Red velvet layer cake

Ingredients

The 3 sponge cakes :

• 300 gr flour
• 16 gr cocoa powder
• 120 ml oil
• 250 gr sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5 gr baking soda
• 4 gr vinegar
• 1 tsp red food coloring
• 10 gr vanilla extract

Sour milk :

• 250 ml milk
• 10 ml lemon juice

Butter cream :

• 125 gr softened butter
• 300 gr icing sugar
• 125 gr cream cheese (philadelphia)
• To decorate (Halloween version)
• Raspberry sauce

Materials

• 3 molds 15 cm de diameter (or just 1 mold)
• 1 stand mixer with a whisk
• 1 spatula
• 1 bench scraper
• 1 sieve
• 1 cake leveler
• plastic wrap

Preparation

• Sour milk: In a bowl, combine together milk and lemon juice stir the two together and let sit for 10 minutes before using. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder.
• Whisk the oil + the sugar and the eggs in a large bowl until light at speed 3.
  
• With the mixer on speed 2, add the dry ingredients (flour + cocoa powder) in 2 or 3 additions alternating with milk.
• In a bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and when it is bubbly add it to the batter. Now, add the vanilla and gel food coloring and fold in using a whisk. Dye the batter until you are pleased with the color.
  
• Divide batter among the three prepared pans. Bake them in a preheated oven to 180ºC (350°F) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothypick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool on wire racks. Once they are temperated turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely before wrap it with a layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cakes overnight.
  
• Cream cheese Frosting: In the stand mixer bowl, sieve powdered sugar and beat it with the softened butter until fluffly. Add in Philadelphia and beat it 5 mins more or until creamy and well combined. Refrigerate.
• Remove the cakes from the fridge. Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Make the same with the others until all the cakes have the same size.
  
• Spread just a bit of cream cheese on the cake stand or serving plate, and place on it the first cake layer.
• With the help of an icing spatula or a bench scraper, evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with the second layer and cover the top with the frosting.
  
• Finally place the third cake. And spread a thin frosting layer all over the sides. The thin layer of frosting traps cake crumbs. Refrigerate cake for at least 30 minutes.
• Place the remaning frosting all over the top and sides and evenly spread it using an icing spatula or a bench scraper until luscious.
  
• Romantic and beautiful decoration: We have used fresh colorful flowers from our garden ;-)
• Spooky halloween decoration: Drizzled with a tangy raspberry coulis and stab a knife on top of it.
  
• There you are, your red velvet cake is ready !