Red Velvet Cake

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This is the best Red Velvet Cake recipe and it isn’t just known for its red color. It has the perfect blend of vanilla, cocoa, and tang (from buttermilk) that makes it so dang popular! While I love a good Classic Chocolate Cake, this is a new kind of cake! Paired with my sweet Cream Cheese Frosting and you’ve got yourself a show-stopping dessert.

 

Red Velvet vs Chocolate

Red Velvet Cake is commonly mistaken for chocolate cake with red food coloring added to it. But can it actually be a chocolate cake if it traditionally only has 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in it? I think not.

If it’s not chocolate cake, then what is it? Although both types of cake do use cocoa, Red Velvet traditionally uses anthocyanin-rich cocoa (fancy talk for cocoa that turns a deep red when reacting with an acid found in buttermilk and vinegar, also common ingredients in red velvet).

For this Red Velvet Cake, I wanted to make a super tasty and moist cake that anybody could make any time. Because of this, I subbed out the anthocyanin-rich cocoa for food coloring. But don’t worry, this recipe still has all the classic flavors and textures people love about Red Velvet Cake!

Love Red Velvet Cake? Check out my other red velvet recipes: Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe, Red Velvet Nanaimo Bars, Homemade Red Velvet Oreos, Red Velvet Donuts, Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cookies

Main Ingredients For Red Velvet Cake

Lot’s of simple and common ingredients here for this classic red velvet cake and some not so common ingredients. Take a trip to the grocery store if needed, trust me, it’s worth it! Here’s what you need:

• Sugar – to sweeten.
• Eggs + Egg Whites – for structure and texture. The extra egg whites are used to keep this cake light.
• Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder – here’s the cocoa powder that’s used to flavor the cake.
• All-purpose Flour – could also use cake flour. This fills out the rest of the cake.
• Buttermilk + White Vinegar – these provide that classic tang in red velvet cake and provide such good moisture.
• Red Food Coloring – I used liquid food coloring but feel free to use gel food coloring too. Start small and add more if you think it needs more color.
• Pantry Staples– vegetable oil, baking soda, and vanilla extract.

for the cream cheese frosting

• butter– room temperature
• cream cheese– room temperature
• confectioners’ sugar– aka powdered sugar
• pantry staples– vanilla extract, salt

A Note About Red Food Coloring

While lots of recipes out there all for a full 1 oz bottle of liquid food coloring, I kept it modest with 3 teaspoons. As you can tell by the pictures, my cake didn’t get super red but if you want a vibrant red color, simply use more food coloring! There are a few food colorings on the market that are made from concentrated vegetable colorants and spices and are free from dyes, like this one from Whole Foods.

How to Make Red Velvet Cake

For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements see the recipe card down below. Here is step-by-step directions on how to make this recipe:

Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two round 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Step 2: Prepare the Dry + Wet Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together to combine. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk, vanilla extract, vinegar, and red food coloring. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the Cake Batter

In a separate large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Mix in eggs and egg white, one at a time, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.

Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.

Step 4: Bake and Cool Cakes

Divide evenly between baking pans and smooth the top. Bake in the lower 2/3rds of the oven. The cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool in cake pans before trying to invert onto a cooling rack. Once you can handle the warm pans with your bare hands, you can flip them out. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.

Step 5: Make the Frosting

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together with a electric hand mixer. You want them very soft, at room temperature so they cream nicely together and create a smooth frosting. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and very slowly start to incorporate. At first, it will seem like too much powdered sugar, but as long as your butter and cream cheese were soft, it should combine.

Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase speed to whip for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. If it still seems too stiff to use as frosting, add in 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. This makes enough to frost a two layer cake. If you’ve baked three layers, increase recipe by 1.5 times.

Step 6: Frost + Decorate Your Cake

Once the cake is completely cooled, you can frost and decorate how you like!

Storing Leftover Cake + Make-Ahead Instructions

The best thing about all of my cake recipes is they store beautifully if you have leftovers or need to make them ahead! Store any leftover frosted cake in the fridge, since it does have cream cheese in the frosting. You’ll want to wrap it in plastic wrap or in an airtight container to limit the cake drying out.

Make Ahead Directions: Once your cake has been baked, cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight. Prepare the frosting then cover and store in the fridge overnight as well. When you are ready to assemble and decorate, set the frosting out at room temperature to soften for about 30-45 minutes. Give it a quick mix to loosen it up in your mixer for about a minute, then frost away! (You may have to add a splash of heavy cream or milk to bring it back to life.)

FAQ About Red Velvet Cake

More Delicious Cake Recipes to Try!

Be sure to check out all of my other cake recipes while you’re at it!

• Classic Chocolate Cake
• Amazing Vanilla Cake
• The Best Carrot Cake
• Funfetti Cake
• The Best Cheesecake Recipe

This is the perfect Red Velvet Cake recipe to make for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion you might have coming up! Its soft velvety texture has a way to my heart! The printable recipe card is below. Happy Baking, friends!

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.