Red Velvet Cake for Valentine's Day (can be made sugar free too!)

Sugar Free version of Red Velvet Cake

This is a repost of one of my all time favorite cakes; a Red Velvet.  Don't be fooled by fake Red Velvet cake mixes at the grocery store (they are simply a chocolate cake colored red).  A true Red Velvet is made with a tiny bit of cocoa to enhance the brilliant red color but uses 2 full oz. red food color as well as baking soda and vinegar.  When you see these ingredients you'll know it's the real thing.

Re-posted;
At the time I wasn't sure if I would make either the traditional version or the lower carb, sugar free version but in the end I compromised.  I made it sugar free, but I did use flour.  It was a happy medium!

When I had the 2 layers and a batch of sugar free frosting sitting in front of me, I wasn't sure how I was going to frost it, so I just opened the cupboard, chose a pastry bag with a basket weave tip and got what I got.  In the end I did a white basket weave cake with an improvised swirl rope top and smoothed the center to add some bright, colorful raspberries. 


Red Velvet Cake

1/2 c butter
1½ c sugar (I made it sugar free with Just Like Sugar)
2 eggs
2 oz. red food coloring
3 T cocoa
2¼ c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
1 c buttermilk
1 T vinegar

Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar (sweetener of choice) in a bowl.  Add the eggs. 
Make a paste with the cocoa and food color.
Add the food color paste and vinegar to the butter/sugar mixture.  Stir the vanilla into the buttermilk.  Add the buttermilk alternately with the flour into the sugar/butter.  Mix well.  Divide batter between the two prepared pans. Bake 30 minutes or until done. Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes, then remove cake layers from pan and cool completely.


Use can use your favorite frosting for this.

I chose to use the traditional frosting that goes with this cake except I again used a sugar substitute.

Frosting

3 T flour
1 c milk
1 c sugar
1 c butter
1 t vanilla

Stir the flour and milk in a saucepan over medium high heat until it thickens and becomes a paste.  Let this cool to room temperature.  Cream sugar, butter and vanilla in a bowl with a mixer.  Add the milk/flour and beat 5-7 minutes until completely smooth.  Use to frost Red Velvet Cake as you wish.

I decided to do a simple basket weave design

Kind of made up a swirl rope design on top and smoothed the center

Topped with raspberries this time - usually I use strawberries - both are pretty~!

You might be interested in items I used to make this recipe: