Today, I made a red velvet cake using the Red Velvet Redux recipe here on CC. I also used Christeena's Cream Cheese Icing recipe, also found here on CC. It was good, but I didn't think it was great. The cake came out a tad too dense for my taste and it wasn't really sweet. It just seemed like something was missing...maybe it needed more liquid??? I also added white chocolate to the icing, but it was still waaaaayyyy to sweet for me.

I usually use Indydebi's BC recipe and everyone LOVES it, but I'm not sure how I could modify it to include cream cheese. I live in Louisiana, so it's hot an humid more than half the year. The cream cheese icing was melting off the cake and it was really soft...not like Indydebi's texture at all...

I'm not a scratch baker (yet). I prefer to doctor up cake mixes, but I'm willing to try anything. Has anyone tried the Cake Dr. red velvet that starts with a butter cake mix?

I'd appreciate any suggestions on recipes to try for both red velvet cake and icing (shelf stable - creamy but not sickeningly sweet). TIA

I use this recipe

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/grandmother-pauls-red-velvet-cake-recipe/index.html

I mix the cocoa powder with the flour, and the dye and vanilla with the buttermilk. Tried it the other way first and it didn't blend well. Also I use 2 1/2 Tbsp of cocoa powder.

I have had people tell me it's the best red velvet they have ever had. Not too sweet too.

Oh, I DON'T use the frosting recipe. I just use the regular cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar recipe.

HTH

I also use "Grandmother Paula's" red velvet recipe--just used it for a wedding cake last month--with a little tweaking. I use 3 Tbsp of cocoa powder, half the amount of food coloring and more vanilla. Everyone who has had it loves it! I tried Paula's icing recipe (no pecans or coconut though) and it was delicious--not as "heavy" as most cream cheese icing recipes.

I also usually use Indydebi's BC frosting for just about everything (love it!!). I read in another thread that someone subbed out some of the cream cheese for the Crisco in her recipe--I think it was 1/2 cup.

HTH

Hi, I had a problem with the cream cheese frosting as well until I asked here in cc and I refered to Decorator's Cream Chesse frosting by AZEBOI2005 it's fantastic I also live in a hot and humid weather all year round in the caribbean. This recipe worked like a charm. The taste is excellent. I don't know how to link it to this post, but you can do a search. For the red velvet cake I used a recipe from the Hershey's chocolate cookbook, you can go to their website. It's also really good. Hope I can be of any help to you.