Nadiya's red velvet cake
This is my boy’s all-time favourite cake. With its two layers of bold, red, cocoa-flavoured sponge and hints of almond and vanilla, sandwiched and covered with rich vanilla cream-cheese frosting, you can see why.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 250g/9oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the tins
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 3 medium free-range eggs
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú cocoa powder
- 1 tsp red gel food colouring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú plain flour, sifted
- 240ml/8½fl oz buttermilk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the cream cheese icing
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened
- 600g/1lb 5oz icing sugar, sifted
- 250g/9oz full-fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla bean extract
To decorate
- 16–20 strawberries, same sort of size (small-medium), stalks still on
- 100g/3½oz dark or milk chocolate, melted
- edible gold glitter
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Grease and line 4 x 20cm/8in cake tins.
Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one until combined. Stir in the cocoa, food colouring, vanilla and almond extracts.
Add half the flour and the salt and mix through, then add half the buttermilk and mix again. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk.
When you have a smooth batter, mix the vinegar with the bicarbinate of soda, then add to the batter. Mix into a smooth batter and divide between the two tins, level off and bake for 40 minutes.
Take out and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Make the icing by whipping together the butter and icing sugar. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and mix in.
As soon as the cakes are cooled, level off the tops and reserve any offcuts and crumbs. Sandwich the cake with the icing.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with a layer of icing. Crumble up the cake scraps and press into the sides of the cake before the icing forms a crust.
Arrange whole strawberries around the top edge of the cake and drizzle them with melted chocolate. Dust the strawberries with a little edible gold glitter to finish.