Step 1

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140C / 285F (160C / 320F for no fan). Spray two 20cm / 8-inch cake tins with oil spray and line the bottoms with baking paper.

Step 2

Combine dry ingredients - Add the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine. Set aside.

Step 3

Combine wet ingredients - To a large jug or medium sized mixing bowl add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, red food dye and white vinegar. Use a whisk to combine.

Step 4

Combine wet with dry - Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until no dry ingredients are showing. Small lumps are ok, the key is to not overmix.

Step 5

Bake - Distribute the batter amongst both cake tins evenly. Bake in the middle rack of your oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 6

Cream butter and cream cheese - Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer. Mix on low speed to begin with, to help break up the cream cheese a little, then increase the speed to high for a couple of minutes to help combine the cream cheese and butter.

Step 7

Add sugar and milk powder - After a couple of minutes, stop your mixer and scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula. Add the powdered sugar, milk powder and vanilla. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, then bring the speed back up to high. Continue beating on high speed, about 5 minutes, until your frosting is fluffy and turns pale in color. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add to a piping bag.

Step 8

Trim cakes - Start by trimming the tops off your cake layers to make them flat. Then slice each cake in half. You’ll end up with four cake layers.

Step 9

Crumble extra cake - Add the tops of the cakes into a food processor and pulse until you reach crumbs. You can also do this by hand, but a machine will give you finer crumbs.

Step 10

Layer cake - Add the first layer of cake to a serving plate or cake board. Pipe some frosting on top and use an offset spatula to spread around flat. Add the next layer of cake and repeat that until the fourth layer of cake is on top.

Step 11

Finish cake - Cover the cake in frosting and even off the sides and top as neatly as you can. Stick some red velvet crumbs on the side of the cake. Finish the cake by fitting the end of a piping bag with a star tip and pipe swirls on top of the cake. Slice and serve at room temperature.