A moist, classic Red Velvet Cake!! Made from scratch, and surprisingly easy when a few simple steps are followed – watch how to make it in the recipe video. This has a soft “velvet” texture, just like what you get from top end fine bakeries, and is topped with soft, cream cheese frosting. UK readers: Please read note 7.
This Red Velvet Cake has been taste tested and given a big thumbs up by many people because it’s a rather large cake and I’ve made it 5 times in the last two weeks.
“FIVE TIMES??!!”, I hear you exclaim (out loud or in your head). “You’re MAD!!”
If getting this cake exactly to my taste, as close as I can get it to the cakes you get from posh bakeries, and ensuring it works using both US and metric (i.e. rest of the world!!) measures means that I’m a mad baker, I’ll take that title. 😉
Besides, I’m really enjoying baking at the moment. There is something so satisfying about making something as pretty as Red Velvet Cake.
To tell you the honest truth, the reason I made it so many times in recent weeks is because my original recipe got a “so-so” response from the two toughest taste-testers I know: my mother and brother.
“The sponge is zara-zara”, my mother declared on first bite.
What the….?? Zara-zara? What on earth does that mean??
“Zara-zara” means “rough” in Japanese. The Japanese language has a handful of words which sound like what it means. “Zara-zara” being a perfect example. Usually it cracks me up. Not that day.
I gasped, indignant, and grabbed a spoon to shovel a bite into my mouth, ready to argue. And I realised – she was right. It was not as velvety as it could be. As it should be.
NOT HAPPY.
So I improved it. 🙂
What is Red Velvet Cake?
Red Velvet Cake is not just a chocolate cake with red food colouring added. This cake is softer than most, “velvet-like”, and the chocolate taste is actually quite mild. It’s more like a cross between a vanilla and chocolate cake with a very subtle tang from buttermilk. And it is generously smothered in a fluffy cream cheese frosting.
It’s wildly popular in America and there’s a cult following in Australia. Give it a few years, it will become a firm favourite soon!
The cake tastes buttery and moist, because it has butter in it for flavour, and oil for moisture. Yes, you need both, I promise you. It is not the same if you use only one of them.
There are 3 more specific things about this recipe which might be a bit different to other Red Velvet recipes you have seen, but there’s a reason for it.
1. Cake flour – it’s a must! It’s key to achieving that soft silky sponge, just like what you get from posh bakeries. However, if you really can’t find it, please see the notes for a substitute;
2. Only 2 eggs – I’ve seen some recipes call for up to 5 eggs. I only use 2. It’s enough to hold the cake together just fine – any more than 2, and find the cake begins to start tasting “eggy”; and
3. Buttermilk – For almost every other baking recipe that I make using buttermilk, I say that you can substitute with lemon juice + milk which, when left for 5 minutes, curdles to have the same effect as using buttermilk. Not for this recipe – sorry! It is just not the same – part of the reason mine was “zara zara”. ?
Oh, and one more rule. There is no substitute for Philadelphia Cream Cheese for the frosting. I’ve tried better value store-brand cream cheese before. It is never the same. Promise. ❤
I bake the layers in 2 separate tins, but if you don’t have two tins, you can make one big one and cut the cake in half. And to make the layers nice and neat, I cut the dome top off.
I like to crumble the off cuts and use it to decorate the cake. I think it looks pretty, don’t you? But that’s purely optional!
I promise you, there is nothing tricky about this cake. All you have to do is ensure you measure the ingredients properly, rather than just eye-balling it. 😉 As long as you do that, it’s actually easy to make, no more difficult than an ordinary sponge cake.
Putting aside fiddly fancy decorated cakes, Red Velvet Cake is surely one of the most striking and stunning cakes around. If you’ve never tried it before, you’re in for a real treat! – Nagi x
PS Just to explain, my family’s cake standard is rather high because we have been thoroughly spoilt by cakes in Japan. It’s not widely known around the world, but Japanese cakes and baked treats generally are extraordinary, far superior to the typical bakeries here in Australia. A suburban bakery in Japan would make a high end French patisserie chef proud. Truly. ❤
Recipe VIDEO below. The classic, iconic Red Velvet Cake! The sponge is soft and velvety, true to it's name, with a buttery flavour, moist with a hint of chocolate, vanilla and tang from buttermilk. UK: Please read notes 7 and 9.
- 2 2/3 cups / 400 g plain cake flour (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp / 10g cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 tsp / 5g baking soda / bi-carb soda, , NOT baking powder (Note 2)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup / 115 g unsalted butter, softened (1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups / 330 g caster / superfine white sugar (Note 3)
- 2 eggs, at room temperature (around 2 oz / 60g each)
- 1 cup / 250ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
- 1 cup / 250 ml buttermilk, at room temperature (Note 4)
- 2 1/2 tbsp red food colouring liquid (UK: use Gel, Note 7)
- 14 oz/ 400g Philadelphia Cream Cheese, block (not spreadable tub, UK see Note 9)
- 1 stick / 1/2 cup / 115g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups / 450 g soft icing sugar / powdered sugar sifted
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Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all oven types). Butter 2 x 21cm / 8" round cake pans (sides and base) and dust with cocoa powder.
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Sift the Dry Ingredients and whisk to combine in a bowl.
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Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with electric beater or in stand mixer until smooth and well combined (use paddle attachment if using stand mixer).
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Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between to combine. At first it will look curdle - keep beating until it's smooth.
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Add vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk and red food colouring. Beat until combined and smooth (Note 5).
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Add Dry Ingredients. Beat until just combined - some small lumps is ok, that's better than over mixing.
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Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes on the same shelf, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Note 6)
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Rest for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
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Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla for 3 minutes (this makes it really smooth and changes from yellow to almost white). Add icing sugar and beat for 2 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy to your taste. If your frosting seems too runny (depends on quality of cream cheese/ if the cream cheese was too soft), just add more icing sugar.
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Cut the top off the cake using a serrated knife (to make the layers neat).
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Spread one cake with 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the other cake. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
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Optional: Crumble offcuts and use to decorate the top rim and base of the cake.
1. Cake flour is lighter and has a lower protein content that all purpose / plain flour. It produces cakes with a very soft crumble and minimal "bounciness", like what you get from posh bakeries.
It is not readily available in all countries, though it can be found in Australia in supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths).
SUBSTITUTION - If you can't find cake flour, substitute as follows: Measure out 2 2/3 cups / 400 g plain (all purpose) flour into a bowl. Remove 5 tbsp / 60g plain flour, then add 5 tbsp / 60g of cornstarch / cornflour.
CAN'T USE CAKE FLOUR? This recipe will work just fine if you make this with just all purpose / plain flour. The cake just won't be quite as tender. 🙂 Still delicious though!
2. Baking Soda is also called bi-carb soda. It works like baking powder but it is 3 times stronger. It needs acid to activate it (buttermilk in this recipe). It cannot be substituted with baking powder in this recipe.
3. Normal white sugar will also work just fine, it is just that caster sugar blends in easier, faster and better. 🙂
4. Buttermilk - for most baking recipes, buttermilk can be substituted with milk + lemon juice left to curdle. But for this recipe, it does not work as well so please use buttermilk!
5. Don't worry if it separates slightly because of the oil, it will come together when the flour is added.
6. CAKE SIZE: This can be made in one cake pan (but 2 cake pans is better/easier). Just pour batter into one cake pan and bake for around 45 minutes in total, maybe even 1 hour, but you must cover with FOIL at around 30 minutes, otherwise the top may get too brown. Use a skewer to test if the inside is baked. Then cut cake in half.
CUPCAKES: This makes 22 standard cupcakes. Divide between paper patty lined muffin tins. Bake 25 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
7. If you are in the UK, please use GEL not liquid food colouring. The liquid colouring sold in the UK tends to be natural rather than artificial so it is not as intense as the liquid colouring we have here in Australia and the US. So to achieve the intense bright red colour, you will need to use gel.
8. OIL SPLITTING: A few readers had a problem where the base of the cake was oily once removed from the pan. To ensure this does not happen, ensure the batter is beaten well after each ingredient is added. See video for how the batter should look.
9. Philadelphia Cream Cheese in the UK is softer than what we have here in Australia (and in the US, Canada). In the UK, it has a lower fat % and comes in tubs, and it's spreadable. We also have Philly that comes in tubs that are specifically made to be spreadable. This recipe calls for Philadelphia cream cheese that comes in blocks and is firmer. If you are in the UK, get 2 x 180g Original Philadelphia cream cheese and start with just 250g instead of the 400g called for in the recipe. After beating, if your frosting consistency is soft / fluffy but still holds its shape, add more (for more cream cheese flavour). Also, ensure your butter is softened but NOT super soft, that will also help. And don't worry, even if you used 250g, the frosting still tastes like cream cheese frosting!
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
How to make Red Velvet Cake – quick tutorial video!
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Hihi,
Can i use cultured low fat buttermilk for red velvet cake? Thanks.
Hihi,
Can I use cultured low fat buttermilk to make red velvet cake? Thanks.
I made this cake for the first time for my daughter that LOVES red velvet cake… until now, we’ve cheated and used Cake mixes but I thought it would b nice to do a “made from scratch” one… and oh my this was so delish!! 🙂 I never understood why the caske was called red velvet…but I know now!! I did reduce the sugar by about 15% (I usually do reduce sugar for foreign recipies!) but actually it wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be, even with the frosting…should have known it wasn’t going to be sickly sweet as you’re Japanese!! 😉 (I’m second generation Korean born and raised in Japan’ so I know what cakes are like there!!)
Made two batches in one go- one 18cm cake for us at home and two tray cakes for her friends at school… it was a massive hit!! I don’t usually comment on the web but I had to say a massive thank you to you…for a gorgeous cake recipie and thoughtful details on different ingredients in different countries…(I live in UK now!) the tips were so-o helpful and actually a cake saver as I had to get it right first time around!!
Next time I make the cake, daughter just wants me to make regular icing (butter + icing sugar) so I better remember that….!!!
Thank you !!! 🙂
My grandson prefers a quarter sheet cake. How long do I bake it in a 13”x9” pan? Is there anything different that needs to be done to bake it in a sheet pan?
I have made this cake twice and it is truly amazing!! I also have to make the red velvet cookies when I make the cake for my grandchildren, per special request! They love both the cake and cookies. There are usually 9 to 12 of us when we celebrate so one cake will not do.
Just made this according to the recipe almost exactly and it is absolutely perfect! Unbelievable texture, so soft! These are the changes i made: slightly less sugar, as my hubby prefers things less sweet and this was for his birthday, white rice vinegar, rice bran oil, and halved the recipe.
I must say that I really appreciate having the ingredients by weight for accuracy and I’m certain that made a difference. Best red velvet ever!
Glad you enjoyed this one Justine!! And happy birthday to your hubby! N x
Hi Nagi, what kind of vegetable oil do you use?
Greetings Mariska
The Netherlands
We only get plain vegetable oil here! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe Nagi…
Made it and my kids loved the cake.. I made it in a single pan… didnt have gel colors so used powdered color…
It was moist n spongy n soft….❤❤❤
Thanks for all the tips you shared… it was very helpful!!!
That’s terrific to hear Misiriya! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Here in Germany, I have never seen liquid or gel food coloring. I know there is some kind of powdered coloring. I hope, it’ll work though.
taste will be the same! 🙂 N x
Eek I forgot the vinegar and it’s in the oven. BUT i did put lemon in milk to make buttermilk (sorreeee) so hopefully the carbon dioxide will come from that. And I have a carmine allergy so my cake is blue 🙂
It has risen and is lovely, such a generous looking cake and wonderful texture. The icing is quite runny, next time I’d make a butter cream and then add Philli (UK). Proper cream cheese is hard to find as is buttermilk.
I’m pleased you enjoyed this Kath!
PS Did you see the note about UK cream cheese? Your cream cheese is runnier than block cream cheese we get here in Australia, US etc
I’m sure it will be fine Kath! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
My daughter has asked for a “red velvet cake” for her birthday, but not because she wants a red cake. What she loves about red velvet is the cream cheese icing (mostly) and the chocolate flavour in the cake. I don’t like red velvet because of the food colouring (no direspect to anyone who’s a fan of red velvet, this is just a personal preference!). Would the consistency or taste of the cake change if I omitted the red food colouring? Would it look unappealing because it won’t be quite so chocolaty looking as a chocolate cake? I’m considering using your chocolate cake recipe and combining it with the cream cheese icing from the red velvet. It sounds like the red velvet cake is more moist and “velvety”…perhaps because of the cake flour and buttermilk? What would you recommend?
Thank you for your help! Can’t wait to make this cake (birthday party is in 2 days!)
Hi Nagi,
Your recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it. Thank you for the easy to follow instructions and all the substitution notes. They’re very helpful as I’m in the UK!
I have a question about the vinegar. I can’t find white vinegar in the UK. Do you know of any suitable substitutes? We have distilled malt vinegar here and white wine vinegar, but I have no idea what is close to white vinegar.
Thank you!
Hi Gemma. I am in the UK too, and use white distilled vinegar from Tesco or ASDA.
Thanks, Debi! Will give it a go
Hi Naggi,
In my country there is no buttermilk, what if I do it myself? (I know you have been clear about this,…but…)
Help please
Hello Anna, I also live in an area with no buttermilk, so I made my own. For this recipe, 1 cup full cream milk + 2 and a half tbsp of white vinegar. Leave for a minimum of 5 minutes. I left mine longer. Hope this helps. My cake turned out perfectly moist just as Nagi described 😊
Can i use cultured low fat buttermilk for this case? Is it the same? Thanks.
Hi Ana! Please see sub in the recipe notes 🙂
Hello Nagi, I only have 1 10-inch pan. Should I still divide the batter or just bake one and divide the cake? How do you suggest adjusting the baking time? Thank you.
Hello Nagi, just to let you know that my husband got me an 8 inch pan and proceeded with the recipe. It was perfect, pretty, delicious, moist and all. Thank you for sharing. What made me decide to go for this recipe is the story about your mom’s comment. I know the Japanese really know their cakes! 😉
How right you are!! Japanese cakes really are amazing! Glad you enjoyed this Kris, than you for letting me know! N x
I would do 1 cake and cut in half 🙂 N x
Hi!! 🤗 I’ve never baked a red velvet cake before… actually don’t really know how they’re “supposed to taste?” LOL… But I would like to attempt this recipe but could you pls tell me how to substitute beet juice instead if using the food coloring and put hat same bright red colour? Thanks!
Hi Karen I’m sorry but I don’t know the answer to that. Sorry!
Hi Nagi I’ve just made this red velvet cake which is a lovely soft sponge BUT my cake is Brown and not a nice red colour I followed the recipe to the letter what has gone wrong x Any help please
Hi Brenda – please tell me you saw the notes for UK readers re: colouring!!!
Thanks Nagi for a truly amazing red velvet cake recipe! After salivating on your cake photos for weeks I finally made a batch of cupcakes using your recipe and they were AMAZING! So moist and delicious! Truly the best red velvet cake I’ve had – best thing about it is that I made it! The pillowy soft sponge reminds me of those matcha green tea cakes I’ve had in Japan, and in the Chinese bakeries in Sydney like Breadtop. Would you, or you mum, take on the challenge of posting a matcha sponge cake recipe for me please?
Nagi thank you so much for this recipe, it was absolutely delicious. I stumbled across your blog whilst i was looking for a red velvet cake recipe and i am so happy i was directed here. I have also made your lasagne which was a great hit. This cake was so moist and yummy. I made it for my brothers girlfriend on her birthday, they took half the cake and at had the rest. They said that the biggest mistake they made was to give us the other half. We eat it everyday with tea (i also had it for breakfast). This is hands down the best velvet cake ever. I added half a cup of brewed coffee in mine which worked well. The UK notes were so helpful as i always struggle with us recipes.
That’s terrific to hear Mini! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I need to make a large one for a wedding cutting cake. Would this recipe be suitable to double or triple for a large round cake?
Hi Margy! That should be fine as long as the pan is larger 🙂 I made a double batch in a large rectangle pan and it came out fine!
Hi Nagi, would you please have the exact name of the red food gel colour you used?
Hi nagi i follow this receipe exact to point but still find the cake very oily what can i alter for this not to be the case next time
Hi Zeenat! It means that the batter was not beaten properly to incorporate the oil into the batter 🙂 Did your batter look smooth like mine? 🙂 N x