Red Velvet Cake

- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 T + 1 t natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ c vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring (liquid-1 ounce)
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 c sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 c), softened
1 t vanilla extract
-Preheat oven to 350.
-Grease and dust two round 9-inch pans with flour.
-Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and set aside.
-In another bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla
-With mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture, beating in between each addition. Beat just until smooth. Don’t over beat.
-Pour batter into one prepared (spray and flour) 9” round pan. Bake for 65 minutes until toothpicks comes out clean.
-Remove from oven and run knife around edges of cake.
-Set timer for 10 minutes.
-Place cooling rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan.
-Brush with simple syrup (¼ c sugar, ¼ c water dissolved over heat)
-Cool completely. (Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator at least an hour to make frosting the cake easier.)
Frost with: Creme Cheese Frosting Recipe Above.