Red Velvet Cake

This recipe is courtesy by iron Chef Bobby Flay. He was my favorite iron chef America. This is the best red velvet cake recipe I have ever tried...hands down...! Excellent cake, it is moist, the sweetness just right, flavor was amazing...its a winner!!!!!!!

Ingredients

Cake:

3 ¾ cups all purpose flour

3 tbsp. dutch processed cocoa powder

1½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar

¾ cups vegetable oil

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1½ tsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. red food coloring

1½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl

Cream the butter, sugar and oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beat until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. Let cool completely before frosting. Slice each cake into 2 layers and frost.

Frosting:

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

7 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½  cups superfine sugar

Combine the cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.