Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   How to make a Red Velvet cake? First, prepare the necessary ingredients for the dough. Kefir and eggs should be at room temperature, so take them out of the refrigerator in advance.

2. Step 2:

   

   In a bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt. If you need a brighter color of the cakes, then replace the cocoa with another 1 tbsp. l. flour. With cocoa, the dough will turn out with a brownish tinge. But with a slight chocolate note.

3. Step 3:

   

   Add eggs, vegetable oil and kefir to the flour mixture.

4. Step 4:

   

   Mix the mixture well with a mixer until smooth, adding sugar. You can beat the dough with a mixer or a kitchen machine with a special k-shaped dough nozzle.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the scarlet food coloring and mix thoroughly. If you have a gel dye, then you need to add it first 1 tbsp. l., and then to the desired color of the dough. I have a fat-soluble powder dye. It can be added not immediately to the dough, but for example, pour not all kefir into the dough, but leave a part and dissolve the dye in it. And then pour the colored kefir into the finished dough and stir.

6. Step 6:

   

   The result should be a bright scarlet mixture. Note that when baking, the dough will become slightly darker. Depending on the amount and color and texture of the dye. If you need a certain color of cakes, it is better to consult with the seller when choosing a dye. Leave the dough for 20 minutes to react with kefir.

7. Step 7:

   

   Cover the bottom of the split mold (Ø 18-20 cm) with parchment greased with butter. Do not lubricate the walls with anything. Pour the dough into the mold. Bake the scarlet sponge cake in a preheated 180 °C oven for about 50 minutes until the toothpick is dry. It is better not to open the oven for the first 30 minutes so that the biscuit does not settle. The exact baking time depends on your oven.

8. Step 8:

   

   Cool the finished biscuit on the grill. Cut the semicircular top from the cake.

9. Step 9:

   

   Cut the biscuit lengthwise into 3-4 cakes. Where the dough came into contact with the mold, the cake will be brownish in color, so it makes sense to use a slightly smaller diameter cooking ring or a knife to cut off the edges of the cakes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Now prepare the cream. The oil should be at room temperature.

12. Step 11:

    

    Beat the soft butter with a mixer with powdered sugar until fluffy.

13. Step 12:

    

    Add a creamy cream cheese.

14. Step 13:

    

    Mix until smooth. It is not necessary to beat for too long, otherwise the whey will separate from the cheese and the cream will be stratified. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag with a wide round nozzle.

15. Step 14:

    

    Assemble the cake by folding the cakes arcs on top of each other and layering with cream.

16. Step 15:

    

    It is better to do this in a detachable form, lined at the edges with an acetate film (an ordinary baking sleeve is also suitable).

17. Step 16:

    

    If desired, line the top and sides of the cake with cream remnants. I leveled only the top. I wanted the layers of cakes and cream to be visible. Therefore, I took off the cooking ring just before serving the cake to the table.

18. Step 17:

    

    Break the cut top of the biscuit into pieces and dry it in the oven, then grind it into crumbs in a blender. Sprinkle the crushed biscuit crumbs over the areas of the cake you need (this is only the top for me).

19. Step 18:

    

    Put the cake in the refrigerator overnight for impregnation, covering the top with food wrap (the film should not touch the top of the cake).

20. Step 19:

    

    Decorate the finished cake as desired. I decorated it with sprigs of greenery, pomegranate seeds and flowers. Bon appetit!