Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans (or pans for 36 cupcakes).

Sift 3 cups of flour with cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream 2 sticks of butter with brown sugar, food coloring, and 2.5 tsp vanilla on low to combine. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and pale, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition and using a rubber spatula to scrape the side and bottom of the bowl. Reduce speed to low and add one-third of the dry ingredients followed by half of the buttermilk.

Repeat, finishing with the final third of the dry mix. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans (or cupcake pans), spreading it out as evenly as possible. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes for cake pans or 22 minutes for cupcakes.

For 9" cake, cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then run a paring knife around the edges of each pan to release cake from the sides; invert cakes onto cooling rack. Cool for 1 hour and then wrap each cake in plastic wrap for at least a few hours.

Frosting

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together with an electric mixer on low speed to combine. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and light, about 2 minutes. Stop mixer and add a few cups of the powdered sugar, incorporating it into the cream cheese mixture on low speed until combined. Repeat with remaining sugar in two additions. Once all the sugar is added, increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

This is the correct amount of frosting for the four layer, 9" cake. Halve recipe for cupcakes.

Layer Cake Assembly

(Four Layer 9" Cake)

Unwrap cake layers. Slice off the rounded top 1/8 inch of each cake and place the trimmed away portion in the bowl of a food processor. Slice each cake in half horizontally. Add the crumbs to the food processor and pulse until fine. Place one cake layer on a cake round or large plate. Use and offset spatula to evenly spread 3/4 cup of frosting on the first cake layer.

Repeat with the remaining three cake layers, ending with the bottom half of a cake on top, crowned-side up (so you do not get cake crumbs in the frosting).

Spread remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Gently press a handful of the reserved crumbs into the sides of the cake until all of the sides are evenly coated. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.