Cherry Chip Hibiscus Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This lady in red is totally the new girl in town and packs a pretty personality! Cherries and Hibiscus take this southern classic cake to the next level. What's awesome about this recipe is that the Hibiscus adds an even more naturally beautiful deep red color to it! Who'd want to go back to tasteless, boring Red Velvet with this cake?!

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Cake:

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 c non-fat dry milk
3 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
1 1/4 cups hibiscus steeped tea (cooled down to room temperature. You could also use unsweetened Jamaica juice!)
1 1/4 cup cherries, chopped (use 1/4 cup of this for the batter, the rest is for assembling the cake)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. pink himalayan sea salt
1/2 c veggie oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. no-taste red food coloring
3 eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8oz (by liquid measure) egg whites (I recommend using REAL eggs, avoid carton egg whites). About 4-5 large eggs.
2 cups sugar (granulated, avoid powdered sugar)
6 sticks Unsalted Butter (room temperature and YES, unsalted makes a difference)
1/2 of salt
3-4 tsp. pure vanilla extract (it will be on the ivory-side if you use regular Vanilla. You can use clear vanilla if you'd like for it to be on the whiter side. You can also color it with Bright White Gel Paste later as well.)
1 tsp cream cheese extract (you can find this at your local baking aisle of your craft or baking supply store)
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened/room temperature

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in a Kitchen Aid mixer with a paddle attachment, except the cherries.
Add liquid ingredients and mix until incorporated. Scrape bowl in between mixing.
Add chopped cherries.
Bake at 350 F, until toothpick comes out clean and has a bouncy spring when pressed in the middle of the cake.

Directions for Cream Cheese Frosting:

Place sterilized kitchen aid bowl (just make sure it's super clean and dry) with whites unto a pan with water, barely simmering (a.ka. double boiler).
Heat to 160 F, constantly stirring. Be sure to watch it and keep stirring or else it'll turn into an omelette.
Whip on kitchen aid until cool. Place in refrigerator or freezer if necessary, after reaching a medium peak. You could totally make this ahead of time and place it in the fridge or freezer and whip until ready.
Place back on whip and gradually add butter, one stick at a time. Make sure the meringue is cold prior to adding it to the mixture or else it will be a soupy mess. The mixture should separate at first (don't be alarmed and freak out). Be patient and keep mixing; it'll come back together. Add softened cream cheese and cream cheese extract. Mix until smooth and well incorporated.

Assembling the Cake:

Add 1 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of salt to your chopped cherries in a small bowl, mix and set aside.
With the first layer of cake, top with a light drizzle of the juice from the cherries unto the cake. You can also drizzle with Hibiscus or Jamaica juice.
Top with a layer of cream cheese frosting, making a small well in the center with your spatula. Fill with a modest amount of chopped cherries.
Apply your next layer of cake and repeat, until you get to your desired cake height.
Complete the cake by frosting it completely around the top and sides. You can also do a "naked cake" with this!
Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Allow the cake to get to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!