Kue Beludru Merah

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all oven types). Butter 2 x 21cm / 8" round cake pans (sides and base) and dust with cocoa powder.
2. Sift the Dry Ingredients and whisk to combine in a bowl.
3. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with electric beater or in stand mixer until smooth and well combined (use paddle attachment if using stand mixer).
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between to combine. At first it will look curdle - keep beating until it's smooth.
5. Add vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk and red food colouring. Beat until combined and smooth (Note 5).
6. Add Dry Ingredients. Beat until just combined - some small lumps is ok, that's better than over mixing.
7. Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes on the same shelf, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Note 6)
8. Rest for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
9. Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla for 3 minutes (this makes it really smooth and changes from yellow to almost white). Add icing sugar and beat for 2 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy to your taste. If your frosting seems too runny (depends on quality of cream cheese/ if the cream cheese was too soft), just add more icing sugar.
10. Cut the top off the cake using a serrated knife (to make the layers neat).
11. Spread one cake with 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the other cake. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
12. Optional: Crumble offcuts and use to decorate the top rim and base of the cake.