Red Velvet Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (not dutch process)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups canola oil
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
• 2 cups heavy cream, cold
• 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 12 ounces mascarpone
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Recipe

• 1 for the cake:.
• 2 preheat oven to 350 degrees. place teaspoon of butter in each of 3 round 9-inch layer cake pans and place pans in oven for a few minutes until butter melts. remove pans from oven, brush interior bottom and sides of each with butter and line bottoms with parchment.
• 3 whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.
• 4 place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. beat in eggs one at a time. with machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. (take care: it may splash.) add vanilla. add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
• 5 place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. beat for 10 seconds.
• 6 divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. let cool in pans 20 minutes. then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. cool completely before frosting.
• 7 for the icing:.
• 8 softly whip cream by hand, in electric mixer or in food processor. cover in bowl and refrigerate.
• 9 blend cream cheese and mascarpone in food processor or electric mixer until smooth. add vanilla, pulse briefly, and add confectioners’ sugar. blend well.
• 10 transfer cream cheese mixture to bowl; fold in whipped cream. refrigerate until needed.