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Red velvet cake (colour free)

Inspiration to create a new recipe can come from many and varied places.  Tasting something that someone else has made, pictures of food, someone else’s recipe or even a Birthday card.

I had a Birthday recently and was fortunate enough to receive many warm wishes in the form of cards and gifts.  One of which came from Thermomix in Australia.  The best part, it included a recipe that I had NEVER considered making.

Red Velvet Cake.  The reason I’d never considered it before now is the red food colouring or cochineal (which is actually made from insects!).  Pre-Thermomix I may not have worried so much but now that I know I can create delicious food without ANY additives, preservatives or colours I am quite determined to do so.

So I designed my own recipe. I shared the results and I must say they were greatly appreciated. 🙂   So a big thank you to the Thermomix team for inspiring me to create such a delicious cake.

One of the things I love about being in the Thermomix business is my team mates.  We always have a laugh and help each other out when we need to.  I remember when I started I thought “I’ll give it a go and see what happens”.  Two and a half years later I love it and have fabulous clients, some of whom are now good friends.  I went from a sceptic to a passionate consultant overnight.

Do you ever think you might want to try something a bit different?  Do you love your Thermomix?  Then why not have your own business?  If you’d like to know more, just let me know.  Also tell me what you think of my Red Velvet Cake (colour free) 🙂

red velvet cake – (recipe developed by Fiona at Food 4 Thought after reviewing many recipes)
makes 2 x 20 – 22cm cakes for layering

Ingredients
200g raw beetroot peeled and roughly chopped to yield 170g
50g frozen or fresh raspberries
35g lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
320g raw sugar
1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder (not dutch)
250g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C (170°C fan-forced).

Place raw beetroot, raspberries, lemon juice and vinegar into TM bowl.  Puree for 1 minute on speed 9.  Remove mixture from bowl and set aside.  Rinse and dry the bowl or use a second bowl if you have one.

Place raw sugar into TM bowl and mill for 5 seconds on speed 9.  Insert the butterfly and add cocoa powder, butter and vanilla.  Mix for 30 seconds on speed 4.  Add 100g of SR flour and approximately half of the reserved beetroot mixture then mix for 15 seconds on speed 4.  Add another 100g of SR flour and remaining beetroot mixture and mix for 15 seconds on speed 4.  Then reduce to speed 3 and add eggs through hole in the lid, continue to mix for 20-30 seconds. Remove the butterfly, add the remaining flour and baking powder and mix for 10 – 15 seconds on speed 6. 

Divide mixture evenly between two lined baking tins of the size you want and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a skewer testing the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Cool in tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.  In the meantime, make the frosting.

My tips/alterations:  *The acidic ingredients are important for the tangy taste but also to maintain the red colour of the beetroot and raspberries.  *I used two thin layers for the cakes in the photos. You could also use a 26cm square cake tin and then cut the cake in half to make the layers.  The baking time may vary slightly. *This would make a great Birthday cake.  It kept really well in the fridge and (I think) actually got better as the days went by.

cream cheese frosting – (recipe adapted from Thermomix in Australia Birthday Card by Fiona at Food 4 Thought)
makes almost 1 litre

Ingredients
300g raw sugar
250g cream cheese
180g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
Place raw sugar into TM bowl and mill for 45 seconds on speed 9.  Scrape around the sides of the bowl, add all other ingredients and mix for 20 seconds on speed 5.

Place one layer of cake onto stand and spread frosting on top.  Then add another layer and top it with frosting.

Decorate as you wish.

My tips/alterations:  *If you would like to make the frosting even lighter add the butterfly.  However do be careful not to over whip it as it may split.  *I used raw sugar and milled it to icing sugar.  Doing this will give you an off white colour for the icing.  So if you want a more pure white result you will need to mill white sugar  *You could use anything to decorate the cake.  This frosting was enough to have thick layers on the cake but I chose to serve it on the side in addition to frosting it because I found this quite sweet.  *This will keep in your fridge really well.

ease: 7.5 – 8/10. Not too difficult, just a few steps.
prep time: 25mins for the cake plus 5mins for the frosting. 
cooking time: 25ins
+ cooling time.
total: 55minutes + cooling time.

taste: 9/10. This is a delicious cake.  Everyone who was lucky enough to get a piece loved it.  It had the perfect texture and balance of tang and sweetness.  I added less cocoa that other recipes because I didn’t want it to overpower the other ingredients.  The icing is sensational.  There was a little leftover and I could eat that on anything, even on its own.

would I make it again:  Absolutely. As a special make ahead dessert this would be perfect.  I also think it would transport well.  I’ll let you know when I try it 🙂

4 comments to Red velvet cake (colour free)

  • That looks fabulous and I love it that it has beetroot in it! I’ve never made a red velvet cake because I won’t go to the colouring. But I will definitely be making this one! I bet it would make fabulous cupcakes as well.

  • Liz

    Just wondering why with the cocoa you have put “not Dutch processed”. Should we not use it – why not?

  • Hi Karen, thanks for your comment. This does make AMAZING cupcake. So glad you like the recipe. Fiona 🙂

  • Hi Liz, I have said “not dutch” because it is quite bitter and strong and it can overwhelm the rest of the flavours in the cake. It is fine to use in baking. I just wanted a more subtle cocoa in this cake. Hope that helps, Fiona

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