Taste

I made this for my daughter's 1st birthday on the weekend, 

but is a divinely decadent grown-up cake too!

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

125g butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

330g caster sugar

2 eggs

225g plain flour

2 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

250ml buttermilk

1 tbsp pink food colouring

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp bicarb of soda

Method

Preheat oven to 180.  Grease and line 2 22cm cake pans.

Beat butter, sugar, extract and eggs in a small bowl with an electric mixer until fluffly.

Transfer to a large bowl and stir in sifted flours, cocoa and combined buttermilk and colouring in two batches.  Combine vinegar and soda in a cup and allow to fiz, then fold into mixture.  Divide mixture between pans.  Bake for 25 mins.  Stand for 10 then turn out to cool.  

Cooks notes:  I found they took 10 more mins to cook.  

I wanted a really high cake, so actually made two batches of it to get 4 cakes in total.

Icing

250g cream cheese, 160g icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract,

250g mascarpone cheese, 300ml thickened cream.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and extract with an electric mixer until smooth.  On medium speed, beat in mascarpone then beat in cream until smooth.

Assembly

Place one layer of cake on plate and spread with 1/2 cup icing. 

Repeat layering, finishing with remaining icing spread 

over the top of the cake.  (sides too if you wish!)