My legendary Red Velvet Cake

Red velvet cake has been an absolute classic for decades - Combining two different taste experiences into one. While it´s sponge tastes a little harsher at first, due to the raw cocoa powder, the rather sweet icing really gives an incredible balance to it.

The following recipe is for all my fellow cake-lovers out there, as it gives a little twist to the traditional cream cheese frosting! Plus, it adds a third dimension to this extravaganza of taste - a sour one!

Let´s get baking!

Ingredients

For the cake batter:

230g flour

20g raw cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

270g soft unsalted butter

4 medium-sized eggs

3 tablespoons buttermilk

1 teaspoon of red food colouring paste

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar

For the Icing:

150g of cream cheese

15g of soft unsalted butter

100g of melted white chocolate

650g of Powder sugar

For the Topping:

150g of seasonal berries (I personally really like red currants and raspberries, as their sourness creates a nice contrast to the rather sweet Icing on top)

100g of melted white chocolate (to drizzle on top)

Instructions

Add flour, cocoa powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside for later. In another mixing bowl, incorporate buttermilk and food colouring paste. Stir until food colouring paste has dissolved. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl (or your trusty KitchenAid - if you have one) beat butter until it turns white and creamy. Add in the sugar. Mix until well incorporated. Add in the eggs - one at a time - while mixing on low speed. Slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture.

When everything is well incorporated, add in the other dry ingredients while mixing. Add one large spoonful at a time.

Lastly, add the bicarbonate of soda in a small cup. Pour vinegar into the cup. Don´t be scared if it starts foaming - that´s exactly what you want. Quickly, add the developed foam to the cake batter. Beat the mixture one last time.

Bake the cake at 180°C for about 20 to 25 minutes - until a skewer comes out clean basically!

Let the cake cool down completely before starting with the topping!

In a double boiler - or bain marie if you like the fancy word for it - melt the white chocolate. Set the melted chocolate aside and let it cool down fully. In a large mixing bowl, stir butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly start adding the powder sugar to the mixture. Add half of the melted chocolate to the mixture. Stir until smooth.

When the cake has fully cooled down, you can start icing your cake. Finish it off by putting some berries of your choice on top, as well as a drizzle of the leftover white chocolate.

Et voilá - my legendary white chocolate-red velvet cake. Enjoy!