Red Velvet Cake

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Liberally prepare 3 9-inch round cake pans with the nonstick method of your choice. (I recommend the parchment method described on p. 17.)

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed. Slowly add the oil and buttermilk.

Increase the speed to medium-low and add the eggs 1 at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Slowly add the coffee, vanilla extract, vinegar, and food coloring. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Evenly pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 20 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a layer comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks. Let cool to room temperature. Lightly cover the cakes with foil or plastic wrap so they do not dry out.

Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your mixer and beat on high speed until it begins to thicken and fluff.

Next slow down mixer and carefully add in confectioner’s sugar. Once all sugar has incorporated, turn mixer back to high to continue whipping.

Add salt and vanilla extract and continue whipping until it is smooth.

Before you start: The cake layers can be quite tender, so feel free to refrigerate them (20 to 30 minutes should do it) to firm them up and make them easier to work with when frosting.

Once the layers are completely cooled, place 1 layer on a serving plate.

Spread just the top with 1/3 of the frosting. Add the second layer and spread with another 1/3 of the frosting.

Add the final layer, bottom-side up, and top with the remaining frosting. Only frost the sides if you wish. Serve at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.