Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare 3 round 20cm cake tins.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the Cocoa Powder, food colouring and Vanilla Extract and mix thoroughly until completely incorporated.

Sift together the flour and salt and add this to the batter in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk and mixing thoroughly after each addition. Lastly, in another bowl, mix the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda together by hand and add it to the cake batter, mixing it in until it is fully incorporated.

Divide the batter between the cake tins so that they are two-thirds full. Place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before carefully cutting each cake into 2 layers.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat on high speed until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar, add the Vanilla and mix until everything comes together. Continue to mix until light and fluffy.

Carefully frost and stack the cake, finishing off with a generous layer of frosting over the whole cake.

Notes: This recipe is adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Red Velvet Cupcake recipe in Cake Days