Step 1

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) (see note 7 for convection oven) and grease and/or line two 8 inch cake tins (I use my homemade cake release).

Step 2

In a bowl, sift together your flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside.

Step 3

In another bowl, add in your butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine - see note 6), cream together for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy.

Step 4

Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).

Step 5

Add in your vanilla, vinegar and red liquid food colour, and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.

Step 6

Finish off by adding in half of your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined. Then add in all of your buttermilk, and fold it in until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold it into the mixture until just combined. Do not overmix (see note 1).

Step 7

Distribute the batter evenly into the two 8 inch cake tins, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be careful not to open the oven door too early otherwise this can cause the cake layers to sink (see note 2). Also avoid overbaking the cake layers otherwise they will dry out.

Step 8

Once baked, allow them to cool in the cake tins for about 15-20 minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before frosting. For tips on how to frost your cake, check out the blog post above where I walk you through how I decorated mine with pictures, or watch my YouTube video below :)

Step 9

Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add in sugar and flour. Using a whisk or spatula, continuously mix for 2 minutes to gently toast the flour. Be careful not to burn the flour - the color shouldn't visibly change.

Step 10

Next add in 3/4s of a cup of milk (180g) and mix until the mixture is smooth. Once smooth, add in the remaining 3/4s of a cup (180g) of milk and again mix until the mixture is smooth. In total you're using 1 and 1/2 cups of milk (360g).

Step 11

Keep gently stirring until the mixture begins to bubble. Once bubbling, continue to stir for another minute until the mixture is thick in consistency. It should have a thick paste/pudding like texture.

Step 12

Allow to cool to room temperature. I like to pour the mixture onto a plate, cover the top with cling wrap so that the cling wrap is touching the flour mixture (to prevent a skin from forming) and freeze for 30 minutes.

Step 13

Next in a large bowl add in butter, and using a hand or stand mixer on a medium-high speed, whip for 5 minutes until it's light and fluffy.

Step 14

Next add in flour/milk mixture a tablespoon at a time while continously mixing. Ensure the mixture is at room temperature (not hot or cold) otherwise it may curdle (see note 9).

Step 15

Once done, add in vanilla and salt. Mix until well combined. The frosting is now ready to use!