Purple Velvet Cake

Instructions

1. For the cake, set the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Butter and line an 8 or 10 inch, round cake tin with baking parchment. If using an 8 inch tin, make sure it is a deep one.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together. Then cream the butter and sugar together, using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.
3. Add the food colouring, vanilla extract and then 1 egg. Keep beating until smooth. Add 1 spoonful of the dry ingredients and mix in. Add another egg and beat well.
4. Fold in half of the dry ingredients, then add half of the milk with the cider vinegar and continue to fold. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients and gently mix until incorporated.
5. Add the rest of the milk and carefully mix until smooth. Spoon into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for half an hour, before taking the cake out of the tin to finish cooling on a rack.
7. While the cake is cooling, make the icing by beating the butter until light and fluffy. Carefully add the icing sugar and beat well. Add enough of the food colouring to give the desired purple hue.
8. When the cake is cold, split it into 3 or 4 layers. Spread each layer with some of the butter cream and then some jam. Sandwich the layers together, then skim the outside of the cake with the remaining butter cream.
9. Garnish with Blackberries and serve.