Recipe: Red Velvet, if you please

Do you remember the first time you tried red velvet cake? How you nearly died and went to heaven with pleasure? In recent years, red velvet cake and red velvet cupcakes have become increasingly popular in the US and many European countries, including our own Malta. A resurgence in the popularity of this cake is attributed by some to the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, which included a red velvet groom's cake made in the shape of an armadillo.

This video, by Aashpazi.com, shows how to make red velvet cake, whereas below, courtesy of The New York Times, you can try your hand at the equally delicious red velvet cones, pictured below. 

Red Velvet Cone

Yield: 48 cake cones

Ingredients: Cake batter

* All-purpose flower: 5 cups

* Granulated sugar: 3 cups

* Baking soda: 1 Tbsp.

* Salt, fine: 2 tsp.

* Cocoa powder: 2 tsp.

* Vegetable oil: 3 cups

* Buttermilk: 2 cups

* 4 large eggs

* Red food coloring: 3 Tbsp.

* Hot Sauce: 2 Tbsp.

* Vanilla extract: 2 tsp

* Small, flat-bottomed ice cream cones: 48

Ingredients: Cream cheese icing

* Cream cheese (softened, whipped): 36 ounces

* Unsalted butter (softened, whipped): 1 stick

* Powdered sugar: 2 cups

* Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp.

* Hot Sauce: 2 tsp.

* Piping bag with small decorative tip

* Shaker, powdered sugar, for garnish

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In another large bowl whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring,  Hot Sauce and vanilla.

3. Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

4. Carefully spoon the batter into the ice cream cones, filling them 2/3 of the way up to give them room to rise in the oven. Arrange the cones on a parchment-lined sheet tray standing up and place them into the oven to bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until they have fully risen. They are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

5. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool completely.

6. While the cakes are in the oven, prepare the spicy cream cheese frosting.

7. Place the softened cream cheese and the softened butter in a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth again. Add the vanilla extract and the  Hot Sauce and whisk one more minute. You may add more powdered sugar or Hot Sauce until the icing is flavored to your liking.

8. Place the spicy cream cheese frosting into a piping bag with a small decorative tip.

9. Using the tip of the piping bag, carefully puncture a small hole into the center of the top of the red velvet cake and pipe approximately 2-3 tablespoons of the spicy cream cheese into the center of the cake, allowing some of the cream cheese to come out of the top for decoration. Continue until all the red velvet cake cones are filled. Use any extra cream cheese icing to frost the tops of the cones.

10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.