This cake is moist, light, delicious, and velvety... and it’s not red! I don’t really get the obsession with red velvet cake, as I can’t understand why anyone would add food colouring to a perfectly lovely cake just to change its colour. There will be arguments in favour of using natural food colouring — but as it won’t enhance the flavour in any way I won’t be swayed. I have added a tbsp of strawberry jam for depth of flavour. So, below is an easy recipe for a Chocolate Velvet Cake, which is smothered in delightful red berries, with a sprinkling of blueberries for good measure.

Chocolate Velvet Cake and Red Berries

Chocolate Velvet cake

Ingredients

275g cream flour

25g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bread soda

½ tsp sea salt

240ml buttermilk

60ml sunflower oil

30gr strawberry or any red berry jam

1 tsp raspberry vinegar or similar

2 tsps vanilla extract

300gr caster sugar

115gr butter at room temperature

2 large free range eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

500g cream cheese

113g unsalted Butter (at room temperature)

270g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Roughly 700gr mixed berries

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 175C.
• Grease the base and sides of two 9in cake tins, and line the base with a disk of parchment paper for good measure.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bread soda, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, jam, vinegar and vanilla.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed well.
• Fold in half the dry flour mix and then half the buttermilk mix.
• Repeat, using the remaining flour and finally, buttermilk mixture.
• Divide the cake mix between the two tins, levelling off the top.
• Bake the cakes in pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through.
• Run a small knife around the edges to free the cake; cool the cakes for five minutes then gently turn out onto a wire rack to cool, carefully peeling off the parchment paper.
• Allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In the bowl of an electric mixer, with a spade attachment cream the cheese for a minute then add the butter, vanilla and icing sugar.

Mix together until smooth and creamy.

Cut each cake in half horizontally; place one layer on a serving plate or cake board.

Spread gently with quarter of the frosting, and then top with quarter of the fruit.

Repeat with the remaining layers, keeping a base upturned for the top.

Finish the top with more berries and enjoy.

You can email Mercy Fenton at mercy@wickeddesserts.ie