Today is a very special day. Its my best friends birthday!!!!!!!
Although we are unable to be together to celebrate this wonderful day, I could not let it go by without making her a cake.
And eating it for her of course.
Every last bite . . .
Yep, Im that good a friend 🙂
Red velvet cake is an all time favourite of mine.
I love it so much I save it for the specialist of occasions. Celebrating the anniversary of the day one of the most amazingly beautiful, hilariously funny, intelligent, compassionate and inspirationally strong women I have ever known was bought into the world is just that kind of occasion.
This cake, like my BFF, is out of this world – seriously ah-mazing!
I can’t even tell you.
The balance of cocoa and vanilla is just spot on! Initially you get the sweet hit of vanilla and then the mellow, chocolately follow through is just . . . well wonderful doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Then there’s the frosting . . .
Now, red velvet cake is usually teamed with cream cheese frosting. Which I love, but I wanted something extra special and a little different this time. My girl deserves a custom made cake. So I tried this recipe from Katie who blogs over at Dashing Dish and I am so glad I did. Katie, you my girl are genius!
This frosting is like having your slice of cake wrapped in a silky smooth, subtly sweet, pillowy soft, white chocolatey goodness.
It has that addictive quality of metled ice cream . . . you know when you get home from the store and have to grab a spoon and eat all around the melted edges? And don’t even try to tell me you don’t! No one has the power to resist that.
And if you can, I’m afraid we can’t be friends anymore.
Ok maybe we can . . . maybe 😉
Seriously though this frosting is something else. If you (like me) are living in Australia and unable to get Jello instant pudding easily, its worth ordering from usa foods, stock up on a few different flavours just to make this frosting. Seriously I think I’m in love.
Enough of my rambling, Happy Birthday babe xoxox
Now, who wants cake?
Red Velvet Cake with Whipped White Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients –
Seves 12For the Cake –
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cups sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food colouringFor the Frosting –
This recipe from Dashing Dish1 box instant pudding mix (I used white chocolate)
8oz whipped cream or cool whip
1 cup milk (I used skim)Method –
For the frosting –
In a medium bowl pour milk,
add pudding mix and whisk until smooth
(about 1 min is all it takes :))
Add in your whipped cream/cool whip and carefully fold until well combined.
Transfer to a small bowl and resist the urge to grab a spoon and eat the entire delicious bowl full, note this will be very, VERY difficult! Refrigerate until your cake is ready to be assembled.
Now for the cake –
Preheat oven to 175’C (350’F)
In a very small bowl add cocoa,
then food colouring
stir to combine. It will look like a very thick paste. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, place butter
and sugar. Beat on medium high until well combined.
Add whole egg and beat until just combined.
Add egg whites and beat until well combined.
Next we add the vanilla and once again beat until just combined.
Now its time to add the coloured cocoa paste.Beat mixture on medium high until well combined and colour is even.
Sift over flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt then beat until just combined.
Pour batter evenly into prepared baking pans (I used 2 x 6 inch) and bake for approx 25 mins until top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick has just a few moist crumbs attached when inserted into the centre.
Allow to cool in pans for 10 mins
then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled frost your cake as you wish.
I frosted the entire cake with the seriously delicious white chocolate pudding/frosting and also made some little red fondant flowers to decorate it with. It was so much more delicious than I dreamed it would be.
Happy birthday girlfriend xoxo
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Printable Version –
Red Velvet Cake with Whipped White Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients –
Seves 12For the Cake –
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cups sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food colouringFor the Frosting –
This recipe from Dashing Dish1 box instant pudding mix (I used white chocolate)
8oz whipped cream or cool whip
1 cup milk (I used skim)Method –
For the frosting –
In a medium bowl pour milk, add pudding mix and whisk until smooth (about 1 min is all it takes :))
Add in your whipped cream/cool whip and carefully fold until well combined.
Transfer to a small bowl and resist the urge to grab a spoon and eat the entire delicious bowl full, note this will be very, VERY difficult! Refrigerate until your cake is ready to be assembled.
Now for the cake –
Preheat oven to 175’C (350’F)
In a very small bowl add cocoa, then food colouring and stir to combine. It will look like a very thick paste. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, place butter and sugar. Beat on medium high until well combined.
Add whole egg and beat until just combined.
Add egg whites and beat until well combined.
Next we add the vanilla and once again beat until just combined.
Now its time to add the coloured cocoa paste.
Beat mixture on medium high until well combined and colour is even.
Sift over flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt then beat until just combined.
Pour batter evenly into prepared baking pans (I used 2 x 6 inch) and bake for approx 25 mins until top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick has just a few moist crumbs attached when inserted into the centre.
Allow to cool in pans for 10 mins then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled frost your cake as you wish. I frosted the entire cake with the seriously delicious white chocolate pudding/frosting.
It was better than I dreamed it would be.
Happy birthday girlfriend xoxo
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Nutritional Info (approx per slice with frosting) obtained using fatsecret.com –
Cal – 170
Fat – 2.9
Carbs – 33.9g
Protein – 3.7g
Fiber – 0.4
Nutritional Info (approx per slice – cake only) obtained using fatsecret.com –
Cal – 141
Fat – 2.2
Carbs – 28.2g
Protein – 3g
Fiber – 0.4
Nutritional Info (approx per serve of frosting only) obtained using fatsecret.com –
Cal – 29
Fat – 0.7
Carbs – 5.7g
Protein – 0.7g
Fiber – 0
That looks so pretty. I love the flowers!