Red Velvet Cake

Happy Birthday to me!!! I decided to make a red velvet cake for my birthday cake this year because I had never had one before. At first I was a little surprised when I tasted it because it was so different from any other cake I've had. The taste has grown on me and now I really like it. Plus it's such a beautiful red color!

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. Frost with cream cheese icing (recipe below).

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages), softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Frost cake.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

This recipe is from Jessica Seinfled's book Deceptively Delicious. It is a book teaching how to incorporate fruits and vegetables into kids food without them knowing. This is one of my favorite recipes and is soooooo good. The bread is very moist and my kids gobble it right up. I don't feel bad about them eating a lot of it because it is low in sugar and has all the whole grain in it. Give it a try!!


Whole Wheat Banana Bread

3/4 C. Whole wheat flour
½ C. All-purpose flour
½ tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
½ C. Firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 C. Vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 ½ C. Banana puree
½ C. Cauliflower puree
1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan, or 2 mini pans with cooking spray.

In a bowl mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon (if using). Set aside. In a large mixing bowl mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined (or in a Kitchen Aid mixer) Mix in the eggs, purees, (if I don't have cauliflower I just add another 1/2 C. bananas) and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes for the large loaf, 25-30 for the mini loafs. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn bread out of the pan to cool before serving.

(Sometimes I add nuts or 1/2 c. chocolate chips, makes it even better)