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I Am a Southern Belle!

Date: Mar. 26th 2007
Category: Cakes, Cheesecakes, Cupcakes and Muffins
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When my brother and I were children, we lived in a one television household. As horrifying as this may seem nowadays, it actually worked out quite well as the family enjoyed the viewing pleasure of Italian news programs, the Muppets, hockey and Sesame Street.

Television life, in general, was good.

Of course every now and then, the television gods would throw us a curve ball. For my brother and I, that came in the form of the "old movie". Being children, this meant anything that was in black and white, involved cowboys or - the horror of all horrors - had subtitles.

Shudder!

For the children in my family, Gone With the Wind was considered to be by far the worst old movie. This was due entirely to the fact that it was soooooooo loooooooong. Being allowed to watch television for only an hour a day at most meant that having the television monopolized by a movie that was over four hours in length seemed grossly unfair. Yet despite our most heart-rending pleas to forsake the movie in favour of Kermit and Miss Piggy, the answer was always the same. Gone With the Wind is on. We’re watching. Deal with it.

Sigh.

So, right around my eleventh year, I finally decided that if you can’t beat ‘em, you might as well join ‘em. I sat my glum self down resigned to a night of hoop skirts and Southern accents. But as often happens in life, all it takes is a single moment to change your outlook forever. After one brief glimpse of Scarlett O’Hara flouncing around in yards and yards of beautiful material, with that floppy hat on her head and all those Southern boys clamouring for her attention, I felt transformed. In that brief moment I knew that my destiny was to be a Southern belle.

Try explaining that one to your Italian family. It became clear, very quickly, that a corset and big hat with a bow weren’t in my near future.

I fell in line comforting myself with the fact that my mother’s side of the family being from Southern Italy meant that I was already a Southern belle … of sorts. Of course my "Southern belleness" came with garlic, tomato sauce and kerchiefs wrapped around the head.

As time went by, I became resigned to the fact that the Old South just wasn’t in the cards for me. That is until I read an article about New York’s Magnolia Bakery and the famous Red Velvet Cake. I’d never heard of this dessert before and so knew little about its origins. But as I read more about it, it became apparent that the ubiquitous Red Velvet Cake may have been born in the Southern states. I’m not sure why, but I attached myself to this speculation like Scarlett grabbing on to a new dress.

Red Velvet Cake gets its name (as you may have already guessed) from the deep red colour of the cake’s crumb. While there is much arguing over how the cake gets its colour (some think it has to do with the reaction between the cocoa and the buttermilk that some recipes call for), the fact is that most of these cakes are red thanks to the use of red food colouring. Some sources indicate that when Red Velvet Cake was first made, cooks would have used beets to colour the batter.

In pursuit of this cake, my first idea was to go to New York and visit the famed Magnolia Bakery and of course try some Red Velvet Cake. Well the trip to New York hasn’t quite happened yet. So I finally decided that it was time for me to make it myself and take one step closer to claiming my rightful place as a Southern belle.

Happily, Red Velvet Cake was accepted as the challenge for the month of March by the Daring Bakers. For those of you that are familiar with our baking group, the Daring Bakers was started by Lisa and myself back in November 2006 when we decided we’d try our hand at pretzels. Since then, we’ve been joined by more and more bakers each month. In addition to Brilynn, Helene, Peabody, Jenny, Veronica, Hester, Mary and Tanna, we are joined this month by Freya of Writing at the Kitchen Table, Jen of The Canadian Baker, Morven of Food Art and Random Thoughts, Pat of Feeding My Enthusiasms, Mary of The Sour Dough and Valentina of Trembom in English.

And for this month’s challenge, the cherry on the sundae has been the beautiful logo designed for us by none other than Ximena of Lobstersquad. If you haven’t already been enjoying Ximena’s delightful illustrations, then you should be ashamed of yourselves! Especially since her blog is one of the most well-written and witty sites out there. Ximena, the Daring Bakers thank you. (I wonder how well Red Velvet Cake would hold up if mailed to Spain???)

Unlike previous challenges, we had a difficult time deciding on which recipe to use so we all tried the recipe that we preferred. I chose (of course) to try the recipe from More from Magnolia. Making the cake couldn’t have been simpler as this is a very standard cake that uses butter, flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. While I rarely use food colouring in baking, it was fascinating watching as the batter went from a creamy colour to a deep red. I’ll admit, my inner Southern child was quite delighted.

Because I wanted to bring this cake to a function I was attending, I decided to make cupcakes as they are easier to transport (for me) than a three-layer iced cake. The cupcakes baked beautifully and while the colour lightened slightly, they still remained a deep red. To adorn my beautiful red cupcakes I made the Creamy Vanilla Frosting, also from More From Magnolia. But being Southern, I just had to make sure that my cupcakes would be the most beautiful girls at the ball so I reserved some icing and used a few drops of red food colouring to tint it a lovely pinkish colour. I whipped out the piping bag and dolled my little cakes up.

The cupcakes were very good. They had a strong cocoa flavour but they were not at all heavy. The frosting was also just right for these cupcakes as they cake itself is was not overly sweet so it’s a good base for the frosting. And they were just so pretty to look at!

Now if only I could find my bonnet and parasol, I’d take my little cupcakes out for a walk and bask in the glow!

Ciao!

Note: This was the first time that I made this cake so I did not adapt the recipe in any way hence I’m not posting it. However, More From Magnolia is a lovely baking book so I do recommend it. It has a number of delicious recipes (besides Red Velvet Cake) so its worth it if you’re looking for a cookbook on sweets. I followed the standard recipe and then baked it in two muffin tins which yielded 24 cupcakes in total.

Take a look at what the other Daring Bakers did with their Red Velvet Cakes:

Lisa: The Cake That Had Me Seeing Red …

Brilynn: Well it Certainly is Red

Helene: Red Velvet Cakes …

Peabody: Don’t Wear White When Eating This…

Jenny: Exploring the Red Velvet

Veronica: A Daring Cake for Daring Bakers

Hester: March Challenge: Red Velvet Cake

Mary: Red Velvet Cake

Tanna: Yes, It’s Really RED

Freya: Introducing … The Daring Bakers!

Jen: Daring Bakers March Challenge - Red Velvet Cake

Morven: Daring Bakers Do Dallas

Pat: Post not up yet.

Mary: A Tale of Two Red Velvet Cakes and Sixteen Daring Bakers

Valentina: Despite the Last Minute Rush, A Beautiful Recipe

Technorati tags: daring bakers, red velvet cake, cake, magnolia bakery

64 Comments

Freya

03/26/07 at 3:18 pm

Ivonne, these do look simply deeelightful!! True Southern Belles indeed! THis has been a really fun first daring bake for me, even if I didn’t enjoy the cake itself!

Laurie

03/26/07 at 3:23 pm

Those have got to be the most adorable cupcakes I have seen, I love how you decorated them, with a bow even, who’d of thunk it! So cute!

Claire

03/26/07 at 3:31 pm

Love the cupcakes! How cute. And I love the grograin (probably horrendously spelled!) ribbon. I think that makes it look Southern!

Cheryl

03/26/07 at 3:43 pm

These are cutest little cupcakes y’all has ever seen.

Brilynn

03/26/07 at 3:52 pm

Beautiful! Definitely the bells of the ball!

Jen

03/26/07 at 3:52 pm

Ivonne, your cupcakes sure do look like little Southern Belles! Beautiful!

Lisa

03/26/07 at 3:58 pm

Stunning. Just simply stunning. The cutest cupcakes I have ever seen, hands down!

My mom owns a first edition copy of Gone With the Wind - it’s got to be 3 inches thick. It sat in her closet for years and years until one day, when I was probably around 16, I took it down and started reading it. I read, pretty much non-stop for 2 days until I had finished it. To this day, best book EVER. The movie pales, but I still love it =)

Anyhoo.. I love the story of how you realized you were meant to be a Southern Belle =)

xoxox

veron

03/26/07 at 3:58 pm

Well, y’all look like a Southern belle with your cutesy little cupcakes in their ribbon corsets. You did such a great job with them, decorating them to be the belles of the ball!

sher

03/26/07 at 4:22 pm

Well, Fiddle Dee Dee!! As a Southern girl, I can tell you those are the prettiest things I’ve seen in ages. Each cupcake looks like Scarlett all dressed up to go to a picnic! All the gentlemen at the picnic would bring her one of those. They are perfect. :):)

Morven

03/26/07 at 4:35 pm

Well darlin’ you’ve creatived the cutest cupcakes ah have evah seen (said in my best Southern Belle accent). Beautiful.

Meeta

03/26/07 at 4:41 pm

I was waiting for this from my fave Italian Bella!! After seeing red everywhere today I knew you’d be at it too. These are so incredibly gorgeous. And those daring bakers are growing with each event. I have not found the courage to dare with the gang yet!! Shame on me!

Tanna

03/26/07 at 4:42 pm

Well, it looks like you are the bell of the ball and have it all tied up with a bow! Love, Love the decorations!! and you get in just a really great story with it all as well.
Always amazing!!
Thanks so much for letting me keep company with you!

Mary

03/26/07 at 5:22 pm

I think you’ve embraced your inner Southern belle in a mighty fine way!

Jenny

03/26/07 at 5:31 pm

I can see you in mutton sleeves with a parasol and bonnet! Course I see you stomping grapes for an Italian wine while wearing it! Your cupcakes look great! I’m sure they were the prettiest bell of the ball!

Jody

03/26/07 at 5:35 pm

Hi, this is my first time posting, I just love your blog! I had a comment about using beets to colour cake batter. I actually make a beet cake, I found the recipe a few years ago in a Cooking Light Magazine. The cake batter is in fact bright pink, but once baked, it comes out a beautiful shade of brown. It does not taste at all like beets, but like carrot cake…top with a cream cheese frosting and voila! -very tasty! The first time I made this cake was for company, when I told them what we were having for dessert they looked so disappointed! Beet cake! I am happy to report they loved it!

peabody

03/26/07 at 6:18 pm

Those turned out so adorable Ivonne!

Nazca

03/26/07 at 6:32 pm

Muppets over GWTW any day! If I were you I’d sit down with a batch of those fiery cupcakes and watch Muppet re-runs/movies all weekend!

Casey

03/26/07 at 7:14 pm

I am also a first time poster - and I really adore your blog. The pictures have literally made me drool before.

Where abouts do you live? I wouldn’t mind shipping you out a slice of Magnolia’s Red Velvet if it’s not too much trouble - I only live just uptown from the bakery!

Scott at Realepicurean

03/26/07 at 7:16 pm

Oh! Again a delicious cake recipe. You guys are going to make me sick if I eat all this cake…

austen

03/26/07 at 7:33 pm

Wow, they look fantastic! And I really enjoyed your story, too, I love that the “slices” of cake come with slices of life. Three cheers for the belle of the ball! (Oh, and I made the banana/pecan/chocolate cake with caramel for a work function last week…delish! Thank you for sharing!)

barbie2be

03/26/07 at 7:34 pm

you must package up those cupcakes and send them to california at once! i’m begging you!

Ellie

03/26/07 at 7:35 pm

Lookin’ mighty fine there missy! Great job on those cupcakes!

Helen

03/26/07 at 8:09 pm

Oh man! I want one McCreamy!
They are just gorgeous. I have been devouring those pictures with my eyes and wished I could come and share one with you!

Chris

03/26/07 at 8:41 pm

Wow! These are the prettiest cupcakes. I love how they are garnished. Fabulous, simply fabulous!

Joe

03/26/07 at 9:33 pm

Beautiful works of art as usual! I love the extra touch of red with the lighter frosting!

Anita

03/26/07 at 10:00 pm

Ivonne,
They are beautiful - just like gorgeous ball gowns! I also love the logo and the name of your group - let me know what your next themes are and I’ll try my best to join in!

Lydia

03/26/07 at 11:52 pm

Your Red Velvet cupcakes are adorable! It’s been such fun reading everyone’s posts and seeing each interpretation of this classic cake. What will the Daring Bakers think of next?!

Pille

03/27/07 at 3:02 am

These look so pretty and red!! I must overlook the fact that there’s so much red food dye and make some myself:)

Francesca

03/27/07 at 5:13 am

Ivonne sono deliziosi!!! Bellissimi, sei molto brava

Laura

03/27/07 at 6:27 am

Beautiful baking! I hope it’s okay to ask but how do you become a daring baker. I’m a meek one at the moment and I’d love to take on a challenge!

breadchick

03/27/07 at 7:06 am

Ivonne thank you (and my bud Lisa) so much for inviting me to join this wonderful group of bakers! Your cupcakes are just adorable and you know how hard it is for us Southern Belle Wantabes to decide which man it is who gets us dessert let alone which dessert to chose. BUT, I think I would send one of the Tarleton boys for one of your cupcakes at the 12 Oaks dessert table

joey

03/27/07 at 7:43 am

Oh Yvonne! I so wanted to be Scarlett when I was a kid! I’m totally serious and that’s why enjoyed your post so much (aside from the usual great pictures and delicious subject) I too remember the first time I saw Scarlett at the barbecue surrounded by all these young men all vying to chosen to get her a piece of pie. I knew that scene just had to be in my future of else! Well, nothing of the sort happened but my grandma did sew me a hoop skirt when I was little so I could prance around the garden and “pretend”
Thanks for bringing back so many good memories! Your cupcakes look adorable and I’m sure they taste wonderful! The logo rocks too

Patricia Scarpin

03/27/07 at 7:54 am

Ivonne, they are so cute!!! May I have one? I can’t resist anything with a ribbon.
P.S.: I loved “Gone with the wind” as a child. The good thing is the channel that had the rights to air the movie sometimes did it as a miniseries and divided it in 3 days. Then I wouldn’t fall asleep in the middle of it.

Kat

03/27/07 at 8:08 am

one of my favorite cakes! love the decorations on top.

Sally

03/27/07 at 8:31 am

How beautiful!

Maria

03/27/07 at 10:02 am

Your cupcakes are so cute and I am sure they were delicious!

gilly

03/27/07 at 10:16 am

Hi Ivonne!
Beautiful cake - gorgeous red hue! Y’all would make the perfect southern belle…

connie

03/27/07 at 11:54 am

great entry for the red velvet cake! the frosting looks like daawwling little hats [darling, said like how my southern grandmother would say it] great job Ivonne!

Cris

03/27/07 at 1:30 pm

Hum Ivonne, that looks fantastic, great picture, the plaid fabric added the final touch, very cute.

Janice

03/27/07 at 1:42 pm

Oh my, Puff…you’ve outdone yourself. Very southern, indeed. My friend, who comes from the South like me, has the best recipe. I’ll have to see how Magnolia compares. I believe her recipe uses quite a bit of vegetable oil.

Orchidea

03/27/07 at 3:05 pm

Ma sono bellissimi! Troppo carino… e sicuramente buonissimi.
Fra poco vado a casa in Italia per Pasqua… non vedo l’ora di mangiare tutte le cose buone che mi cucineranno i miei genitori.
Ciao.

Claudia

03/27/07 at 3:53 pm

Okay. Thiose are just the prettiest cupcaes I’ve seen in a long time, Prettier than mine. Ilove red Velvet cake and have made it a couple of times from different recipes. So, how can I join the Daring Bakers? I am somewhat daring myself, though at the moment I am on a pudding and custard kick which is technically not baking but is dessert. And I did explode a pot of carmelized sugar the other day and THAT was fun. Can I, can I???

Mercedes

03/27/07 at 5:15 pm

It seems we are on the same page because I just made red velvet cake too (see the blog). I’d really love to join the baking club if possible. The cupcakes are precious!

gattina

03/27/07 at 5:17 pm

Bella bella!!!
If I couldn’t finish them (which is unlikely), I’d wear them!

erin

03/27/07 at 8:22 pm

Can I join your baking group?!

jasmine

03/27/07 at 8:43 pm

I adore the bow!

Nicely done, my dear (and the rest of you!):)

SimplePleasures

03/27/07 at 8:50 pm

these simply are soooo southern! a true southern belles! they are simply sooo adorable!

Glenna

03/28/07 at 1:03 am

Oh Gawd, I just love them. They’re adorable! And dressed in a pretty gingham ribbon just like any southern belle should be.

Anuhea

03/28/07 at 4:16 am

Aww, SO adorable, especially with the little ribbons.

lobstersquad

03/28/07 at 5:47 am

Hi Ivonne,
thanks, I´m so glad you like the logo, it was a lot of fun to do.
I suspect the cake might wilt like Scarlett O´Hara in the fire of Atlanta, but I sure would love to try!

Truffle

03/28/07 at 7:29 am

what little gems! fabulous photos!

Kirsten

03/28/07 at 11:38 am

Wow - these look incredible! Love the gingham ribbon too

lory

03/28/07 at 2:19 pm

Quelle merveille, j’adoore!!miam,..

valentina

03/28/07 at 6:33 pm

Ivonne, they are so girly! terribly pretty!! I would have loved to have had one - I would even dress up for the occasion.

Amy

03/28/07 at 8:21 pm

I just ate but somehow I’m hungry again!!

Jenny

03/29/07 at 11:24 am

What would I need to do to join the Darling Bakers?!? Sounds like fun!

Christine

03/29/07 at 1:01 pm

Great challenge! Your cupcakes are the cutest things I have ever seen. I love the pink frosting roses. As always I am super impressed with your creations. I recently made a Red Velvet cake too because I wanted to try something different. I wasn’t overly impressed with the cake’s taste but I sure did like the icing!! Thanks for a great read. Have a great day!

Gigibird

03/29/07 at 2:32 pm

I want to eat several of these little beauties right now. You are such a talent.
I hope you don’t think me rude, but do yuo struggle with your weight?

bea at La tartine gourmande

03/29/07 at 5:09 pm

I have been dying to try a similar recipe for a while, even printed a few. Now which one to choose? Yours look definitely high in the list!

Alice Q. Foodie

03/30/07 at 9:23 pm

Are the Daring Bakers still accepting new members? Can I join?? Pulllease??? I just loove your cool logo! Gorgeous Red Velvet Cakelets by the way!

Paz

03/31/07 at 8:16 pm

Bee-you-tee-ful!

Paz

Swee

04/3/07 at 11:50 am

Hey there..
I was wondering if I’m eligible to join ? I love the concept of this challenge!!

cheers

cheryl

04/4/07 at 8:15 pm

No No come to Savannah, Georgia instead & we can whip up a batch of red velvet cupcakes together

Annabelle

04/16/07 at 8:22 pm

I love Red Velvet cake. I’m known as “the one who makes that red cake,” at work.

It seems most of you daring bakers used a whack recipe.

Yours, and maybe one or two of the others were the only ones that turned out right. I think it’s something about the technique used in the recipe Peabody gave you.

The one I’ve come to know and trust as the best and most consistent is Cake Man Raven’s.

Here’s the link:
http://www.cakemanraven.com/recipe.htm

He has you sift the dry ingredients first and then mix them into the wet ingredients.

Theres something that happens when you do that that makes the baking soda and vinegar react just right.

I usually add twice the amount of cocoa and twice the amount of food coloring.

Tell your fellow bakers not to completely write off Red Velvet cake. Really good Red Velvet cake is rare and totally worth learning how to make.

I have the Magnolia bakery recipe and your posting makes me eager to try that one.

Thanks

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