by Nadiya Hussain
from Nadiya’s Fast Flavours
Serves 8
Total 1hr Prep 20min Cook 40min
With luscious cream cheese frosting and soft red velvet sponge, this classic cake recipe from Nadiya Hussain's Fast Flavours is perfect for a birthday or celebration.
Introduction
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 and simply but beautifully decorated, you can see why it’s his favourite.
Ingredients
For the cake:
250g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the tins
300g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp red gel food colouring
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
300g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp salt
240ml buttermilk
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the cream cheese icing:
100g unsalted butter, softened
600g icing sugar, sifted
250g full-fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
Essential kit
You will need: 2 x 20cm cake tins.
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C. Grease and line 2 x 20cm cake tins.
Start by putting the butter and sugar into a bowl and whisking till light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one by one till combined. Add the cocoa, food colouring, vanilla and almond extracts and mix till combined.
Add half the flour and the salt and mix through, then add half the buttermilk and mix through. Do the same again and add the rest of the flour and then the rest of the buttermilk.
When you have a smooth batter, mix the vinegar with the bicarb, 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 and then on 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 save the crumbs. Sandwich the cake layers with the icing and cover the top and sides. Crumble up the scraps and cover the base of the sides.