How to Enhance Boxed Red Velvet Cake
November 10, 2021
With fall and winter holidays approaching, it is quickly becoming a dessert time of year.
First things first: I’m not a professional baker in any way. I like to think that what I bake is pure fun, a hobby. But I’m also an overachiever when I wish to do my best, and that feeling only manifests itself when it comes to the activities that I actively enjoy doing. Baking has always been my go-to activity when it comes to relieving stress, wanting to give a friend a sweet treat, or even trying new things just for the sake of expanding my baking knowledge.
Ingredients for Red Velvet Cake: 1 box of red velvet cake mix (I used the Betty Crocker Brand) 2 sticks of melted butter (room temp.) 1 ¼ cup of milk (room temp.) 1 tbsp vanilla extract 4 large eggs *All ingredients are recommended to be at room temperature * Mix all ingredients (don’t overmix for more than five minutes if using machine, will make cake too chewy) Additional ingredients/supplies: 13×9 in. pan 1 can of baking spray (Or a stick of butter as substitute) Preheat oven to 350°F
Seeing baking becoming a trend over the first round of quarantine during Covid activated my complete interest in baking, and with this trend comes many new recipes for me to try. It is a learning journey, but I hope to share not only my tips but experiences too.
Rubbing a stick of Butter on the pan can be a substitute if there isn’t spray available to grease the cake pan. When pouring out cake batter, the batter needs to be spread evenly, not in a single area of the pan. Going up and down along the pan is a useful technique to make a flat surface on the cake. Finally, using a toothpick, evening out the batter on top prevents an uneven surface and bubbles from rising.
Set the bake time for 50 minutes. Once the timer is up, be sure to check the center of the cake by poking a small hole with a straw or a wooden toothpick (as long as it’s a long, skinny object). If the batter is still raw, bake for longer, if not then take out carefully with mittens or a thick rag and let the cake cool for an hour. Letting the cake cool is important because the cake is more prone to falling apart after forming from the oven.
Very lightly, use a butter knife to pull off the edges of the cake from the pan and be sure to have a flat surface to flip the cake. Once the cake is flipped, the texture should be moist and soft.
After trimming the top of the cake to give it a flat surface, the cake should be good to go!
