-
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place teaspoon of butter in each of 3 round 9-inch layer cake pans and place pans in oven for a few minutes until butter melts. Remove pans from oven, brush interior bottom and sides of each with butter and line bottoms with parchment.
-
2
Whisk cake flour, cocoa, salt and spices in a bowl.
-
3
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. (Take care: it may splash.) Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
-
4
Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.
-
5
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 before frosting.
-
6
Frost cake layers generously, then top with Red Hots for your Valentine.
-
7
Softly whip cream. Cover in bowl and refrigerate.
-
8
Blend cream cheese and mascarpone in food processor or electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, pulse briefly, and add confectioners' sugar. Blend well.
-
9
Transfer cream cheese mixture to bowl; fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate until needed.