Bin's Blog

Ingredients

Batter

• 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300g) caster sugar (or fine white granulated sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon extra for dusting
• 2 1/2 tablespoons (45ml) red food coloring (liquid, not gel)
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon (20ml) white vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups (350g) plain cake flour, sifted (or all purpose/plain flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (bi-carb soda)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk (can make it from milk and vinegar)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 14 ounces (400g) cream cheese (not spreadable), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners (or icing) sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional but I like to add it — adds subtle hint of lemon)

Instructions

Cake:

1. Heat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Lightly grease two 8-inch cake pans with butter or nonstick oil spray and lightly dust with 1 tablespoon of the sifted cocoa powder.
2. Mix butter and sugar together until light in color. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to combine well.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together oil, remaining cocoa powder, red food coloring and vanilla until smooth. Stir color mixture and vinegar through the creamed sugar mixture to combine.
4. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients; mix well. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk.
5. Divide batter among the 2 prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth lighter in color (about 3-4 minutes). Beat in icing sugar until frosting is light and fluffy (if frosting is too thin, add more icing sugar and beat again until reaching your desired consistency).

Optional if using: mix in the lemon juice.

Assemble Cake:

1. Transfer 1 cake onto a serving dish/plate, flat-side down. Trim the top dome off of the cake to create a flat bottom later. Scoop about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of frosting onto cake and spread evenly over the top.
2. Place second cake layer on top and use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake.
3. Crumble trimmed pieces of cake to decorate.