Pomegranate Velvet Cake

This was (is) delicious. A towering mountain of a cake, I think would easily cater for twenty. The recipe failed to mention that it would feed quite so many. Very, very rich. And very, very TALL.

Here's the recipe I used:

POM Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

juice from 1 large pomegranate
2-1/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
170g unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream

Icing

1 cup pomegranates arils
375g cream cheese at room temperature
110g unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
500g icing sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 170C.

2. Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.

3. Grease three, 20cm tins.

4. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl and set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes at medium speed.

6. To the bowl with the butter mixture, add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add vanilla extract.

7. Pour milk and cream into a large measuring cup and add in vinegar and pomegranate juice; stir.

8. Add half the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed, alternating with the milk and ending with flour. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.

9. Divide batter into cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cakes test done using a toothpick inserted near the middle. The toothpick should be free of wet batter when withdrawn.

10. Allow cakes to rest in cake pan for 15 minutes or until pans are cold to the touch.

11. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack.

Icing:
1. Score 1–2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)

2. Blend cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl.

3. Add vanilla. Beat at medium speed.

4. Add icing sugar and salt. Beat until fluffy.

5. Place one layer of cake on a cake plate and spread with icing.

7. Repeat with remaining layers, and finish by icing the outside.

8. Garnish with remaining arils


This is an American recipe that I adapted. All in all it was pretty good. It certainly looks impressive with those lovely pomegranate red colours on top.