Ingredients

• 115g butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 240ml buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 300g flour
• 300g granulated sugar
• 2 tsp powdered red food colouring
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 oC.
2. Butter and cocoa powder three 6-inch cake pans.
3. Cream butter. Add in sugar and mix on medium until combined.
4. Add eggs in one at a time and beat.
5. Add vanilla extract.
6. Add red food colouring and vinegar to the buttermilk.
7. Sift in cocoa powder to the butter mixture.
8. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
9. Add ½ of the dry and ½ of the wet to the butter mixture until combined.
10. Add the red buttermilk mixture and mix until combined.
11. Pour the batter into three prepared pans.
12. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the centres are springy to the touch. When done, let them cool in their pans for about 5 minutes, then tip them out onto a wire rack.

Ingredients

• 340g butter, room temperature (unsalted)
• 550g icing sugar, sifted
• 450g cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Cream the butter.
2. Sift icing sugar into a large bowl.
3. Add cream cheese to the creamed butter. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Beat together.
4. Add the icing sugar a little at a time. Mix until combined. If you’re wanting a stronger buttercream, keep adding more sifted icing sugar until it’s stiff. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the tip.

Ingredients

• 115 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 550g icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp rose water

Instructions

1. Cream the butter until smooth and pale.
2. Sift in the icing sugar. You can add the sugar in two batches.
3. Beat until you get to a desired consistency. Add a few drops of rose water. Make sure the buttercream is thick.
4. Transfer the buttercream to a bag fitted with a star nozzle.

1. Pipe a thick layer of cream cheese frosting between each layer. Cover the cake in frosting.
2. Use a bench scraper and offset spatula to smooth out the cake. Transfer to the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes or until the frosting is a bit set.