The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) is back! And what a way to start the series! Those animal showstoppers were amazing! The highland cow and the little robin looked so sweet, however Dan definitely deserved star baker with all his bakes being very impressive!
After watching such an amazing first episode on Tuesday evening, I am sure I am not the only one desperate to get into to the kitchen and whip up some delicious, sweet treats! Therefore, throughout the series I would be giving you recipes to try, helping you perfect your baking skills in no time ,and giving you something to snack on as you become absorbed in this year’s show.
As always, the first episode of GBBO was Cake Week and, whilst I am still trying to get my head around the names and faces of this year’s contestants, I am also definitely craving cake! So, this week I am sharing my red velvet cake recipe with you. I have always loved a red velvet cake. With their unbelievably moist sponge and yummy cream cheese frosting, what is not to love?! My favourite part of any cake baking in decorating, and I like to finish my cake off by grating dark chocolate over the centre and piping little rosettes around the cake’s circumference.
To get that bold, crimson colour, I recommended using food colouring gel instead of the liquid version.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp Instant Coffee Granules
- 220ml Milk (of your choice)
- 200g Yoghurt
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 355g Plain Flour
- 25g Cocoa Powder
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Soda
- 140g Maple Syrup
- 80ml Sunflower Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Red Food Colouring
- 150g Butter (softened)
- 150g Icing Sugar
- 300g Cream Cheese
- Chocolate (to finish)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170⁰C.
- Grease and line 2 medium-sized cake tins.
- Boil 80ml of water and add to the coffee granules.
- Stir the coffee until all the granules have dissolved and leave to cool.
- Add the milk, yogurt and apple cider vinegar to a bowl and whisk together.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir in the salt until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the coffee, maple syrup, oil and 1 tsp of vanilla extract into the milk, yoghurt and apple cider vinegar mix and whisk again.
- Add a few drops of red food colouring to the wet ingredients until the desired colour is achieved.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to create a smooth cake batter.
- Equally distribute the cake batter between the two tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. A skewer should come out clean when the cakes are cooked.
- While the cakes are cooling, start making the icing by beating the butter in a bowl until creamy.
- Sift the icing sugar into the bowl with the butter.
- Beat the butter and icing sugar together until a smooth buttercream forms.
- Add the cream cheese and remaining vanilla extract to the buttercream and whisk into a smooth and light frosting.
- When the cakes have cooled, spread half the frosting on one and place the other sponge on top.
- Ice the top of the case and use any remaining frosting to pipe small dollops around the circumference of the cake. Finish by grating some chocolate in the centre, and cut into slices to serve.