Red Wine Chocolate Cake

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          I made this cake for my Hubby's Birthday. As you can see I am not good  at writing on the cake(need more practice, obviously). This recipe has been adapted from loveandoliveoil. I have used red wine instead of blackberry.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
Sugar                                   -          2 cups 
All-purpose flour                 -         1¾ cups 
Cocoa powder                      -         ¾ cup  
Baking soda                         -          2 tsp. 
Baking powder                    -          1 tsp. 
Salt                                      -           1 tsp.
Eggs                                    -           2
Buttermilk                           -          1 cup
Red wine                             -          1 cup
Olive or vegetable oil          -          ½ cup 
Vanilla extract                     -          2 tsp.

For the frosting:
unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes  -   2 cups (4 sticks)
powdered sugar, sifted                                   -   3¾ cup
heavy cream                                                   -   ¼ cup 
vanilla extract                                                 -   2 tsp. 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter and line three 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and combine well. Add eggs, buttermilk, wine, oil, and vanilla and combine well with a beater. Divide evenly among the prepared pans.
3. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
4. Run a small knife around the edges of the pan and gently invert the pan onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. 
5. To prepare frosting, beat the butter until creamy, add powdered sugar, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add cream and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. Add more cream or powdered sugar as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
6. To assemble, level each cake layer by cutting of the domed top. Place one layer, flat side down, on a serving platter and spread half a cup of the prepared buttercream on top. 
7. Place the second cake layer again flat side down on top and press gently, spread another 1/2 cup of buttercream.
8.  Place final cake layer, flat side up and cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. This "crumb coat" will make frosting the cake easier. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow this crumb coat to set. 
9. Remove cake from refrigerator and frost with remaining buttercream. Return cake to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:

• I decorated the cake with berries and Lindsay used chocolate glaze.
• It is better to freeze the cake before applying the frosting.
• If  decorating the cake with berries then do it just before serving, (coz.  fresh berries weep when thawed, lesson learnt!)