Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate / Cream Cheese Frosting

 Red Velvet Cake with White Chocolate / Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt

2 teaspoon cocoa powder  

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs,  room temperature

1 ounce red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour 3 (8 or 9 inch round) cake pans.

 In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. Turn each cake out onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cakes cool completely.  Then frost cooled cake with frosting recipe below.

  White Chocolate / Cream Cheese Frosting:

10 - 12 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1- 4 ounce bar white chocolate- melted

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and white chocolate on low speed until incorporated. Add confectioners’ sugar beating on low speed and then increase the speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; occasionally turning the mixer off to scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

 Reduce the speed of the mixer to low then add the vanilla, then raise the speed to high and beat briefly just until vanilla is mixed in and frosting is nice and fluffy.