Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

Directions

1. 1
   

   Mix the milk and vinegar for the batter and microwave for about 40 seconds to make buttermilk. Let it cool slightly.

2. 2
   

   Keep the melted butter at 40–50°C, add the grapeseed oil, sugar, and salt, and mix lightly with a hand mixer.

3. 3
   

   Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on high speed for about 2 minutes. Add the buttermilk and mix on medium speed for about 1 minute, then finish on low speed.

4. 4
   

   Sift in the dry ingredients and mix lightly with the hand mixer.

5. 5
   

   Add the red food coloring little by little, checking the batter color as you mix. A burgundy red shade will give a deep red-bean color, so keep that in mind when choosing your coloring.

6. 6
   

   Once the batter is ready,

7. 7
   

   Divide it evenly into three parchment-lined round cake pans (6-inch). Baking batters high in melted butter or oil in separate thin layers helps keep the cake from becoming dense.

8. 8
   

   Bake for about 17 minutes in an oven preheated to 175°C (based on a Smeg oven). Check doneness with a skewer before removing from the oven.

9. 9
   

   Turn the baked layers upside down to cool, then trim off the domed tops before assembling.

10. 10
    

    Save the trimmed scraps and crumbs for decorating later.

11. 11
    

    Make the cream cheese frosting. Add sugar to the cream cheese and soften it smoothly with a spatula.

12. 12
    

    Add the heavy cream, Greek yogurt, and lemon juice, then whip with a hand mixer until thickened.

13. 13
    

    Be careful not to overwhip, as it can make the cake taste drier overall. Whip until soft yet firm.

14. 14
    

    Spread the frosting between the cake layers, then roughly ice the outside of the whole cake.

15. 15
    

    Decorate with the reserved crumbs. Chill in the refrigerator for about a day before serving.