Ingredients:
For the cakes:
Vegetable oil for the pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
For the cream cheese frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil, flour, and parchment-line two 9 by 1 1/2-inch round cake pans.
2)In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
3) In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
4) Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
5) 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.
6) Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
7) Frost the cake. Place a round cake board on a turntable. Dot the board with a some frosting and place the first layer of cake down. Cover the top with frosting and put the second layer on top. Crumb coat the entire thing.
8) Coat the cake in a second layer of frosting. The frosting is quite thin, so expect to see some holes.
9) Decorate as desired. I added some more confectioner's sugar to the frosting and used a piping bag and tip to pipe some decorative frosting around the borders. With the extra cake crumbs from the pan, I topped the cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1) In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)
2) Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Recipe from Food Network, by "Cakeman Raven." Recipe altered slightly.