Oh I do love a good cake, and it really doesn’t take much to get me in the baking mood!  Here’s the Red Velvet Cake that I made for a colleague’s baby shower today, covered in a scrummy cream cheese buttercream.

Red Velvet Cake

Makes: 10-12 slices

Time: 1.5-2hrs

Cake ingredients:

• 375g plain flour
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder (sifted)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 150g soft unsalted butter
• 220g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp red food colouring (paste/gel)
• 3 tsps vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 265 mmls buttermilk
• 5 tsp cider vinegar

Cream cheese buttercream ingredients:

• 550g icing sugar
• 200g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 200g soft unsalted butter
• 5 tsp lemon juice
• 1 square of dark chocolate (grated)

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C Fan.
2. Line 2 x 9” cake tins with baking paper.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fully combined.
5. Mix in the food colouring and vanilla essence.
6. Add 1 egg and mix till fully combined, then add a 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix in. Alternate adding the remaining eggs and dry ingredients as above until fully incorporated.
7. Beat in the buttermilk and vinegar until smooth, then divide between the two cake tins and bake for 30-40mins.
8. Remove from the oven and leave for 10 mins before removing from the tins and placing on wire racks.
9. To make the buttercream, take the soft butter and beat until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix in. Once the two are fully combined and there are no lumps add the icing sugar and beat until you have a silk soft texture. Add the lemon juice and mix again.
10. When the cakes are cold trim the tops so they are flat, saving any off cuts to create a crumb decoration at the end.
11. Use a bit of the buttercream to stick one cake round onto a cake board, then cover the cake with a layer of buttercream. Place the second cake round on top and push down lightly. Take a 1/3 of your buttercream and ice the cake with a thin coat. Place in the fridge for 1hr to set/harden and then use the remaining icing to cover the cake fully. To get a smooth finish dip your flat spatula in hot water and even out the icing.
12. Decorate the cake with the crumbs and some grated chocolate.