Brown Velvet...Red Velvet Au Natural

The last few months have been pretty hectic over here in urban housewife world...we've officially moved out of our gorgeous (but totally freezing) rented flat and into our very own home.  We've been busy painting and buying furniture and trying to get things settled.  I say we...but really David has been doing most of the work because I've been busy baking...a bun! Between the new house and expecting a baby and all the organisation and work that comes with that and...oh our regular lives...I've just not had much inspiration lately.  

I can't decide if I want to stop posting altogether, or just take a break...or what. For the time being, though, I thought I'd give you a little look at the first cake baked in our new home...

I called this ridiculously heavy to carry (although light and fluffy) 3 layer monster my Brown Velvet cake.  It is, in reality, a red velvet without the food colouring.  In all honestly I had intended to make a red velvet cake...in fact I had my heart (and the baby's) set on a gorgeous 3 layer vivid red cake completely smothered in cream cheese icing...until I got to the grocery store and there was no red food dye to be seen.  Perhaps better for the baby in the long run...all those E numbers in combination with the sugar. 

Regardless, the cake turned out great.  It is terrifying baking in a new oven.  I am not happy that this oven in fan assisted with no option to turn the fan off (it is fan or grill or nothing)...but I remembered that I had read somewhere about turning the oven down 20 degrees for fan ovens (unless the temperature is given in the recipe). With fingers crossed and lots of hovering by the oven door I watched this cake rise nicely and retain it's domed top (triumph!).  A great first attempt, but I am sure disaster is lurking somewhere in the near future.  

Because all my cook books are still packed away somewhere in the many boxes crowding what will eventually becoming the nursery I used this recipe from Red Magazine online.  I liked that it used buttermilk (essential in any red velvet) and was pretty close to the Hummingbird Bakery recipe I usually use.  The recipe makes 2 20cm cakes in proper springform cake tines...not sandwich tins, so the finished cake is gigantic.  I ended up dividing the batter between 1 20cm tin and a 6 hole cupcake tin and then cutting the cake into 3 layers and saving the 6 cupcakes for the hard working David.  

Essentially *just* a chocolate cake...but totally not. 

Until Next Time...

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