The details
Red Velvet. It’s romantic, striking, and pleases chocolate and vanilla cake lovers alike. I love this modern take on a classic red velvet cake. I took out the layers for a higher cake-to-frosting ratio and switched out traditional cream cheese frosting for cherry-vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. The result is clean, aesthetically interesting, and delicious to boot. If you enjoy baking cakes, it’s worth getting swiss meringue buttercream in your wheelhouse. It spreads and pipes beautifully, is refreshingly not as sweet as American buttercream, and can be made into a variety of interesting flavors. This swiss meringue is has very subtle notes of cherry, vanilla bean, and a beautiful pale pink color. I think this Fed Velvet Cake + Cherry-Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream is perfect for Valentine’s Day. I mean, it’s red and pink. Come on guys.
The process
I worked on this red velvet cake recipe for quite a while, to get it juuuust right. Here’s some keys to this recipe being delicate, flavorful, and velvety. 1) Whole fat buttermilk. A must for that red velvet texture and flavor. 2) Lots of eggs. Make sure you really emulsify these eggs in with the fats and sugar. Batter will be a little shiny when they’re incorporated. 3) Both butter & oil for the perfect texture and crumb. Red velvet, more than other cakes IMO, is all about the texture. For this recipe, I found a milder cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s), worked best.
Troubleshooting Swiss Meringue
Okay, time to discuss swiss meringue. I promise it is so doable! It’s actually hard to mess it up, but because swiss meringue buttercream is sooooo temperature specific, it likes to give you a good scare by just looking wonky if it’s not perfectly at 75 degrees F when mixing. Here’s how to deal with wonky swiss meringue and bring it back to life every time.
It’s soupy!
Your swiss meringue ingredients were too hot when you added your butter, causing the butter to melt into the meringue rather that simply incorporating in its solid state. Pop your swiss meringue in the mixing bowl in in the fridge for 30 minutes, or freezer for 10 minutes. Take it out and beat for a minute, seeing if it thickens. If not, try chilling one more time. It will eventually come back together!
It’s curdled!
This means the ingredients are too cold. Keep beating on medium-high speed for a few minutes and see if this warms it enough to becomes smooth and creamy. If this doesn’t work, run the bottom of the bowl under warm-to-hot water for just a minute or two. That should get you to that room temp you need.
Bake to this music
Red Velvet Cake + Cherry Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Feel the love with this delicate, tender red velvet cake with silky pink buttercream. A modern take on a traditional dessert.
- Yield: 1 8 inch round cake 1x
Ingredients
For the red velvet cake:
- 2 cups cake flour
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- scant 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup buttermilk, room temp
- 1 tsp red gel food coloring
For the swiss meringue:
- 3 large egg whites
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp sweet cherry juice, room temp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a 8 inch round cake pan with parchment paper and/or cooking spray.
- Make the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the oil and mix on medium until fully incorporated. Add eggs one a time, beating and scraping down the bowl in between additions. Beat mixture on medium-high a few minutes until it begins to become light and glossy. Add vinegar and vanilla extract, beat to combine.
- Mix together dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sifted cocoa powder) in a separate bowl. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients to batter, alternating with buttermilk (1/3 dry, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 dry, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 dry). Add 1 tsp red food gel (or less if you prefer) and mix until combined.
- Reserve enough cake batter for 1 cupcake if you would like to decorate with red velvet crumbs. Pour the rest of the cake batter into your prepared cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Bake reserved batter in cupcake tin for 20-25 minutes.
- Place cake in pan on a wire rack to cool. Once completely (or almost) cooled, invert your cake onto a cake round or serving plate. The flat bottom of your cake will be on top.
- Make your swiss meringue buttercream. Whisk together egg whites and granulated sugar in a large ceramic or heat-proof mixing bowl. Place over a saucepan with an inch of water and double boil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture becomes opaque white and is very warm to the touch. While the eggs and sugar are heating, whisk continuously. Remove the mixing bowl from heat and with the whisk attachment, immediately beat the meringue on medium-high for about 3-5 minutes, until it becomes stiff, glossy, and dense.
- Add sifted powdered sugar and mix on low until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the mixing bowl is cool to the touch, about 5-10 minutes. While the mixer is going, add in butter 1 tbsp at a time, waiting until each chunk is absorbed before adding the next. Add salt and vanilla bean paste and continue to beat. Add cherry juice 1 tbsp at a time, beating until combined. Finished buttercream will be smooth, thick, and slightly glossy.
- Assemble your cake by spreading swiss meringue on top as you please. Crumble up your red velvet cupcake and use for garnish if you wish, like pictured. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you’d like to pipe frosting or do something fancier than pictured with your swiss meringue buttercream, double the buttercream recipe.