Red velvet cake

Read the full method, check the stated equipment and prepare every listed ingredient. Keep dough, filling, wash, topping and handling groups separate. Weigh edible parts as described in the ingredient list.

Heat the oven to 160°C fan.

Allow about 15 minutes of heating in total and check that the oven has reached 160°C fan.

Grease and line the sandwich tins. Mix cake flour, cocoa, bicarbonate and salt.

Beat cake butter and cake sugar until pale, add cake eggs gradually and then cake oil.

Mix cake buttermilk, cake vanilla, vinegar and red gel colour, following the colour label’s permitted dose.

Fold dry mixture and buttermilk mixture into the butter mixture alternately, stopping once combined.

Spread batter evenly in the stated prepared tin or tins. Keep within the source tin capacity and bake any surplus separately.

Check the oven has reached the stated setting and carefully put in the prepared tray or tin.

Bake at 180°C conventional / 160°C fan for 25–30 minutes, until springy and a skewer comes out without wet batter. Do not open the oven early.

Take the bake out of the oven and set it on a heatproof surface.

Leave in the tin for 10 minutes.

Loosen gently and move to a rack.

Cool completely on the rack before filling, icing or slicing; allow about 50 minutes.

Beat frosting butter with icing sugar, then mix in cold cream cheese and frosting vanilla briefly until smooth. Avoid prolonged beating; chill briefly if too soft.

Sandwich the cold cakes and cover with frosting. Refrigerate covered.

Allow serving slices to stand for about 20 minutes so the frosting softens.