Red Velvet Cake with Hung Curd Frosting

Many days have past ....

Battling with a sudden onslaught of work load from sweet child's school and a general state of laziness!
Waking up to experience what a writers block is...not saying that I am a writer of international repute...Maybe a little I have my "baketitude".
Not that I've not been busy, finally got some time to catch up with some books I've been meaning to read for like ever...
I read a few books by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni for the first time...and though I love racy pulp fiction which has lots of dead bodies and mystery and stuff...I must say I was impressed!

Queen of Dreams,The Palace of Illusions: A Novel and now The Vine of Desire (novel)...Hmm!
But now I'm back in the lands where macabre twists of fate and convoluted desires make for a super interesting read! My fave...Jeffrey Archer!
The rains do that to me...a good book and a cup of coffee...I don't really need anything or anyone else...and then there was the black Monday with the Internet virus and stuff!

All that has passed now...

I'm back!

I suddenly realised that my bad moods are stemming from sugar cravings...not just any craving -chocolate and lemon!

2 Ferrero Rocher did nothing ...what one slim slice of a well made and well frosted cake will do to my metabolism...
Red Velvet cake with its almost chocolate and tangy frosting flavours was a god send.

So we tried something desi...and low fat!
Instead of cream cheese..we went with hung curd!


The Red Velvet Cake had an amazing flavour, chocolaty, yet not quite! Soft I used actual buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar. The only bone of contention was the red colour...since I was attempting a powder colour this time(the liquid food colour some how upsets the taste of the cake, and even 2 oz is not enough) , the amount of colour used was touch and go.
But we got it right...and did not compromise on the taste!

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

for the

Red Velvet Cake with Hung Curd Frosting...

you need

2 1/2 cups cake flour(I used 2 cups plain flour and 1/2 cup cornflour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup or 113 gms butter/neutral vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp red food colour powder/25 mils red food colour liquid
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter milk

Pre heat your oven to 180C/350F.
Grease and flour your baking tin  and line the bottom with non stick baking paper, I used A4 bond paper. It just makes unveiling the cake easier and generally lessens the chances of breakages...and spillages. also , it helps keep your heart beat normal.

Sift the flour ,the baking powder, the salt and the cocoa powders together.Twice , if possible.

Since I  used butter ,that is 113 gms by approximation.

 Beat the butter and then add in sugar.

Now pour in one egg at a time.

Add in the vanilla essence.

To the well whisked buttermilk/yogurt/sour curd(If you dont have buttermilk or its substitutes,use cold milk and add a tsp of vinegar) add the food colour. I adde 1/4 tsp and thought that this much would be enouf=gh, but it needed some more. Ended up using 1/2 tsp red food colour. Its better to be generous with teh colour...you only do red velvet cake once in a while ,right?
It needs to be RED!

Now, in thirds, the flour and the buttermilk mix.

Dont over mix...me and friends Kanchan Bhartari and Ritu Sharma were busy chatting and forgot to switch the beaters for a spoon.
The batter was over mixed...but could have been softer.
So advice to you, concentrate.
Once the batter is all done and the oven is ready...
In a bowl pour the vinegar and add in the baking soda.
I added in some more colour...to show the fizz...ok just wanted more colour!

Fizz is what you need...and fold this in into the batter.

Without wasting much time pour in the batter into the prepared tin and pop into the oven.

Our cake was ready  32 minutes...

Out...We let it cool for 10 minutes and then...

Ran a knife around the cake...
Eh...Voila!
Beauty....
Wrapped in cling film and chilled till we were ready to frost.

For the

Hung Curd Frosting...

you need

250 gms hung curd/Cream cheese
350 gms non dairy whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp icing sugar

for the

Soaking Syrup

you need


3 tsp vodka/water
3 tsp sugar

Whip the cream.
Gently mix in the suagar into the hung curd. Dont whisk too much or it may become too watery.

Whip them all together to mix.You can add in a teaspoon of vodka with the vanilla.My advice...aclohol is always good!

Remove the cake from the fridge and carefully slice into three layers.
A small dollop of the frosting on the platter to fix your cake...with the alcohol in you never know when steps may falter!

First layer, brushed with the soaking syrup...brush not bathe!

One thick layer of the frosting.

Repeat the same process with the second and third layers.
Now top and sides...clean! The serrated knife holds appeal...helps to comb the sides of the cake.

There was no left over cream to pipe stars....

So a little white chocolate tinted pink....

And ready to eat!

That is why red is the most beautiful colour around us!!
And it is smooth!!!!!

Red Velvet Cake with a desi touch.


So what are you baking today???