Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Icing

Cake
1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 T cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 T red food coloring
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, egg, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. While mixing at medium speed, gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into a spring form pan (I used a 8"). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until an insterted toothpick comes out clean.

Icing

1 stick room temp. butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
a dash of almond extract

Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, milk, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until spreadable consistency. Add additional sugar if needed.   I also free pour vanilla, generally.  Use fresh and not extract, it'll make a difference.



One the cake cools down, ice with a small spatula.  I find that it's best to make the icing once the cake is completely cool, as the icing only takes a few minutes to make and generally hardens up a bit just as quickly, which makes it harder to spread.  If you do notice that it has thickened up, just take the beaters to it and that should do the trick.  If it's still kind of hard, add a teaspoon of milk and beat until soft.  If you find that you've added too much milk, just free pour icing/confectioner's sugar, and that'll thicken it up!

Ignore the sloppy icing job.  It was after mid-night and I just wanted it done!