We’ve spoken in the past about what red velvet cake is made from, and hopefully we have inspired you to give it a go and make one yourself. But now you’ve mastered the art of baking the perfect red velvet cake, what about how you decorate it to ensure that the outside mirrors the inside?
In this article, we are going to run you through several different ideas for how to decorate red velvet cake to wow your family and friends. We’ll give you ideas for cream cheese icing decorations and unique red velvet cake designs so that you can unleash your inner Bake Off star.
What is red velvet cake?
In case you haven’t read our article on it (where have you been?!), we will give a quick reminder of what red velvet cake is. In essence, red velvet cake is a red-coloured, buttermilk-based chocolate cake that is sandwiched and coated in a cream cheese icing.
Despite sharing some ingredients with chocolate cake, red velvet is a denser, more tangy cake, with a less chocolatey flavour than its neighbour. Its red colour is created by the chemical reaction between the cocoa powder, buttermilk and lemon juice (or vinegar, whichever you choose to use), and enhanced with red food colouring.
What is cream cheese icing?
Cream cheese icing is exactly what it says on the tin: a delicious mixture of cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla extract that forms the basis of almost all red velvet toppings. The combination of these ingredients results in a creamy, tangy frosting with a rich and sweet flavour.
Cream cheese icing is often used to frost cakes, cupcakes, and pastries. This type of icing is particularly popular due to its velvety texture and the unique taste that cream cheese brings to the overall flavour of the baked good it is complementing. It is a classic choice for red velvet cakes, carrot cakes, and many other sweet treats.
How to ice your red velvet cake in cream cheese icing
As cream cheese frosting serves as the basis of all decoration for a red velvet cake, it’s important that you know how to do this. It may sound easy, but actually making sure that you can get a smooth, even coating that isn’t dotted with obvious red crumbs can be quite the challenge.
To avoid these pesky crumbs distributing their way through your icing, make sure to begin with a crumb coat. A crumb coat is a thin layer of icing that is used to seal in any stray crumbs. Before you begin your crumb coat, make sure to separate your icing, putting ⅔ aside until after the crumb coat is finished. This will avoid getting any of those pesky stray crumbs on the rest of your icing.
Using a spatula or icing knife, smooth a thin layer of icing over the whole cake and place in the fridge to allow the crumb coat to harden. Once it has set, you can use the remaining frosting as the main icing for the cake. Spread a thick layer of the icing over the cake, making sure to wipe your instrument clean after each swipe. Chill in the fridge for a while before repeating the process. This will help you to achieve a smooth effect without any smears - the perfect base for your red velvet cake decorations.
Red velvet cake decoration ideas
Once you’ve got to grips with the cream cheese base, you can move on to our favourite part - the decoration! There are so many different ways that you can decorate a red velvet cake, and the decoration can be as simple or over-the-top as you want! We are going to share 4 of our favourite ways to decorate your red velvet cake, so that it looks as good as it tastes!
Simple ribbed frosting effect
One of our favourite ways to adorn a homemade red velvet cake is one of the most simple, a ribbed cream cheese icing decoration effect. The easiest way to achieve this is by using a cake comb. A cake comb is a decorating tool with a straight edge and a couple of ridges that allows you to apply the ribbon pattern in icing onto your cake. Simply add the icing onto your cake and use the cake comb to smooth it out. This will create the ridged, ribbon effect instantly.
If you don’t own a cake comb, another way to achieve this design is by using an angled spatula and turntable. Apply your cream cheese icing on top of your crumb coat, like above, and even it out so that there is a thick layer of icing covering the cake. Then, holding your angled spatula at 45°, place it at the bottom of your cake and spin your turntable with the other hand. While your turntable is spinning, apply a gentle pressure with your angled spatula, and move it up slowly until you reach the top of the cake.
Top with fresh fruit
Another simple, yet effective, way of decorating your red velvet cake is by adorning with fresh fruit. We find that red fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, cherries and grapes, work best, as it is a nice way to match the colouring of the inside of the cake so that the design looks seamless.
Your fruit can be placed in strict patterns, or sprinkled sporadically across the top - whatever you prefer.
Adorn with crumbs
We know we just spent 10 minutes telling you how to avoid getting crumbs in your cream cheese frosting, but a cake half covered in a layer of red crumbs can look really visually appealing.
Again, this is relatively easy to achieve. During the baking process, make sure you have either baked an extra cake, or cut off enough excess of your cake to break up into crumbs so that you can achieve the desired effect.
Once you are happy with the icing coat on your cake, simply crumble your extra cake pieces up gently with your fingers until you’ve created enough crumbs. Take a handful of these crumbs and press them into the side of your cake, creating a thick layer over the icing. You can either cover the entire cake in these crumbs, cover the whole side of the cake but leave the top blank, or - our personal favourite - use just enough crumbs to cover the sides of the cake up to the half-way point. This will give your cake an extra visual element to make it stand out.
Go all out
Here at Gaya’s Cakes, we like to go all out with our decoration, whilst still keeping that elegant, luxury look in mind. Our red velvet cakes are expertly decorated with a layer of our signature vanilla meringue buttercream and topped with a crown of vanilla bean cream cheese buttercream, adorned with red chocolate disks, a sprinkling of red velvet cake crumbs and mini red velvet cake truffles.
Obviously, you don’t have to copy what we do, but let your creative juices run wild and create a completely unique, bespoke decoration that will wow your friends and family!
How Gaya’s Cakes can help
If this article has completely put you off baking and the art of cake decoration, we are here to help!
We offer a wide range of delicious cakes and treats for every occasion. From decadent red velvet cakes to delicious brownies, we have a sweet treat to suit all.
Browse our cakes, desserts and postal treats on our website, or contact us today about a bespoke cake that meets your unique requirements!
