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Not everyone likes Christmas cake, my husband can't stand it. He does however like a good chocolate cake, as do most people. For the past couple of years I have made traditional Christmas cakes and this Red Velvet Christmas Cake as an alternative. It always goes down well and if you decorate it well it will look very festive and rather lovely.
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| My versions of the cake last year, how does the version this year compare? |
Red Velvet Christmas Cake
I made a 9 inch/23cm round cake.
350g softened butter
350g caster sugar
100g cocoa powder
6 free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
200g plain flour
1 Tblsp baking powder
1 or 2 tsp ground mixed spice
50ml red food colouring
Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4.
Grease and line a 9 inch/23cm round cake tin.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and beat slowly until it is completely incorporated. Gradually beat in the eggs, vanilla and salt, and half of the flour to prevent the mixture from curdling. Add the remaining flour, baking powder and mixed spice before giving the mixture a final beat to make sure everything is completely combined. Add the food colouring and mix well.
Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 65 - 75 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
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| Once the cake is in the oven, the washing up marathon begins! |
Once the cake has been baked and cooled it is time for the fun part, decorating the cake!
Buttercream Icing
180g butter
60g cream cheese
600g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix all the ingredients together to achieve a smooth spreadable consistency.
Using a long serrated knife, carefully cut the cake in half and sandwich together with some buttercream.
Spread a small dollop of onto the cake board and put the cake onto it upside down. This means the top will be nice and flat.Using half of the remaining buttercream, spread a thin layer over the top and sides of each cake until it is lightly covered. Put the cake in the fridge for about half an hour for the icing to set. Spread the remaining buttercream icing over the cake to give a smooth finish and chill in the fridge for another half an hour until the icing has set. Coating the cake in buttercream using a two stage process makes for better coverage and a smoother finish.
For instructions on how to cover your cake in white ready to roll icing, Ruth over at The Pink Whisk has a fab tutorial on How to Cover a Cake with Sugarpaste.
Once your cake is all covered you can then cut out sugarpaste shapes and decorate your cake however you like to make it look Christmassy and festive.
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| Break out the cutters and edible glitter, it's cake decorating time! |
Here's how my finished cake looked, once the decorating process was complete:
How did the cake taste? It was delicious, according to a couple of friends who just happened to call around once they realised there was cake on offer. My husband and three daughters also enjoyed it, particularly the addition of mixed spice to make it taste a little more festive.
The eagle-eye amongst you will have noticed a strategically placed bottle of Persil’s Limited Edition Warm Spice Washing Up Liquid in this post. Persil have challenged selected bloggers to blog a Christmas recipe and use Persil’s Limited Edition Warm Spice Washing Up Liquid to clean up afterwards to truly put its cleaning power to the test. It smells lovely and Christmassy which makes washing Christmas baking dishes slightly more pleasant and it gets dishes clean quickly and easily - what more could you want - other than to have someone wash the dishes for you LOL
Ruth Clemens has also been working with Persil and has created a range of recipes to celebrate the launch of Persil’s Limited Edition Warm Spice Washing Up Liquid. For more information and recipes visit: www.persildishwash.co.uk
Here's Ruth and her son Finn making some delicious Florentines:
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