Love Red Velvet Recipe

Prep and oven

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper; butter sides and dust lightly with flour or tap out excess.

In a medium bowl whisk together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until homogenous. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together granulated sugar and vegetable oil until blended. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Stir in buttermilk, white vinegar and vanilla extract until combined.

Stir in red food coloring until batter is uniform in color. Gradually fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients with a spatula until just combined; do not overmix.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Smooth tops. Bake on center rack for 22–28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs and cake springs back slightly to touch.

Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges, invert onto rack, remove parchment and let cool completely (about 1 hour) before assembling.

Combine halved strawberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Let macerate 10 minutes at room temperature to draw juices.

Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. After 8–10 minutes strawberries will break down and mixture will thicken. If you want a smoother marmalade, mash a few berries with a spoon or pulse briefly with an immersion blender (leave some chunks for texture).

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate; marmalade will thicken further as it chills.

Place chopped strawberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Let sit 10 minutes to soften and release juices, then drain most of the liquid, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the juice.

In a chilled bowl whip heavy cream with powdered sugar to soft peaks. Fold in the drained chopped strawberries and the reserved tablespoon of juice gently to create a light strawberry crème. Keep chilled until assembly.

In a mixing bowl beat softened cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth and lump-free, about 2–3 minutes on medium speed.

Sift confectioners' sugar into the bowl in two additions, beating on low speed to incorporate and then on medium until smooth. Add vanilla extract and fine salt. If the filling is too stiff, add up to 1 tablespoon heavy cream and beat until a spreadable, pipeable consistency is reached. Chill briefly if it becomes too soft.

Level the cooled cake layers with a serrated knife if domed. Place one red velvet layer on a cake board or serving plate.

Spread a thin layer (about 3–4 tbs) of vanilla cream cheese filling over the first layer to act as a crumb coat, then smooth. Spoon and evenly spread 2–3 tbs of the strawberry marmalade over the cream cheese layer (leave a narrow border to prevent spilling).

Pipe or spread 1/3 of the vanilla cream cheese filling over the marmalade. Add dollops (2–3 tbs) of strawberry crème on top of the cream cheese and gently swirl with an offset spatula to create marbling, or leave as separate ribbons.

Place second cake layer on top, pressing lightly to adhere. Coat the top and sides of the assembled cake with remaining vanilla cream cheese filling (reserve a small amount for decoration if desired). Smooth with an offset spatula.

Spoon or pipe a ring of strawberry marmalade on the cake top center and add small dollops of strawberry crème. Garnish with halved fresh strawberries around the edge and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar if using.

Chill assembled cake for at least 1 hour to set layers and make slicing clean. Bring to room temperature 15–20 minutes before serving for best texture.