Lunar New Year Cake:Red Velvet Cake
Desserts are an indispensable food during the Lunar New Year. The sweet taste can perfectly bring out the warmth and beauty of the Chinese New Year in advance. Today, I will share this New Year cake that symbolizes reunion and sweetness with everyone.
About Lunar New Year Cake
The Lunar New Year cake is a cake designed to celebrate the New Year. It is usually red in color, symbolizing New Year blessings and good meanings. It is one of the important traditional foods in China and East Asia.
The Lunar New Year cake combines the production process of Western cakes, but mainly uses traditional Chinese elements, such as red or gold decorations, which symbolize happiness and wealth. There are many flavors, such as strawberry, hawthorn, chocolate, etc., which are very popular during the Lunar New Year.
Lunar New Year Customs
The Lunar New Year is one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture, and celebrations usually last for 15 days, from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. During this time, every household will hold a grand reunion dinner, symbolizing family harmony and reunion.
Years ago
Sweeping the house: Starting from around the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, every household will do a thorough cleaning, cleaning the house thoroughly, symbolizing sweeping away the bad luck of the year and welcoming a new beginning.
Buying New Year’s goods: People will purchase all kinds of food, clothing, and daily necessities, such as candy, melon seeds, new clothes, Spring Festival couplets, etc., which are full of the atmosphere of the New Year.
Posting Spring Festival couplets and window flowers: On New Year’s Eve, red Spring Festival couplets and auspicious window flowers will be posted on the door to add a festive atmosphere to the home and express good expectations for the new year.
Mid-year
New Year’s Eve dinner: On the night of New Year’s Eve, the whole family sits together and eats a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner. This is the most important meal of the year. Everyone will taste various delicacies together, chat about family matters, and share the reunion moment.
Staying up all night to welcome the New Year: After eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, everyone will stay up all night together to welcome the arrival of the New Year, symbolizing the reluctance to say goodbye to the old year and the longing for the new year.
Setting off firecrackers: When the New Year’s bell rings, setting off firecrackers is used to drive away the “Nian monster” and also adds to the festive and lively atmosphere. However, many places now switch to setting off electronic firecrackers for environmental protection and safety reasons.
Years later
New Year's Greetings: Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, people will visit relatives and friends, greet each other, say some auspicious words, and send New Year blessings. Children can also receive red envelopes from their elders.
Visit temple fairs: Many places will hold temple fairs during the Chinese New Year, with various performances, snacks, and games. It is very lively. You can go and have a look and feel the strong New Year atmosphere.
Celebrating the Lantern Festival: On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people eat rice dumplings, admire lanterns, and guess lantern riddles. This is also an important custom of the New Year. After the Lantern Festival, the New Year is almost over.
Required Ingredients
Main ingredients
Cake flour: The main ingredient, provides the cake with structure.
Red velvet liquid: One of the main ingredients and one of the iconic ingredients of red velvet cake.
Eggs: provide structure, moistness and richness to the cake.
Strawberry: One of the main decorations, enhancing the appearance and taste of the cake.
Hawthorn: One of the main decorations, providing sour taste and adding layer of flavor.
Seasoning
Corn oil: It is the source of oil for red velvet cake and can keep the cake moist.
Milk: Provide liquid for the cake, adjust the consistency of the batter, and make the cake more delicate and moist.
Cocoa powder: Gives the cake its characteristic dark hue and chocolate flavor.
Lemon juice: Lemon juice mainly plays an acidifying role.
Whipped cream: used to make cream frosting for cakes to add milky flavor.
White sugar: provides sweetness and helps make the cake fluffy.
Substitutions:
Corn oil: Can be replaced with other vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, sunflower oil or olive oil.
Milk: You can use plant milk such as almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, etc. instead.
Cocoa powder: can be replaced with brown sugar or beet powder.
Low-gluten flour: can be replaced with medium-gluten flour.
Red Velvet Liquid: You can use other natural ingredients for coloring, such as beet or raspberry juice.
Lemon juice: Can be replaced with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Whipping cream: You can use vegetable cream instead.
Strawberry: Can be replaced with blueberry, raspberry, orange slices, kiwi, etc.
Hawthorn: Can be replaced by lemon, green apple, etc.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·3 eggs
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·50g low-gluten flour
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·8ml Red Velvet Liquid
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·100g strawberry
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·100g hawthorn
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·360ml whipping cream
Seasonings
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·35ml corn oil
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·40ml milk
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·2g cocoa powder
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·2-3 drops of lemon juice
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·1 8 5g white sugar
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Prepare wet materials and emulsify:
Pour 35ml corn oil and 40ml milk into a container and stir well.
Next add 3 egg yolks and continue beating until fully incorporated.
Step 2
Mix the dry ingredients and stir:
Then sift 50g of low-gluten flour and 2g of cocoa powder into the above mixture and stir evenly using a zigzag motion.
Then add 8ml of red velvet liquid and stir into a uniform red velvet egg yolk paste.
Step 3
Beat the egg whites:
Add 2-3 drops of lemon juice to 3 egg whites and 40g of sugar.
Beat with a whisk until it forms stiff peaks.
Step 4
Mix egg white and egg yolk paste:
Take one-third of the whipped egg whites and add them to the red velvet egg yolk paste prepared in advance, and gently stir until evenly combined.
Then pour the stirred mixture into the remaining two-thirds of egg whites and stir evenly to avoid defoaming.
Step 5
Baking the cake base:
Pour the mixed cake batter into a six-inch mold, shake the mold lightly to remove bubbles, and arrange the cake base.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees, put the cake base in and bake for 50 minutes.
Step 6
Making candied haws:
Put 120g sugar and 60g water in a pot, heat over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar melts and the syrup changes color.
Add hawthorns one by one and coat with syrup, set aside.
Step 7
Whipped cream:
Take another 360ml of whipping cream and 25g of white sugar and beat until a clear texture appears.
Step 8
Decorate the cake:
After the cake base has cooled, cut it into three pieces. Squeeze a layer of cream on the first layer of cake, place strawberry pieces in the middle as a sandwich, and then cover with another layer of cream.
Repeat the first layer for the second layer.
For the third layer, squeeze a circle of cream around the cake, place candied hawthorns in the middle, and sprinkle the remaining cake crumbs in the mold around it.
Step 9
Finished product:
The delicious and festive New Year's red velvet cake is ready.
Tips for Success
Emulsification and stirring techniques:
Corn oil and milk need to be thoroughly stirred into an emulsified state to lay the foundation for the uniformity of the batter.
When mixing dry ingredients, using a zigzag stirring motion can effectively prevent the flour from forming gluten and ensure the cake has a soft texture.
Tips for whipping egg whites:
Adding lemon juice to egg whites can adjust the pH, which is beneficial for whipping the egg whites and makes them more stable.
When adding sugar, you can add it in batches or all at once (here 40g of sugar is added at one time), and beat it until it forms stiff small corners to ensure the stability and support of the meringue.
Tips for mixing egg white and egg yolk paste:
First, take out one-third of the whipped egg whites and add them to the red velvet egg yolk paste and mix well to reduce the thickness of the egg yolk paste, making it easier to mix with the remaining egg whites later.
When pouring the mixture into the remaining two-thirds of egg whites, fold it from the bottom up. Be gentle and quick to avoid defoaming and ensure the fluffiness of the cake.
Baking tips:
After pouring the cake batter into the mold, gently shake the mold to expel bubbles to prevent holes in the baked cake.
Preheat the oven in advance so that the cake base can be heated quickly after entering the oven, forming a good expansion effect.
Bake at 150 degrees for 50 minutes to ensure that the cake is cooked through and the surface is not burnt.
Tips for preparing decorative materials:
When making candied hawthorns, heat sugar and water over low heat, stirring continuously, and simmer until the syrup changes color, allowing the hawthorns to be evenly coated with the syrup and preventing the syrup from crystallizing.
When whipping the cream, add sugar and whip until a clear texture appears, ensuring the thickness and plasticity of the cream for easy decoration of the cake.
Decorating tips:
Divide the cake base into three slices, and spread cream and strawberry pieces on each slice as a sandwich. This can not only increase the moistness and rich taste of the cake, but also make the cake have distinct layers.
Pipe buttercream around the third layer, place candied hawthorns in the middle and sprinkle with cake crumbs to make the cake more layered and festive in appearance.
More Fruit Desserts to Try
Delicious Homemade Meat Floss Mochi Egg Cake Recipe
Purple Potato Baked Egg Custard
Purple Potato Pancakes with Cream Flavor
Vegetarian Friendly: Purple Potatoes Casserole
Rolling Donkey: A Beijing Snack with Cultural Charm
How to store
1. Store at room temperature
Place the red velvet cake in a sealed container to avoid air contact. Place in a cool and ventilated place, away from direct sunlight. At room temperature, the red velvet cake can be kept for 2-3 days.
2. Keep in refrigerator
Put the red velvet cake in the refrigerator and keep the temperature at 0-4 degrees Celsius. Refrigeration can extend the shelf life of red velvet cake, which can be kept for about a week. But it should be noted that after taking out the red velvet cake, it should be eaten as soon as possible to avoid the taste deteriorating.
3. Cryopreservation
Put the red velvet cake in a sealed bag, expel the air and seal it. Put it in the freezer and keep the temperature below -18 degrees Celsius. Frozen storage can extend the shelf life of red velvet cake to about 1 month. Before eating, take out the frozen red velvet cake in advance, thaw it at room temperature, and eat it after it returns to temperature.
Precautions
Avoid moisture
Red velvet cake contains a lot of sugar and is easy to absorb moisture. During storage, avoid contact between the cake and moist items to prevent it from spoiling.
Check before eating
Storage of Red Velvet Cake Storage Methods When storing red velvet cake, check its condition regularly. If you find mold on the surface of the cake, odor, or the taste has deteriorated, do not eat it.
Recommended pairing
Coffee: Red velvet cake tastes sweet, and pairing it with mellow coffee can make the cake taste softer and the experience better.
Hot Chocolate: The hot chocolate has a rich chocolate flavor that complements the red velvet cake, creating a rich and harmonious taste.
Ice cream: The ice cream has a delicate taste, and paired with the red velvet cake, the blend of cold and hot makes the taste richer.
Yogurt: Red velvet cake can also be eaten with yogurt, which can neutralize the sweetness of the red velvet cake. Its delicate texture matches the cake, and the taste is rich and refreshing, and can also increase a certain sense of fullness.
FAQs:
To solve this problem, when beating egg whites, choose a clean container without oil or water, and keep the whisk head clean. First, beat the egg whites at a low speed, then gradually increase the speed of the whisk to beat. Sugar should be added in three times, and it is appropriate to beat until the egg white paste presents a stiff small point state when the whisk is lifted. Make sure the baking powder is within the shelf life and add it according to the recipe and control the amount accurately.
It is recommended to set the baking time and temperature appropriately according to the power of your own oven. When the baking time is about to end, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. If there is nothing attached to the toothpick after pulling it out, it means that the cake is cooked. After the cake is out of the oven, it should be immediately turned upside down on the drying net and removed from the mold after it is completely cooled.
It is recommended to add red velvet liquid according to the amount required by the recipe. If you want the color to be redder, you can increase the amount of red velvet liquid appropriately, but not too much to avoid affecting the taste.
When whipping cream, keep it refrigerated to a low temperature. It is also best to refrigerate the whipping container and whisk head in advance.
When whipping, add an appropriate amount of white sugar according to the amount of light cream. Start whipping at a low speed and gradually increase the speed. Beat until a clear texture appears. When you lift the whisk, the cream should be in the shape of a small pointed hook and not bend.
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