Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil for the pans
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- Crushed pecans, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Cream Cheese frosting:
- 1 pound cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
- 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil
and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour,
sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk
together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients
into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
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.
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.
Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side
down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset
spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
(Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another
layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and
cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the
pecans.
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.)
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.
