I have made Gluten-free Red Velvet Cake before. Once I even made it for the engagement party of a dear friend. Layers of chocolate flavored cake, colored with red coloring, alternating with tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting. It was always delicious but a little too sweet for my taste. During my review of library books I stumbled upon Layered, by Tessa Huff, and found a recipe that called for heritage frosting instead. This frosting is made with butter and flour briefly cooked on the stove and then cooled, before being added to fluffy butter and granulated sugar mix. It’s delicious and only slightly sweet, and it compliments this cake perfectly.
Every time I discover a book or an author that I like I end up getting all their books. This has been my pattern since I was a kid and I read Fontamara by Ignazio Silone for the first time. My parents can tell you about my shopping sprees, buying books by a specific author, reading them all until I was done. Ignazio Silone, Italo Svevo, Daniel Pennac, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Agatha Christie, and many others. Once my passion for baking became a profession, the pattern entered the culinary world. Gesine Bullok Prado, Joanne Weir, Tish Boyle, Dorie Greenspan … and now Tessa Huff. I bought Layered after borrowing it from the library, and now I am saving for her next, Icing on the Cake. She is incredibly talented in her combination of classic flavors and modern twists. The recipe I am sharing today is an adaptation of her red velvet cake. The only disappointment I had, when I made her frosting, was that I didn’t have enough to cover the cake to the extent shown in her picture. One of my pet peeves is a recipe that doesn’t give everything needed to replicate the cake as portrayed. So I will increase the dosage here for you. The picture you see is without the increased dosage, so the external coat didn’t cover the red velvet cakes entirely.
ENJOY!
Gluten-free Red Velvet Cake
1
hour30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
- For the Red Velvet Cakes
390 gr Simona’s Flour Mix – 2 1/2 cups
20 gr Unsweetened cocoa powder – 4 Tbsps
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
240 gr Vegetable oil – 1 cup
400 gr Granulated sugar – 2 cups
3 large Eggs
2 1/2 tsps Vanilla extract
1 oz Red food coloring – I used McCormick
320 gr Buttermilk – 1 1/3 cups
3 Tbsps Glycerin
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp White vinegar
- For the Heritage Frosting
480 gr Milk – 2 cups
60 gr Simona’s Flour Mix – 1/3 cup and 1 Tbsp
1/4 tsp Salt
450 gr Unsalted butter, softened – 4 sticks
400 gr Granulated sugar – 2 cups
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
- To assemble
4-8 oz White chocolate – freeze it until ready to use, then grate it on the lateral slicer of the grating box.
Directions
- For the Velvet Cakes
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease line the bottom of three 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil and sugar until combined. With the mixer on low gradually add the eggs, one at the time, the vanilla, and the food coloring. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- Mix together the buttermilk and the glycerin. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
- In a small bowl whisk together the baking soda and vinegar. With the mixer on medium low, add the baking soda mixture. Mix well to combine.
- Evenly divide the batter between the three pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.
- For the Heritage Frosting
- In a small saucepan combine flour, salt and milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until it is thick and pasty. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover, putting a cling film over it touching the surface to prevent “skin” forming, and refrigerate until it is cool.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar for 2 to 4 minutes. Then add spoonful by spoonful of previously made pudding. Mix until it’s all nicely incorporated and with no lumps. Add the vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds.
- Assemble the cake
- Place the first cake on a cake plate or serving dish. I use pieces of parchment paper all around the cake to keep the plate neat, even if I make a mistake while frosting. Spread approximately 2/3 cup of frosting on the cake with an offset spatula.
- Top with another layer of cake and repeat. Finish the cake with the remaining frosting. Before the frosting sets, very carefully place on the white chocolate curls.
Notes
- You can start the Heritage Frosting before baking the Red Velvet Cakes. Prepare the first step of the frosting and while the flour mixture cools bake your cakes.
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Thank you for sharing, Simona!
Always a pleasure Chris!