Red Velvet Cake With Summer Fruit

Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease 2 x 18cm springform pans and line both bases with baking paper.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla using electric beaters for 10 minutes until pale and creamy. Add eggs, beating well between each. Sift flour and cocoa together. Fold into egg mixture in batches, alternately with buttermilk, until combined. Stir in food colour.

Divide batter evenly among cake pans and smooth tops. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes or until cakes are cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Transfer cakes to wire rack and set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make buttercream, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla together using electric beaters until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in icing sugar. Set aside.

To assemble cake, trim the tops to make them level. Cut each cake in half through the middle to form 4 layers. Spread one fifth of the buttercream over the cut surface of 3 of the cake layers. Tear one quarter of the raspberries in half and arrange over the buttercream.

Stack the 3 cake layers on top of each other. Finish with the last cake layer. Transfer cake to a cake stand. Using a flat palette knife, spread the remaining buttercream over the top and side of the cake. Decorate top with remaining raspberries, strawberries and cherries.