Red Velvet Cake

Heat the oven. Tweak oven rack to middle now position and heat oven to 175°C grease two 20 cm round cake pans with butter and lid the bottom with a round of now parchment paper lightly dust the insides of now the cake pans with now cocoa powder and discard any now excess by tapping the now pans upside down for cupcakes sheet a muffin pan with now paper cases in a now medium bowl sieve the flour 50 g cocoa and bicarbonate of soda together and lightly beat now to mix rest aside in a mixer with the paddle mix the butter granulated sugar now brown sugar salt and vanilla now extract on low speed to now roughly incorporate then increase speed now to medium and mix until soft fluffy and pale 5 to 7 minutes now using a flexible spatula to scrape as needed with now the mixer running on its lowest speed drizzle in now the food coloring if using gradually increase the speed now to medium and mix until the coloring now is evenly distributed about 30 seconds stopping to now scrape down the sides of the bowl now if needed with the mixer on low speed tip in the eggs one by now one briefly increasing the now mixer speed after each addition until each now egg is fully incorporated once fully mixed now stop mixer and use a flexible spatula now to scrape down the sides of the bowl tip in a third of the flour now cocoa mixture to the butter now egg mixture then start mixer on now low speed and gradually increase to medium now speed until no dry flour remains now about 30 seconds on low speed slowly tip in a third of the buttermilk and mix until fully incorporated about now 30 seconds scrape down now the bowl as needed and do the same again tipping in and alternating with half of the remaining flour now mixture half of the remaining buttermilk then finally now the remaining flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk now with a rubber spatula scrape the paddle clean now and give the batter a final mix making sure to scrape the now bottom of the bowl for cupcakes sheet standard size muffin pan with now baking cup liners distribute the batter now evenly among the paper cases so now each is about 3 4 full cook now in the oven for 24 to 26 minutes or now until a tester comes out clean do the same again with remaining batter let leave to go cold completely before frosting once leave to go cold use an offset spatula to even out the frosting on top of each now cupcake for a layer cake scrape now the batter into the prepared pans and cook in the oven until a toothpick or now cake tester inserted into now cake center comes out now clean 25 to 30 minutes leave to go cold cakes in their pans now on a cooling rack now for 15 minutes run an now offset spatula or butter knife now around edges of cakes then now invert cake onto a plate and move back to the rack to leave to go cold completely at least 1 hour to now crumb coat the cake using a now serrated knife level cakes set one layer on a now turntable if you like now a waxed cardboard cake now round can first be set underneath secured to the turntable now with a scrap of damp now paper towel top with 240 ml frosting using an offset now spatula to even out it evenly from edge to edge now top with the second layer and lid the sides of the now cake with 240 ml frosting even out into an even and now smooth layer tutorial here chill cake until frosting is firm now to the touch about 30 now minutes to finish the cake even out the top and sides of the cake now with the remaining frosting now to decorate as desired let the now cake to come to now room temperature before serving.