Easy Red Velvet Cake

A few years ago, I think between Children No 2 and 3 our dear friend came to have Christmas Eve dinner with us.  Her husband was working and no one wants to be alone on Christmas Eve.

I was heavily into cooking Indian food at the time (I still adore Indian food - the hotter, the better).

We had a wonderful night and a fantastic dinner with six courses of gorgeous Indian food.

Around 10.30pm our friend bade us goodnight with kisses and warm Christmas wishes.

She called on the 30th December to wish my husband a happy birthday and told us that when 

she arrived home on Christmas Eve her body was nearly red all over with a rash.

So, our dear friend spent Christmas in a hospital bed.

What did you put in the food that caused a food allergy? she wanted to know.

I cooked with all of the usual ingredients, but added red food colouring to the Tandoori marinade.

Sine then, I have been very cautious about using red food colouring, 

hence my red velvet cake is not as red as some I have seen.

The red colouring is purely colouring, not flavouring so therefore entirely optional.

This dear friend, is still a dear friend I am pleased to say.

So tell me, have you ever poisoned a friend with your cooking?

Red Velvet Cake

2 free range eggs

1 1/4 cups castor sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup (250ml) rice bran oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup (150ml) milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar added to it

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 2/3 cups plain flour

2 small tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon red food colouring

Preheat oven to 170 celsius.

Whisk eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl.  While whisking pour in the oil in a steady stream and continue whisking until well combined.  

Pour the cider vinegar into the milk and add the sifted bicarbonate of soda.

Mix the sifted cocoa with the flour.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir gently until mixed through.  Add half of the milk mixture and stir through.

Than another 1/3 of the flour, mix, then the rest of the milk and finally gently stir through the remaining flour mixture.  Mix until well combined.  Add the desired amount of food colouring.

Pour into a round 20cm paper lined and greased baking pan.

Place on middle shelf of oven and bake for 45 minutes.  

I iced mine with a simple icing of 2 cups icing sugar, 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons milk.

Heat butter and milk together in a small bowl in the microwave, then add the icing sugar until well mixed.    Purely because my family do not like butter cream or the heavier icings.

Served here with a lovely, plump baked strawberry.

Bon appetito, enjoy Merryn.