Red Velvet Cherry Cake

Red Velvet Cherry Cake

Red Velvet Cake has a single, albeit significant purpose in my world, to celebrate my stepmother’s birthday. It is a cake her late mother used to bake for her when she was growing up in Alabama. This is why I love baking cakes, they can bring back memories of a sweet moment and the feeling of love. The modern, bright red cake is often thought of as a Southern cake but it was actually made famous in New York City at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Originally dating back to the Victorian era, it was made with natural (reddish-hued) cocoa powder or even beets, but eventually, the color was enhanced with food color.

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Cupcake Recipes

Devils Food Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing on a tray.

How can you beat a cupcake? The moist, smooth texture of a cake with endless flavor combinations in a single serving. It’s a perfect treat for birthdays, and gatherings of all kinds. My list of cupcake recipes includes everything from rich chocolate with cream cheese icing to carrot to special occasion flavors like thin mint. I’m sure you’ll find something to love here, no matter the reason for your cupcake making.

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Victory (Victoria) Sponge Cake

A close-up of Zoë Francois' finished Victoria Sponge.

I fell in love with Victoria sponge cake on a trip to Dublin. The cake itself was so deliciously light but I had a difficult time replicating its texture when I got home. Once I employed “self-raising” flour, a common ingredient in the UK, which contains baking powder and salt in the mix, I had a total victory! The traditional filling is whipped cream and jam with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. I added some strawberries for flavor, texture, and decoration along with some edible flowers.

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