Serves 8
Directions
- 1Coat a thin layer of butter on the bottom of the pan and attach parchment paper as a cake liner.
- 2In a bowl, add all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and granulated sugar.
- 3Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined and set aside.
- 4In a separate bowl, add eggs, oil, whole milk, white vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.
- 5Whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined.
- 6Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until very smooth.
- 7In a small pot, add milk and butter and heat at medium heat until the milk starts simmering very gently.
- 8Remove the hot milk and butter from the heat once simmering.
- 9Add about 1/3 to half of the hot liquid into the cake batter, mixing gently at first to prevent spills, then mix until well combined.
- 10Add the remaining hot liquid to the batter and mix until combined.
- 11Scrape off the side and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
- 12Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
- 13Bake in the preheated oven at 330ºF (165ºC) for 35-40 minutes (for 8-inch cakes) or 15-20 minutes (for 12 cupcakes) until the top bounces back gently and a toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs.
- 14Set the cake aside until it cools down completely.
- 15Once cooled, detach the side using a small cake spatula, flip, take off the pan, and flip it back.
- 16Optionally, trim the top of the cake to make it more even.
- 17To make cake crumbs for decoration, bake the trimmed cake top at 300 F for about 15 minutes until dried, taking it out once or twice to ensure even cooking and crushing it into smaller pieces.
- 18For the frosting, whip soft butter, powdered sugar, and salt at medium to medium-high speed until very fluffy for about 5 minutes.
- 19Add cold cream cheese (left at room temperature for about 15 minutes) and whip at high speed until evenly combined.
- 20Whip even more for a few additional minutes to make fluffier frosting.
- 21Drop a big scoop of frosting on the first cake layer and spread it to make it flat.
- 22Place the second cake layer on top.
- 23Drop another big scoop of frosting and spread it all over the surface evenly for the crumb coat, ensuring it's thin to seal crumbs.
- 24Chill the cake in the fridge if the frosting is getting too soft before applying the final coat.
- 25Finish the final coat and decoration as desired; a rustic look can be achieved with a cake spatula.
- 26If needed, chill the cake in the fridge before decorating the top to prevent squishing the corner frosting.
Ingredients
- 280 g All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 13 g Cocoa powder
- 350 g Granulated sugar
- 100 g Egg
- 172 g Oil
- 120 g Whole milk
- 30 g White vinegar
- 10 g Vanilla extract
- 2 tsp Gel paste red food coloring
- 240 g Hot milk
- 56 g Unsalted butter, melted
- 225 g Soft butter (for frosting)
- 500 g Powdered sugar (for frosting)
- 0.25 tsp Salt (for frosting)
- 450 g Cold cream cheese (for frosting)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract (optional, for frosting)
Equipment
2 8-inch pansparchment paperbowlwhiskstand mixer with a paddle attachment (optional)small potcake spatulaovencupcake pan (optional)
Tips
- For best results, measure ingredients with a scale.
- Using cold cream cheese is key to making a stiffer frosting.
- If the frosting gets too soft, chill it in the fridge to firm up.
- Double the amount of butter in the frosting for an even stiffer cream cheese frosting.
- When baking, try not to open the oven door frequently.
- Wrap the cake surface tightly and store it in the fridge; for a fluffier texture, leave it at room temperature for some time before serving.
- You can bake cupcakes with this recipe; a half batch makes a dozen cupcakes.
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