Place A Rack In The Center Of The Oven, And Preheat The Oven To 350°F.
Wash The Beets And Wrap In Aluminum Foil.
Place On A Rack In The Oven Or On A Baking Sheet In The Oven And Bake Until The Tip Of A Small Sharp Knife Can Slide Easily Into The Larger Beet, About 1 Hour And 20 To 30 Minutes.
Remove The Beets From The Oven, And When Cool Enough To Handle, Open The Foil, Peel The Beets, And Cut Them Into Quarters.
Place The Cooled, Quartered Beets In A Food Processor Fitted With A Steel Blade.
Pulse Until They Are Chopped Finely, 10 To 12 Pulses.
Measure Out 1 Cup And Set It Aside.
If There Are Extra Beets, Use Them For Another Purpose.
Grease And Flour Two 9″ Cake Pans.
Shake Out The Excess Flour, And Set The Pans Aside.
Place The 1 Cup Beets Back In The Food Processor Or A Blender With The Buttermilk, Lemon Juice, Vinegar, And Vanilla, And Pulse Until Smooth, 15 To 20 Seconds.
Set Aside.
Sift The Flour, Cocoa, Baking Powder, Salt, And Baking Soda Into A Medium-Size Bowl, And Set The Bowl Aside.
Place The Butter In A Large Mixing Bowl, And Beat With An Electric Mixer On Medium Speed Until Soft, About 30 Seconds.
While The Mixer Is Running, Slowly Add The Sugar, Beating Until The Mixture Is Creamy, 1 To 2 Minutes.
Beat In The Eggs, One At A Time, Beating Just Until Combined.
Alternately Add The Flour Mixture And The Beet Mixture To The Butter Mixture, Beginning And Ending With The Flour, And Beat On Medium Speed Just Until Each Is Incorporated.
Scrape Down The Sides Of The Bowl.
Divide The Batter Between The Prepared Pans, And Place The Pans In The Oven.
Bake The Cakes Until The Top Springs Back When Lightly Pressed With A Finger And A Toothpick Inserted In The Center Comes Out Clean, 22 To 25 Minutes.
Remove The Pans To A Wire Rack To Cool For 10 Minutes.
Run A Knife Around The Edges Of The Pans, Give The Pans A Gentle Shake, And Invert The Cakes Once And Then Again So The Layers Are Right Side Up.
Cool Completely, 30 To 35 Minutes.
Prepare The Cream Cheese Frosting.
To Assemble The Cake, Place 1 Cake Layer On A Serving Plate.
Spread About ¾ Cup Of Frosting Over The Top Of The Cake.
Place The Second Layer On Top.
Spread A Thin Coating Of Frosting Over The Top And Sides Of The Cake To Seal In The Crumbs.
Place The Cake In The Refrigerator To Chill For 15 Minutes.
To Complete The Assembly, Spread The Remaining Frosting Generously Over The Top And Sides Of The Cake.
This 2-Step Frosting Process Seals In The Dark Red Crumbs And Makes For A Neater Frosting Of The Cake.
