"I-had-a-gnaw-us" (Red Velvet Recipe)

The title of this post was thought up by the wonderful @agiraffeatelisa, on receipt of her specially made dinosaur red velvet cake.

The TMW agency 'Battersea bake off' was on Monday - a baking competition (competition being a loosely fitting word, it was a bake sale without judgement) in aid of Battersea dogs and cats home, to make sure those critters keep warm and vaccinated against disease in the winter months to come.

Preperation began on Sunday... I was in the North of the country, about 200 miles from my office, so the logical thing to do would be to build a cake that is sturdy and easy to transport... So I didn't.
I'd wanted to make red velvet cakes for a really long time, Nigella had made them on her programme and I like to consider myself as her unknown daughter/best friend, so this made perfect sense to try on this occasion.

Unless you can drive, don't do it.  We tried three separate shops before we found buttermilk, and the home baking section in most supermarkets is abysmal. But, if you know where to find buttermilk (we located ours in a big Tescos - the biggest one we'd ever seen. It was terrifying.) and you don't fear that too many bright colours in food will cancer you, give it a go.  The dinosaur cake moulds can be found on Amazon, or from a Lakeland store if there's one near you, but you will probably need something to help loosen the mixture from the moulds, we used Dr Oetkers Cake release spray - I can't recommend this enough. Only one limb was lost, as you can see below. They were pretty damn tasty, and looked great too.

Below are some of the catcakes we iced for the bake sale. The dinosaurs were special and didn't make it to the stall. All done with the same recipe for both icing and cake mixture though, they seemed to go down very well! Also ignore the fact that one of them has craisins for eyes, my mother did that, she's a bloody liability.  They arrived safely, and all in one piece, and I believe there was well over a hundred quid raised for the dogs and cats of Battersea. Purrfect.

Recipe - Courtesy of Nigella Lawson

If you want to make this as one big cake then know that the amounts below make enough batter for 2 x 25cm / 10 inch cake tins filled not too deep, and enough icing to squidge them together and decorate the top.

Ingredients 

for the cupcakes

• 250 grams plain flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (sifted)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 100 grams soft unsalted butter
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 1 heaped tablespoon christmas-red paste food colouring
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 175 ml buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

for the buttery cream-cheese frosting

• 500 grams icing sugar
• 125 grams cream cheese
• 125 grams soft unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
• chocolate sprinkles for decoration
• red sugar for decoration

Method

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3/325°F, and line 2 muffin tins with paper cases.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl.
3. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar, beating well, and when you have a soft, pale mixture beat in the food colouring - yes all of it - and the vanilla.
4. Into this vividly coloured mixture, still beating, add 1 spoonful of the dried ingredients, then 1 egg, followed by some more dried ingredients, then the other egg, followed by the rest of the dried ingredients. 
5. Finally beat in the buttermilk and the vinegar and divide this extraordinary batter between the 24 cases.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes by which time the redcurrant-sorbet-coloured batter will have morphed into a more sombre, but still juicily tinted, sponge - more maroon acrylic than red velvet, to be honest.
6. Leave them to cool on a wire rack and do not ice with the frosting till absolutely cold.

For the buttery cream-cheese frosting:

1. Put the icing sugar into a processor and whizz to remove lumps.
2. Add the cream cheese and butter and process to mix.  Pour in the cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and process again to make a smooth icing.
3. Ice each cupcake, using a teaspoon or small spatula.
4. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles and red sugar, or as desired.

Make ahead note:

The cupcakes can be baked 2 days ahead and stored, un-iced, layered with baking parchment in airtight containers.  The frosting can be made 1 day ahead:  cover with clingfilm and refrigerate; remove from fridge 1-2 hours before needed to allow to come to room temperature then beat briefly before using.  Best iced and eaten on same day but iced cupcakes can be kept in fridge in airtight container for up to 1 day.  Bring to room temperature before serving. 

Freeze note:

Un-iced cupcakes can be frozen, layered with baking parchment, in airtight containers for up to 2 months.  Defrost for 3-4 hours on a wire rack at room temperature.  Frosting can be frozen separately in airtight container for up to 3 months; defrost overnight in fridge then bring to room temperature and beat briefly before use.