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Sloe Gin Red Velvet Cake: we are in love with this boozy bake!
Feb 3, 2022
Whether you’re looking for the perfect cake recipe for Valentine’s Day or simply looking for a bake with real “wow-factor”, this Sloe Gin Red Velvet Cake is just the thing for you!
With bright red chocolate and vanilla sponge, brushed with a hearty helping of homemade sloe gin syrup and decorated with lots of luscious Chantilly cream, this bake is sure to be a hit with gin fans and cake connoisseurs alike.
What’s more, the recipe SO easy to follow at home - you really do get the maximum effect with minimal effort.
Is red velvet cake just a chocolate cake?
Red velvet cake is traditionally a layered chocolate cake.
Our recipe finds a balance of chocolate and vanilla flavours by adding vanilla essence to the red velvet cake batter along with the cocoa powder.
What makes a cake “red velvet”?
Today, the addition of red food colouring to a chocolate and/or vanilla-based cake batter makes a cake “red velvet”. However, it is thought that red velvet cake traditionally takes its name from the reddish colour of the un-treated cocoa powder that was traditionally used.
Another theory is that the cake got its name from the use of brown sugar in older recipes. Brown sugar has also been known as “red sugar” around the globe and at different times in history.
Red velvet cake is also usually decorated with icing. For our recipe, we are using Chantilly cream, which is much lighter than most icings and has a delicious vanilla fragrance that works brilliantly with the sponge.
What is Chantilly cream?
Chantilly cream (“crème Chantilly” in French) is a sweetened whipped cream that is often used in French baking recipes. It is sometimes made with vanilla, which adds a beautiful perfume to the cream.
In our recipe we use icing sugar to sweeten the cream and seeds from a vanilla pod to flavour it. Yum!
Sloe Gin Red Velvet Cake
For the red velvet sponge:
Small tube of red food colouring gel
4 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
125g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour
20g cocoa powder
For the sloe gin syrup:
50ml sloe gin - available here
50ml water
50g sugar
For the chantilly cream filling:
200ml double cream
Seeds from one vanilla pod (or 1 tsp of vanilla paste or essence)
100g icing sugar
- Preheat your oven to 180c (gas mark 4). Line a springform cake tin with a thin layer of butter and greaseproof paper.
- Make the cake batter by beating together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and fold until no dry ingredients are visible and the batter is smooth (be careful not to overwork the mixture). Fold in the food colouring. For the most vibrant red colour, use the whole tube.
- Pour the batter into the lined cake tin and bake for 30 minutes or until you can remove a clean skewer. Leave to cool for five minutes in the tin and then remove and leave to continue cooling on a cake rack.
- Make the sloe gin syrup by adding the water and the sugar to a saucepan on medium heat. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the sloe gin. Leave to cool completely before using.
- Make the Chantilly cream filling by whisking the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until you have soft peaks.
- Cut the cake into three even discs of sponge: a top, middle and bottom slice (simply in half will work too). Brush the top of the middle and bottom discs with the sloe gin syrup and the bottom of the top disc. Spread one-third of the cream on the bottom disc and sit the middle disc on top. Spread the second third of the cream on top of the middle disc and place the top disc on top of that. Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining cream, fresh berries and any red velvet cake crumbs you may have created when slicing the discs.
Enjoy!
Preheat your oven to 180c (gas mark 4). Line a springform cake tin with a thin layer of butter and greaseproof paper.
Make the cake batter by beating together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and fold until no dry ingredients are visible and the batter is smooth (be careful not to overwork the mixture). Fold in the food colouring. For the most vibrant red colour, use the whole tube.
Pour the batter into the lined cake tin and bake for 30 minutes or until you can remove a clean skewer. Leave to cool for five minutes in the tin and then remove and leave to continue cooling on a cake rack.
Make the sloe gin syrup by adding the water and the sugar to a saucepan on medium heat. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the sloe gin. Leave to cool completely before using.
Make the Chantilly cream filling by whisking the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until you have soft peaks.
Cut the cake into three even discs of sponge: a top, middle and bottom slice (simply in half will work too). Brush the top of the middle and bottom discs with the sloe gin syrup and the bottom of the top disc. Spread one-third of the cream on the bottom disc and sit the middle disc on top. Spread the second third of the cream on top of the middle disc and place the top disc on top of that. Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining cream, fresh berries and any red velvet cake crumbs you may have created when slicing the discs.
Enjoy!
