Southern Red Velvet Cake with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Icing
This is everything you want in a Red Velvet Cake...tender, melt-in-your mouth layers exquisitely frosted in rich cream cheese icing flecked with real vanilla bean. The perfect centerpiece for any special occasion meal!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8" cake pans.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, two to three minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
In a small bowl whisk cocoa into red food coloring, then add to sugar mixture and combine.
Sift together flour and salt. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix after each addition. Blend in vanilla.
In a small bowl combine vinegar and baking soda. Add to batter and combine. Pour batter into cake pans and place in oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Remove from oven allow to cool completely before icing.
Icing:
Combine cream cheese and two sticks of butter in large mixing bowl. Beat with hand mixer until smooth.
Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds into cream cheese mixture. Add vanilla extract and and salt, then beat on low to combine.
Add powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time, mixing on low after each addition until combined. After all sugar has been added increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy.