Red Velvet Cake

Notes

3 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups peanut or canola oil
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring (or 1 tbsp red gel food coloring dissolved in 5 tablespoons of water)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8” round cake pans, line with parchment, and grease the parchment.
Whisk cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring, being careful it doesn’t splash. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely, and level layers with a cake leveler or sharp bread knife. Fill and crumb coat with ermine icing, and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes or more. Then ice and decorate as desired with remaining icing.