2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
1 lb (2 blocks) cream cheese (not softened)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to sc**** down the bowl with a spatula.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. (Yes, it will fizz!) Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cake pans with cake batter until they are about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check early and don’t overbake!
Cool the cakes in their pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting. If you cakes come out quite domed shape, you can slice off the top to make a more even and stable layer.
To Make Frosting:
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cake layers as desired.
