Red Velvet Butter Cake (Tier)

Hidden beneath the swooping white frosting of this tiered dessert are stunning scarlet layers infused with buttermilk and cocoa. Red velvet cake, whose namesake hue comes from food colouring, is a favourite dessert in the South, but its exact origins are unknown. For approximate batter amounts and baking times for this red velvet cake (shown third from the bottom), see notes; you will need to make enough batter to fill each cake pan three-quarters full. The batter can be made in separate batches for the larger cake layers.

¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
2 tsp. sea salt
3 cups sugar
3 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
¾ tsp. red gel-paste food coloring
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbsp. baking soda
4 tsp. white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Brush the cake pans with butter. Line each with parchment paper; butter the parchment, and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat the sugar and oil on medium speed in a mixer bowl until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the food coloring and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Add the baking-soda mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed for 10 seconds. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pans on wire racks.

Makes 10 cups batter.

Cook's Note: Approximate batter amounts and baking times for 3" deep round pans: 4": 1½ cups, 25 minutes; 6": 3¼ cups, 45 minutes; 8": 5½ cups, 1 hour 5 minutes; 10": 9 cups, 1 hour 20 minutes; 12": 12¼ cups, 1 hour 25 minutes.