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, there is an easy substitution using what you may have on hand in your refrigerator. For every cup of buttermilk you need, put 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in a measuring cup and pour milk up to the one cup mark. Let the liquid sit for a minute before you use it.

The frosting is delicious! Butter and cream cheese - how could you go wrong? It is decadent and worth every calorie.

The fact that my friend took the time to make this cake for me means so much. But get this! She owns only ONE cake pan, and this is a three-layer cake. She put each of the three layers in the oven, one at a time. That is patience. Now that is a birthday gift. That is a friend.

Perhaps you'll be inspired to make this cake. Better yet, make it for someone you know. I don't think there is any better gift that money could buy.

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of cake flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cocoa powder

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup of buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t. white vinegar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 oz. of red food coloring
1 t. vanilla

Frosting:
4 cups of powdered sugar
1 lb. of cream cheese at room temperature
1 lb. of butter, softened
2 t. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. In a second bowl, combine liquid ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well incorporated. Slowly add dry ingredients to that. Pour into three 9-inch layer pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. For frosting, mix together the cream cheese and the butter. Gradually add powdered sugar until it reaches desired sweetness and smoothness. Add vanilla and frost the cake!