Red Velvet Rose Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Gluten & cow's Milk Free

I saw this cake on Pinterest and absolutely fell in love with it.  I thought, although it looks so complicated, it really should be quite easy to do, as each of the roses are just like I usually frost my cupcakes - so I decided to try it.  The cake and decorating idea come from Casey Cooks blog.  She also has a very nice little tutorial video on how to do the roses if you do not know how.  I have simplified the instructions a bit below - please visit her site for full instructions.  Before I made the cake, I did a test batch as cupcakes (as they bake more evenly in my little oven that doesn't always work). and then made the cake. 

The alterations I made.    

First, before starting, I of course converted most things to weight measurements.  I also reduced the amount of oil used.  I used goat's products instead of cow's.  I also used Muscovado Sugar in my test recipe.  In the cake recipe I used castor sugar.  I found with the GF flours, that the Muscovado worked loads better. I tried 2 different coloring techniques.  For the test batch, I used Wilton no-taste red.  For the cake, I  used liquid generic brand red.  They gave a diff color - both were nice.  And of course, used GF flours ;-)  In this post, you will find the altered recipe for the cupcakes.  

And a pic of the inside

Red Velvet Rose Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Gluten & cow's Milk Free

Makes 2 rounds to form 1 double round.
adapted from http://www.caseycooks.com/2011/04/red-velvet-rose-cake-cake-decorating.html

Cake
2 eggs
300 grams Canola Oil
1 cup Buttermilk
3 teaspoons Vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon GF Pure Vanilla Extract
Red Food Colouring (I used Wilton no-taste red and mixed it with 1 Tabelspoon water until it was a deep dark red)
140 grams Millet or Sorghum Flour
100 grams Amaranth Flour
50 grams Tapioca Flour
50 grams White Rice Flour
40 grams Quinoa Flour
20 grams Corn Starch
350 grams Fine White Sugar
10 grams Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt

Frosting
200 grams Goat’s Cream Cheese, softened
220 grams Crisco (white, not butter flavoured)
2 teaspoon vanilla
600 grams Powdered Sugar, sifted

Equipment
Large pastry bag and large couplet
1M tip

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Spray two 8-inch cake pans and line bottom with baking paper.

In a stand mixer bowl, slightly mix egg using the whisk attachment. Add remaining liquid ingredients and mix on low continuing to use the whisk attachment until blended.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix until combined. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high until completely combined, about one minute.

Divide batter equally among the two cake pans. Drop pans onto the counter from about 3-inches up to release any air bubbles. Repeat twice.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Allow cakes to cool completely on wire racks. While you are waiting, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix. Gradually mix in the confectioner's sugar. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes prior to using. Keep any frosting you are not using covered in the fridge. 

Place one of the cakes on the plate or platter you intend to use a (I always put the bottom layer top side down, so that your new top is flat (ie, the bottom). Apply a layer of icing to the top of the first cake. This will be the icing between your two layers, so with that in mind apply more or less icing depending on how much frosting you like.

Place the second cake on top of the first, making sure the two are properly aligned. Then, apply the crumb layer. A crumb layer is a thin layer of frosting you apply to a cake to hold in the crumbs, so that the final product is beautiful and crumb-free. Wait for the crumb layer to dry before applying the icing roses.