Red Velvet V Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 2 or 3 round 9-inch spring cake pans, or bake the layers one at a time.

Sift flour and salt together; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sifted flour mixture to the bowl alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Blend in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

In a small bowl, mix the 1 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder until a paste forms. Add this paste to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix well.

In a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon cider vinegar until it foams. Immediately add this foamy mixture to the batter. Blend on medium-high speed until the batter is consistent.

Spoon the thick batter evenly into the prepared pans. Level the top of the batter with an offset spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center.

Remove from the oven and let the cakes rest in the pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, turn the cakes out onto wire racks and cool completely.

For the frosting, in a mixing bowl, whip the sweetened whipping cream with 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract together with a mixer on low speed, gradually pouring in the sifted icing sugar until smooth. Gradually add the mascarpone cheese and beat again until completely blended. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gently fold in the whipped cream. If the mixture is too thick, add a little cream to loosen it. If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar or refrigerate to firm up.

If carving the cake and coating with crumbs, ensure the crumbs are applied when the frosting is fresh and still sticky.

To make a heart template, trace the bottom of a cake pan onto wax paper and cut out the 9-inch circle. Fold it in half and cut it into a heart shape. Lay the paper heart on the cake and trim it down if it doesn't comfortably fit inside the cake's circumference.

Red velvet cake is dense and carves easily with a serrated knife.

To make the crumb coating, crumble the cake scraps with your fingers. Discard any crusty, hard, or discolored crumbs, only using the best and softest crumbs for coating.

Place the first heart-shaped cake layer onto a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the raspberry jam, then a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, and sprinkle 1/2 of the frozen raspberries. Repeat this process with the second cake layer. Place the last cake layer, spread the remaining 1/3 of the jam, and coat the entire cake with the rest of the cream cheese frosting.

To apply crumbs, place the frosted cake onto a serving plate lined with wax paper strips. Crumb the top of the cake first. Then, crumb the wax paper strips and gently press the paper strips with the crumbs onto the sides of the cake. Carefully remove the wax paper strips and clean up any excess crumbs around the cake edges with a damp paper towel, adding more crumbs where necessary.

Chill the cake for at least 2 hours.