For the last few years I have been obsessed with bundt cakes. I love how elegant they are without being horribly time consuming. I found the most amazing bundt cake recipe book called “Kiss by Bundt”. This is a great cookbook that gives great base recipes that you can combine and change to suit whatever flavor you are trying to achieve. This cake would be a great last minute addition to any Christmas or Christmas Eve celebration.I decorated the top with holly leaves for a festive feel to the cake. Since I didn’t want to get out all of my icing paraphernalia I simply used snack sized baggies and cut and end off. You will want to mix a small amount of icing with red or green food coloring to get the detail for the cake. I used a toothpick to pull the icing out to make the decoration.I always keep dry buttermilk on hand for baking. I have not found that this effects the taste of the cake any.
Red Velvet Bundt Cake:1 ¼ Cup Oil1 Cup Buttermilk2 Eggs2 Tablespoons Red Food Coloring1 Teaspoon White Vinegar1 Teaspoon Vanilla2 ½ Cup Flour1 ¾ Cup Sugar1 Teaspoon Baking Soda2/4 Teaspoon salt1 Tablespoon Dutch Process Cocoa Powder Chocolate Ganache:¼ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream¾ Cup Chocolate Chips1 Teaspoon Vanilla Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:2oz Unsalted Butter4oz Softened Cream Cheese1 Cup Powdered Sugar¼ Teaspoon Vanilla To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350. Using an electric mixer, combine oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
With your mixer on low slowly add your dry ingredients.
Transfer your batter to a large bundt pan that has been generously coated in cooking spray or flour.Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Invert the cake onto a cooling rack. It should just fall right out. If it resists let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting. Cool completely before frosting (about 1 hour). To make ganache:
Heat the heavy cream over medium heat until boiling.
Remove from the heat and add chocolate chips and vanilla.Stir until smooth.
When it is cool pour evenly over the top of the cake and let harden. For the frosting:
Cream together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.Slowly add powdered sugar until well combined.Add vanilla and combine well.
Spread over the top of the cake with a spatula. To Decorate:
Fill baggies with small amounts of frosting and mix with red or green food coloring. Cut an edge of baggie and use to apply frosting.
Make small lines of frosting on the cake.
Use a toothpick to pull the frosting out into the design.
Make small red dots for holly berries.
Red Velvet Bundt Cake Source: Kiss my Bundt – Chrysta Wilson
Self-Rising flour is not something I typically keep on hand. I normally don’t need it since my recipes are typically complex. However, sometimes you have a very simple recipe, just one or two ingredients and you need self-rising flour. Here is a recipe for those times when you need self-rising flour and you don’t really want to purchase a whole bag. Also, check back tomorrow for a recipe that uses this flour blend!!!Self-rising flour is a flour blend that doesn’t need yeast or any other leavening agent in order to rise. It is typically called for in recipes that are very simple, just one or two ingredients. However, it is not something you can substitute for regular flour in any recipe since it will mess with the levels of leavening in the recipe and could potentially ruin whatever you are baking. Really only use this if expressly called for in a recipe in order to keep your baked goods turning out correctly.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:200]
When the sugar has dissolved mix in the peanut butter until smooth.
Chill until firm.
