Red Velvet Waffle

I keep hearing about this place in South Charlotte called Terrace Cafe and people are raving about their red velvet waffles. Somehow the thought of having a red velvet waffle did not  interest me much - but considering I used to eat red velvet cake in the mornings, I guess it is not so hard to imagine. Cream cheese butter or icing, syrup and a red velvet waffle seems like enough sugar for a diabetic coma. But I am going to try a sugar-free version and see what the talk is about. Instead of cream cheese icing I will drizzle a little Greek yogurt with stevia over my waffle. This can be eaten for breakfast but would definitely make a nice dessert.

I hadn't used my waffle iron in quite a while and could not remember if it had an indicator to let me know when the waffle was ready. So if that be the case with your waffle iron, the general rule is to take the waffle out after the iron has stopped steaming.

Tips for using your waffle iron:

1. Before you begin cooking, coat the grid plates with nonstick cooking spray or wipe with a paper towel lightly coated with oil.
2. Once the waffle iron is hot, ladle the batter onto the waffle iron. Be careful not fill the entire grid plate with batter or the batter will overflow and cleanup will be a chore.
3. For easy cleanup, unplug the waffle iron while it is still warm. Slightly dampen 2-3 paper towels, place them on the grill plate, and close the iron. Once the steam has stopped, open the iron and remove the paper towels. Do not immerse the waffle iron in water.

Red Velvet Waffle

2 c all purpose flour
1 1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted 
2 c buttermilk
2 lg eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp red food coloring

Preheat waffle iron and spray with non stick cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa in a medium sized bowl. In separate bowl mix the butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until moistened. Ladle batter onto the waffle iron and cook until waffle iron stops steaming.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Sweet Treats 'n Good Eats, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

And The Winner Is…

Of all the cakes I make, the red velvet seems to be the clear winner of the Most Requested Cake award. I’m not quite sure why because there are so many more interesting cakes out there to try. What I remember about red velvet cakes as a kid was that it was not very moist and that it had a very distinct chocolate flavor that I found quite unappealing. But this cake is amazingly good, moist, and the cocoa is barely noticeable at all. Maybe that is why people keep asking for it.

One thing I think is essential when I bake layer cakes is parchment paper. I am sort of anal so I always spend way more time than necessary cutting out my parchment paper in circles for my layer pans so everything is just so. Ssssh…don’t judge me. I have looked in all of the stores for round parchment paper but have never been able to find it. Something told me to check online today and there they were on Amazon. So I will absolutely have to bake another layer cake once they get here so I can give them a whirl. It’s the little things folks. (Parchment Rounds, $6.49 at Amazon.com)

Red Velvet Cake

2 ½ c AP flour
1 tsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ c canola oil
1 1-oz bottle red food coloring
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Line 4 round layer cake pans with parchment paper.

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until mixture becomes a pale yellow color, approximately 3-5 minutes.

In separate bowl combine oil, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla extract. Fold this mixture in with the egg mixture. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8-oz. pkg of Philadelphia cream cheese
2 sticks margarine
1 box confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp vanilla

1 c chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (optional)

Allow butter and cream cheese to get to room temperature. Cream butter and cream cheese together. Increase speed of mixture to high and beat for 3 minutes. Reduce speed and incorporate confectioner’s sugar slowly. Add vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat for about 3 more minutes.

Once cake cools, frost layers. Add toasted nuts to cake top for garnish.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, baked by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.