Ingredients
Method
- Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- Measure out half of the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a bowl and mix them well.
- In a separate bowl, mix half of the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, food coloring, and ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (100ml) of water. Add the eggs and whisk everything until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. The mixture should be a bright red color, which will darken a bit while baking. If the color isn't as vivid as desired, add a little more food coloring.
- Divide the cake mixture evenly between the two pans and level the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes rise and start to shrink away from the sides of the pan. A skewer should come out clean when inserted into the center. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment paper, and allow them to cool completely.
- Follow the same steps with the remaining ingredients to make the second batch of cake layers, ending up with four layers in total.
- To make the frosting, place the butter in a large bowl and sift in half of the confectioners’ sugar. Mash the mixture together with a spatula, then use an electric mixer to smooth it out. Add the cream cheese and vanilla extract, sift in the remaining sugar, and mash again before mixing everything together until smooth.
- Place one cake layer on a cake stand or board, securing it with a bit of frosting. Spread about half of the frosting between the layers as the remaining cakes are stacked on top. Cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting, using an offset spatula to smooth it over the edges and fully cover the surface.