A Red Velvet Cake for Anne

Last week I mentioned going to my first wedding shower of the season.  It was a great success and I was happy to be able to make the cake for the event. This cake may look impressive but really - it was quite easy to put together.

The key is rolled fondant - purchased in a tub from Bulk Barn.  Simply roll out the fondant as you would  cookie dough and place it over your layers of cake.  This cake was two layers of red velvet cake and one layer of vanilla with cream cheese icing in between layers and iced on top to ensure the red from the cake doesn't seep through the fondant.  Purchase some satin ribbon and fresh flowers to decorate.  A simple frame with the letter of the person's name is an easy and classic cake top.

Red velvet cake is becoming more popular in Canada.  A Southern U.S. tradition, this cake came about during WWII when a shortage of cocoa and sugar led to some creative substitutions.  The unique cake combines a small amount of cocoa mixed with buttermilk and red food dye to produce this colouring.  Traditionally, this cake is iced with cream cheese icing, producing a flavour all of its own.  Red food dye is certainly not always the best dietary choice as it can have health ramifications in large doses however I've tried recipes that use anything from beets to strawberry juice but the effect is not the same.  So - everything in moderation as they say.

If you are looking to purchase rolled fondant rather than making it yourself, I would recommend staying away from the Wilton fondant and spending the extra $5 on Liberty Virgin Ice White Fondant that comes in a 4lbs tub.  The Wilton fondant dries out rather quickly and becomes hard as a rock so if you don't use all of it in one go - you are out of luck.  The Liberty version keeps for a long time and is easy to mould.  It comes in a variety of colours as well.  Happy decorating!