One of my earliest memories of cake was my mom asking me what flavor I wanted for my birthday cake.   “Red velvet!” I exclaimed. 

I have absolutely no idea why at six years of age I would have asked for such a flavor when I’m quite positive I had no idea what it tasted like.  It wasn’t a family favorite, and it certainly wasn’t a traditional food of Arizona, where we lived at the time.  I’m pretty certain the fact that it was ruby red was good enough for me.

Fast forward to today, and red velvet is still one of my favorites.  It’s essentially a vanilla buttermilk cake with just a hint of chocolate…it’s the best of both cake worlds.  I’m not a huge fan of artificial colorings and their crayon-esque flavor, but achieving this cake’s namesake color is an absolute must. I use Wilton’s “No-Taste Red” gel food coloring, usually meant for icings, but it works well in cake batter too and doesn’t leave any trace of bitterness.

I love this cake for the Fourth of July because of its festive colors, fresh summer berries, and the silky frosting reminiscent of homemade whipped cream.  Everyone always says the best part of red velvet cake is the cream cheese frosting (well, except for my soon-to-be brother-in-law who inexplicably detests cream cheese frosting).  Even he might enjoy this frosting, which in addition to cream cheese, also uses mascarpone cheese, an Italian sweet cream cheese.  It’s less tangy than regular cream cheese and adds a rich complexity to the frosting.  The other modification to this frosting is that it uses heavy whipping cream instead of butter.  The end result is light, airy, and not too sweet – perfect for hot weather occasions.  That is, for eating, not for displaying in the hot sun.

Ironically, the very thing that makes this frosting so light is the very thing that can ruin it.  The last time I tried to make this frosting, it was for my in-laws’ 40th wedding anniversary party.  We were only a couple hours away from the start of the party, and I was making the icing to frost the “ruby” cupcakes.  Murphy’s Law prevailed, and my frosting broke.  It was a curdled mess.  My sister-in-law and I frantically ran to the only grocery store in the two-stoplight town and were surprised to find that they actually had mascarpone cheese.   We loaded up on the ingredients once again and headed to the party site where a successful second attempt was made.

The problem was that the heavy whipping cream was whipped too long, thus causing the curdling.  You would think after that disaster I would have learned my lesson.  Not so.  It happened again while I made this cake and it will most likely happen again in the future.  Ugh. 

The main thing to remember is to not over-whip the frosting once the heavy cream is added.  This is tricky, since the finished frosting will still look somewhat softer than most other icings.  Resist the temptation and only whip ‘til the frosting is spreadable!  You can do it!  I have faith!

A word of warning:  this frosting is VERY soft.  If you live in a place that does not have AC, I would not attempt to ice a cake with it.  If your house is well above 75 degrees F, the minute you take the frosting out of the fridge, it will start to melt and become a gloopy mess.   If you don’t have AC, try baking your cake layers the night before, then making the icing in the cooler morning hours, if you can.  Or choose a different icing all together.  Trust me on this one.

Cake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Red Velvet Cupcake recipe

Frosting recipe adapted from Joy of Baking’s Cream Cheese Frosting recipe