Math Inspired Red Velvet Cake

This weekend I had an impossibly difficult task placed in front of me. THe 36-hour problem. A nation-wide math problem where four people have 36-hours to solve a real world problem using math skills and hours of collected research.
As soon as I realized I would have to subject myself to nonstop math for 36 hours straight I did what any logical person would do in this situation- I made a cake.
A red velvet cake. This cake was gone within the first 15 hours of the 36-hour problem. Which means it must have been exceptionally delicious. Or maybe everyone just wanted to take breaks every hour and a half.
This cake was rich, smooth and velvety with a slight cocoa flavor that brought out the sweet cream cheese frosting. I'm not sure what more a person good ask for in a cake.
Except maybe the solutions to the 36-hour problem printed on the cake and a man hidden inside it.


** This year, the 36-hour problem was to observe data concerning violent crime rates for a city in addition to the factors that produce crime such as high school drop outs, unemployment, and repeated offenses of parole by criminals. By hour number 31, my group was too insane to function. Good thing we synthesized all of our brilliant ideas during the day, such as giving puppies to inmates in jail to care for before they are released on parole. Surprisingly, the Puppy Behind Bars foundation has been highly effective in the jails they've worked in such as Ohio, New York and Florida.

Now, think up an excuse to throw a fancy party, or a never ending math problem, and go create your very own red velvet cake!



Red Velvet Cake
adapted by Joy Of Baking

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Table spoons cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 eggs (large)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Buttermilk (I made my own by combining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup skim milk)
2 tablespoons red food coloring (i used one tablespoon red and one tablespoon pink. It turned out beautifully; a cake fit for a princess)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 9-inch diameter round cake pans
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking powder.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy, then add sugar and cream until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add both eggs, one at a time beating well for 30 seconds after each egg. Mix in vanilla extract.
4. Add the 2 tablespoons of food coloring to the one cup of buttermilk and stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk into the large bowl with the creamed butter, beating consistently the whole time. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
6. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar, allow the mixture to fizz, then quickly fold it into the large bowl with the cake batter.
7. Evenly distribute the batter into both cake pans, smoothing out the top with a spatula when all the cake batter has been distributed.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Do not over bake this cake! Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool completely before taking them out of the pans and putting them on plates.
9. Make frosting and Frost completely cooled cake. (See frosting recipe below)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
10 oz of Philadelphia cream cheese
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

DIrections
1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until the two are soft and fluffy.
2. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar and milk, alternating between the two until all is stirred in and frosting consistency is smooth.
3. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. If your prefer a thicker consistency, mix in more powdered sugar, if you desire a thinner consistency, stir in more milk.
SPread your frosting evenly over your cake. YUM!