LY's Kitchen Ventures: Red Velvet Chiffon Cake

Red Velvet Cake to me, is a sophisticated, romantic and luscious cake. When I first saw on The Sunday Times a feature on Red Velvet Chiffon Cake, I was immediately intrigued.

I replaced full fat milk with buttermilk for this cake. Unlike many misconception, there is no butter, per se, in buttermilk, and it is lower in fat than sweet milk. Old-fashioned homemade buttermilk is the slightly sour, residual liquid which remains after butter is churned, ie. milk from the butter or buttermilk. It was usually flecked with tiny spots of sweet, creamy butter that did not quite make it to the top to be skimmed. The flavor of buttermilk is reminiscent of yogurt and most people prefer it well-chilled. It is slightly thicker in texture than regular milk but not as heavy as cream. I find that using buttermilk will give the cake that extra moistness and richness.

Instead of buying buttermilk off the self, I made my own buttermilk substitute. It is super easy and only takes a few minutes! All you need to do is add a tablespoon of white vineger or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Then fill the cup with milk to the 1 - cup line. Let it stand for 5 minutes and you can use as much buttermilk as the recipe calls for! Easy, right? :)

My homemade buttermilk!

I could not conceal my excitement while waiting for the cake to be ready...but the aroma from my kitchen...is just divine...

The cake does not disappoint. It is soft, rich and really delicious!

Red Velvet Chiffon Cake

Source : Life section of The Sunday Times - Jul 2014

makes a 20cm chiffon tin cake - eight slices (my notes in red)

(I adjusted the ingredients below for a 23cm chiffon cake)

Ingredients:

2 tbspn unsweetened cocoa powder (2 1/4 tsp)

70g hot water (80g)

40g full fat milk (I use 46g buttermilk. Refer to buttermilk substitute recipe here)

50g unsalted butter (58g)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract (1 1/4 tsp)

1 1/2 tsp red colouring paste (1 3/4 tsp)

90g cake flour (104g)

5 egg yolks, room temperature (6 egg yolks)

5 egg whites, room temperature (6 egg whites)

110g caster sugar (126g)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170C. (I preheated mine to 180C)

2. Dissolve the cocoa powder in the hot water.

3. In a small pot over low heat, warm the milk, butter, salt amd cocoa mixture to about 60C or until the butter melts completely. (I use a large mixing bowl for step 3 - 6)

4. Add the vanilla extract and red colouring paste. Stir and ensure everything is mixed thoroughly. Remove from heat.

Step 2 - 4

Separated yolks and whites

5. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and colouring mixture and whisk thorougly. The batter will become slightly thick.

6. Next, add the egg yolks one by one while whisking the mixture. Set it aside.

Step 5 - 6

7. Using a free standing mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites.

8. When they turn foamy, add the sugar teaspoon by teaspoon. Stop when stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the red velvet batter using a spatula. When the mixture is just combined, add another 1/3 of the egg whites and repeat until all the egg whites are incorporated.

Beating the egg whites

Folding in the beaten egg whites to the coloured mixture

9. Transfer the mixture into a 20cm chiffon cake tin. Run a satay stick through the mixture to break up any large air pockets. (I used a 23cm chiffon cake tin)

10. Bake for 10 minutes before reducing the temperature to 150C (160C) for another 35 minutes. This prevents the cake from burning. DO not open the oven door while baking or the cake will not rise.

11. Check if the cake is done by piercing a skewer through it. The skewer should come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for at least 1 1/2 hours. (I invert the chiffon cake tin and cool the cake in the tin until completely cooled)

12. Run a paring knife between the cake and the sides of the pan to separate it from the tin. Cut the cake into slices and serve immediately.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe