Red Velvet Cake
Prep Time: 1.5 Hours
Yields: 12 servings
Ingredients:
1 box butter cake mix plus ingredients necessary to bake the cake
1 tube Betty Crocker Red Food Coloring Gel
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
12 tbsp butter at room temperature
3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can Betty Crocker® White Decorating Icing
Betty Crocker® Assorted Decorating Decors
1 - 2 oz piece semi sweet chocolate
28 chocolate hazelnut pirouette cookies, cut in half
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly grease the bottoms and sides of 2-9" round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment circles and grease the parchment. Flour the pans.
3. Prepare the cake per directions on the box with the addition of the Betty Crocker Red food coloring and cocoa powder. Pour evenly into the 2 pans and bake as directed. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling racks. The cake be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time and frozen at this point if wrapped tightly.
4. Mix the butter and cream cheese together in a medium sized bowl, carefully stir in the confectioner's sugar with a spatula until well blended and no lumps are present. Place one cooled cake layer on a serving platter and frost the top with 1/3 of the frosting - the frosting should be about 1/4-1/2" thick.
5. Top with the second layer of cake. Spread the top and sides with the remaining cream cheese frosting.
6. Press halved pirouette cookies around the outside of the cake.
7. Decorate the rim and base of the cake with White Decorating Icing. Pipe a small inner circle of icing as well.
8- Using a vegetable peeler and grasping the semisweet chocolate piece in one hand, carefully peel small chocolate curls directly onto the top of the cake. Sprinkle the top with Betty Crocker® Chocolate Decors. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Allow cake to sit out at least 20 minutes prior to serving.