Ingredients

Method

• 250 g caster sugar
• 125 g butter
• 2 free-range eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 T red food colouring
• 280 g cake flour
• 3 T cocoa
• 1/2 t baking powder 
• a pinch salt
• 1 t bicarbonate of soda
• 1 T vinegar
• strawberries, halved, to decorate
For the cream cheese icing, mix:
• 250 g icing sugar
• 250 g cream cheese, at room temperature 

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla and food colouring.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the vinegar, then stir into the wet ingredients. Don't worry if the batter looks curdled at this stage – it'll come together once you add the flour.

4. Fold the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture. Combine well but do not overmix.

5. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes.

6. Allow to cool before icing. For best results, use a piping bag, or make your own by rolling a triangle of baking paper into a cone, and snipping off the end.

7. Decorate with halved strawberries after icing.

Cook's note: Bringing the buttermilk and eggs to room temperature will reduce the chance of the batter curdling. But don't worry – a slightly curdled wet mix will come together as soon as you add the flour.

Photograph: Sadiqah Assur-Ismail
Production: Jacqueline Burgess