GETTING READY

For Baking in cooker, add the 2 cups salt in your idli cooker / pressure cooker and place a wire stand and a perforated plate. Cover and remove whistle if using pressure cooker. Heat in medium flame. For Baking in oven preheat your oven to 180 C.

MAKING

Mix all the ingredients of the dry mix together, make sure its sifted twice.

In a mixing bowl, add the oil and sugar and whip until smooth. Pour in the condensed milk and whip till its fluffy and starts leaving sides.

Add half of the milk and vanilla essence and stir well, now add half of the sifted flour mixture and stir well.

Add the remaining flour mixture and whip. To the remaining milk, add the red food color and stir, and pour in the batter and give it a good mix.

Pour the batter to a 7" cake tin which is greased with butter and lined with butter paper.

Tap once and place the cake tin in the cooker and cover quickly and then in medium-low flame bake for 35 -40 mins. You can also bake in a oven at 180 C for the same time.

Test whether the cake is done after 35 mins with a toothpick if it comes out clean, its ready if not bake for another 3-4 mins. Once baked, take the cake out and let it come down to room temp, then put it in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

For the frosting, nn a mixing bowl, add the butter and beat till fluffy and then add a portion of powder sugar (add the sugar in 5 portions), whip till fluffy and creamy, then add the next portion and continue till all finishes. Make sure to scrape the sides in between.

Whip for 5 minutes in high speed then add the cream cheese and vanilla essence then whip for another 3-4 minutes. Cream Cheese Frosting is ready, you can use it as it is or make it creamier and more delicious by incorporating whipped cream to it.

Whip 2 cups of whipping cream to stiff peaks, add half of it to the frosting and mix then add the remaining whipped cream and then whip the mixture till stiff. Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting is ready.

FINALIZING

Place a big plate over a couple of bowls or in a turntable. place the cake and slice up the uneven top and then slice it horizontally into three layers and keep aside. Trim off brown edges if any.

In the turn table, apply a little bit of cream and place the first layer of cake then smear the sugar syrup. Add a big dollop of frosting and spread.

Place the second layer and repeat, then place the third layer upside down and smear syrup then take a dollop of cream in a offset spatula / any long knife / palette knife and cover the sides of the assembled cake roughly then the top. Make sure the layer is thin, as its a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, then make a good layer of the frosting in the cake as shown in the video.

SERVING

Powder trimmings of the cake and sprinkle over the cake. Using leftover frosting make rosettes by adding the frosting to a piping bag with star tip and then piping in circular motion. Refrigerate and enjoy.