Marbled Red Velvet Cake

Preparation

Cake lovers will delight over this beautiful mosaic of decadent red velvet and buttery white cake blanketed in a smooth, tangy and not overly-sweet cream cheese frosting. Every beautiful slice pays off the effort of preparing two separate batters. The cakes bake cleanly in the pans and release effortlessly. 

*This recipe originally ran stateside on HexClad.com.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 ℉/ 176 ℃.

Butter the bottom and sides of two HexClad Hybrid Round Cake Pans - 9”  (23 cm round). Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment.

To make the red velvet cake batter:

1. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and oil. Beat on medium speed until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the red food coloring and beat to thoroughly incorporate until the batter is uniformly deep red. 
3. In a separate small bowl or in a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, sour cream and vanilla. 
4. Into the batter, add the flour-cocoa mixture alternating with the milk in two separate additions. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat just long enough to combine. Set aside to quickly make the vanilla cake batter.

To make the vanilla cake batter:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar until fully combined, light and fluffy. 
4. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the milk, sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Pour half into the butter mixture and beat to fully combine. Then add half of the dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Add the remaining milk and sour cream and then the remaining flour mixture. 
5. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions. 

Pour batters into pans and bake:

1. Divide each batter in half to ensure an equal amount goes into each pan for even baking. Using one half of each batter, alternate spoonfuls of the red velvet and vanilla cake batters into the prepared pans. Gently tap the pans on a hard surface to release any air bubbles.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 28 - 33 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then carefully remove the cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely, 30-45 minutes. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of each cake. While the cakes cool, make the frosting.

Make frosting and assemble cake:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth.  
2. To assemble the cakes, use a serrated knife to trim the tops of each cake until the cake is perfectly level. Place the first layer of cake onto a cardboard cake round or directly onto a cake stand or serving plate. Using an offset spatula, evenly apply a layer of frosting all over the top of the cake. Top with the second cake, cut-side down and apply a coating of frosting to completely cover the top and sides of the cake. You can either refrigerate the cake for 1 hour to set the frosting or continue to frost to desired thickness and effect. 
3. To decorate the cake, add the remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (such as Ateco #828). Pipe flowers on one side of the cake, as desired and sprinkle the flowers and the surface of the cake with a light sprinkling of non-pareils. 

MAKE AHEAD TIPS

Cream cheese frosting can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge for 30 minutes to soften prior to frosting the cake. 

NOTES

When preparing the batters, make the red velvet cake first and then proceed with the white cake so as to avoid any deflation. Using a hand mixer (instead of a stand mixer) is the more efficient method of mixing as the beaters are easier to clean and can move quickly between bowls of batters and egg whites.