Red Velvet Birthday Cake

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My birthday and my nephew's are just four days apart. Sometimes, we celebrated together, other times, we have a cake each. For his birthday cake, I had been baking for the past years, whereas for mine, my sister will get it for me. This year, I decided to share a cake with him by baking it myself. My sister had kindly offered to buy a cake for my birthday. I rejected her kind offer and decided I shall just share a cake with her son. He requested for red velvet cake, instigated by my sister. I was fine with the request since I had the intention to bake this cake. So here is my shared birthday cake.
 
Recipe for Red Velvet Cake, adapted from Joy of Baking.
Makes a 3-layered 7" round cake

Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients:

250g Cake flour, sifted

1/2 tsp Fine salt

15g Dutch-processed cocoa powder

113g Liv unsalted butter, at room temperature

150g Caster sugar

2 large Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract

240g Buttermilk (240g whole milk + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice)

1 tsp Liquid red food coloring

1 tsp White distilled vinegar

1 tsp Baking soda

Method:

1. Grease three 7" round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
5. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
6. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 
7. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. 
8. Bake in the preheated fan oven of 160C for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. 
9. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight).

Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Martha Stewart)

250g Cream Cheese
167g Liv unsalted Butter, softened
70g Icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Method:

1. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, in three batches, then add vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Assembly:

1. Place one layer of cake on the base.
2. Pipe the cream cheese on the cake, then use a spatula to even out.
3. Repeat this process for the 2nd and 3rd layer.
4. For the final decoration, use your spatula to swipe gently on the surface of the cream cheese to create the wave effect. Decorate as desire.