Crafting the Perfect Cake

Cakes are often present at birthday parties, weddings and other celebrations. It's ubiquitous in various situations and events. Thus, I will introduce two cakes: The Red Velvet Cake and the Strawberry Cheesecake.

Red Velvet Cake

(This recipe was taken from allrecipes.com)

This is the Red Velvet Cake. In Canadian history, this dessert was famous in the Eaton department chain in the 1940s and 1950s. The recipe was secret and the cake was believed to be invented by Lady Eaton. The red colouring of the cake comes from food colouring, but it also may come from the chemical reaction between vinegar and cocoa. Recipe: Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 ounces red food coloring 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 cup milk 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar 1 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions Grease two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring. Set aside. Combine the buttermilk, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the cocoa mixture. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Stir together baking soda and vinegar, then gently fold into the cake batter. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To Make Icing: In a saucepan, combine the milk and 5 tablespoons flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool completely. Cream together butter, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until light and fluffy, then stir in the cooled milk and flour mixture, beating until icing reaches spreading consistency.

Strawberry Cheesecake

(This recipe was taken from allrecipes.com)

This is a Strawberry Cheesecake. Cheesecakes can be dated back to ancient Greece. Cheesecakes have a soft cheese filling (cream cheese most often) and may be baked or unbaked. Recipe: Ingredients 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed 1 tablespoon cornstarch 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 eggs 1 tablespoon water Directions Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-in. springform pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. In a blender or food processor, combine strawberries and cornstarch; cover and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup strawberry sauce; cool. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in milk. Add lemon juice; mix well. Add eggs, beat on low just until combined. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over crust. Drop half of the reserved strawberry mixture by 1/2 teaspoonfuls onto cream cheese layer. Carefully spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over sauce. Drop remaining strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top. With a knife, cut through top layer only to swirl strawberry sauce. Bake at 300 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove side of pan. Thin chilled strawberry sauce with water if desired; serve with cheesecake. Store in the refrigerator.

History of Cheese Cake
Cheesecake making can be traced back as far as 2,000 B.C.. Arthropologists have found cheese molds dating back to that time period. In ancient Greece, it is believed that cheesecake was invented. During the First Olympic Games held in 776 B.C., historians believed that cheese cake has severed to the athletes.
http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/Cheesecake.htm


Sources:

"Red Velvet Cake I Recipe - Allrecipes.com." Allrecipes.com - Recipes, Menus, Meal Ideas, Food, and Cooking Tips. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/red-velvet-cake-i/detail.aspx>.
"Red Velvet Cake." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_velvet_cake>.
"Cheesecake." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesecake>.
"Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe - Allrecipes.com." Allrecipes.com - Recipes, Menus, Meal Ideas, Food, and Cooking Tips. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/strawberry-cheesecake/detail.aspx>.