RED VELVET CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180º C.
2. To the bowl of your mixer, add the softened butter.
3. Along with the butter add the sugar and eggs. Cream these ingredients together using a beater, till nice and fluffy and light in color.
4. Meanwhile, we are going to make a paste of cocoa powder and food coloring. Add the cocoa powder to a small bowl. Add 1 Tbsp of the food coloring first, and add rest if needed. Just add enough to be able to stir to a smooth, moist, thick paste.
5. Add this paste to the creamed mixture, continue beating, till the color seems evenly incorporated.
6. Measure the buttermilk in a cup, add vanilla extract and salt. Mix well.
7. Add this buttermilk mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the all-purpose flour, in batches. This is to prevent flour from flying all over the place. Or you can just dump it all together and cover your mixer with a cloth.
8. Beat well till the batter is smooth with NO lumps. At this point turn off the beaters.
9. Mix distilled white vinegar with the baking soda and quickly add this to the prepared batter and fold in with a spatula. (no more beating).
10. Grease and then line two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Divide the batter between the pans. Use a spatula to smoothen the surface.
11. Place the cake pans, on the second rack from the bottom of the oven.
12. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 – 40 minutes. Check on progress after 30 minutes.
13. Test, if done: Toothpick entered in the center the cake will come out dry when done to test if the cake is done.
14. Remove pans from the oven. Invert cakes on to wire rack and remove parchment paper.
15. Allow to cool off completely before icing the cake.

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. To a clean bowl, add the softened cream cheese and butter.
2. To this, add the sifted powdered sugar. Beat till light and fluffy.
3. Add Vanilla extract.
4. Keep in the fridge, till ready to decorate.

Simple Decoration for a 2 layer Red Velvet Cake.

1. Once the cake has completely cooled off, level off the top of each cake by slicing off a thin layer, to get a smooth crumb. Use the sliced off cake, to make crumbs for decorating.
2. Add an even layer of frosting, between the tow leveled-off cakes. Also ice the sides and top of the cake (VERY THINLY). A Semi-nude finish works well. You need more icing inside, and less on the outside.
3. Make crumbs from the cake layer that was sliced off. Decorate the top and/or sides with these crumbs and pipe with the remaining frosting if desired.