Keep It Simple Stupid Cake

I'm not a fan of gaudy cakes, rather I prefer neat and clean designs. Hence, I shall refer to this as the "Keep it simple stupid cake", as always featuring layers of red velvet tucked away in layers of fluffy vanilla buttercream. 

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoon of baking powder
2 teaspoon of salt
4 Tablespoons unsweetened, cocoa powder
4 cups sugar
2 cup vegetable oil or canola
4 eggs
2 cup buttermilk
4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2-4 oz. red food coloring, depends how deep you want the color
2 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar
1 cup of prepared plain hot coffee

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius on a fan forced oven.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
4. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring until combined.
5. Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.
6. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at time, mixing after each addition, just until combined.
7. Generously grease and flour two round, 9 inch cake pans with shortening and flour.
8. Pour the batter evenly into each pan.
9. Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over bake as cake will continue to cook as it cools.
10. Let pans cool on a cooling rack until the pans are warm to the touch.
11. Slide a knife or offset spatula around the inside of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan.
12. Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool for a couple of hours. Before proceeding to frost your cakes with buttercream, wrap them firmly with several layers of cling wrap and place them in the freezer for 20 minutes to ensure they are the ideal temperature to be frosted.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
2 cup butter (4 sticks), softened
6 - 8 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 pinches of salt
4-6 tablespoons milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
Melted dark chocolate (200grams)

Instructions

1. Place softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on a medium setting and cream the butter until it is smooth and has lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
2. Add confectioner's sugar, 1 a cup at a time. After each cup has been incorporated, turn the mixer onto the highest speed setting and for about 10 seconds to lighten the frosting.
3. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt and combine until well-incorporated.
4. Add milk, heavy cream or half-and-half until the frosting has reached the preferred consistency. For a firmer frosting, add more confectioner's sugar, a ¼ cup at a time. For a softer frosting, add more milk or cream, a tablespoon at a time.

Assembly

1. Cut each cake into 2 separate halves, ensuring they are of the same size. Use a cake wire cutter for more precision. (You can find them here)
2. Place a dab of buttercream frosting on your cake board to ensure the cake does not move after assembling. 
3. Place your first cake layer on the board and cover with sufficient buttercream frosting. For this step I prefer to pipe the cream onto the cake layer and then smooth it out with my long cake spatula to ensure an equivalent amount is piped onto each layer. Repeat this step for the remaining cake layers.
4. Crumb-coat the outside of the cake with buttercream frosting and smooth out any excess with a cake scraper. Proceed to place in the fridge for 1-2 hours until the buttercream has set.
5. Frost the outside of the cake ensuring there are no air-pockets or gaps and proceed to smooth out with a cake scraper.
6. After having refrigerated the cake, proceed to ice another layer of frosting all over the cake. Use a metal scraper to ensure there are no air-pockets or gaps and proceed to smooth out.
7. Pour melted dark chocolate over the cake and gently push the melted liquid to the edges using a spoon to create a drip effect on the cake.
8. Garnish with a dusting of icing sugar and strawberries. 
9. Allow the cake to set in the fridge for 1 hour before bringing out to serve.   

Notes

• Be sure to not overbake your cakes. Check the cake at 30 minutes as some ovens run really hot. to ensure your cakes are fully cooked on the inside, use a digital thermometer. Cakes are fully cooked when the internal temperature reads at 210 Fahrenheit. 
• Cakes are really moist and you may need to refrigerate them to firm them up before stacking and frosting. However ensure all cake layers are covered with adequate cling wrap before proceeding to place in the fridge or freezer.