Red Velvet Cake

I love this recipe because you can really put your own spin on it! Make a cake or cupcakes and top it off with whatever you like to suit the occasion.

Red Velvet Cake:
Sifted cake flour 2 ½ cups (250 grams)
Salt ½ teaspoon
Regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder 2 tablespoons (15 grams)
Unsalted butter, at room temperature ½ cup (113 grams)
Granulated white sugar 1 ½ cups (300 grams)
Large eggs 2
Pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
Buttermilk 1 cup (240 ml)
Liquid red food colouring 2 tablespoons
White distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon
Baking soda 1 teaspoon

Vanilla cream cheese Icing
Cream cheese 175g
Butter 50g
Icing sugar 600g
Vanilla bean seeds scraped ½
Teaspoon lemon zest ½ teaspoon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in centre of oven. Butter two – 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food colouring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Icing
Beat softened butter , then add cream cheese in bits vanilla and lemon add icing sugar and mix till you, get the soft peak stage