Red Velvet Cake

Recipe by: Elizabeth Gordon | from Allergy-Free Desserts

Cookstr

Course: Dessert

Total Time: Under 2 Hours

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Shutterstock, stock photo of a similar dish.

I still remember the first time I ever heard of red velvet cake. Of course, it was in the movie Steel Magnolias, in the form of that infamously repulsive armadillo cake. However, the first time I tasted it was a totally different story. I loved it and wondered why its popularity hadn’t spread above the Mason-Dixon Line. Now it has, so I felt this book wouldn’t be complete without an allergen-free version of it.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

1 cup gluten-free vanilla rice milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2½ cups Betsy’s Baking Mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup organic palm fruit oil shortening
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce red food coloring
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon gluten-free distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 recipe Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with canola oil, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the parchment paper.

In a small bowl, make “buttermilk” by combining the rice milk and cider vinegar. In a large mixing bowl, combine the baking mix, salt, and xanthan gum.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening. Meanwhile, in a separate small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and red food coloring to form a paste; set the paste aside. Add the applesauce and vanilla to the creamed shortening and sugar and blend until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the cocoa paste and mix well.

Alternately add the dry ingredients and the “buttermilk” mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Pour the white vinegar into a small cup and sprinkle the baking soda over it, Immediately pour the fizzing combination into the cake batter and thoroughly combine the two mixtures.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool completely in their pans on a cooling rack, Turn the cakes out of their pans and remove the parchment paper. Frost the top of each cake layer with the frosting, Transfer 1 layer to a serving plate, and then set the other layer on top, Frost the sides of the cake.

Store the frosted cake, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Nutritional information does not include Betsys Baking Mix or Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. For nutritional information on Betsys Baking Mix and Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, please follow the links above. This recipe serves 10.

Calories 226kcal (11%)

Sodium 369mg (15%)

Total Carbohydrate 33g

Fiber 1g

Fat 11g (17%)

Trans Fat 0g

Saturated Fat 1g (4%)

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 0mg (0%)

Sugar 32g

Protein 1g