A moist, classic Red Velvet Cake!! Made from scratch, and surprisingly easy when a few specific, simple steps are followed. This iconic cake has a soft “velvet” texture, just like what you get from the best top end fine bakeries, and is topped with soft, cream cheese frosting.
After Red Velvet Cupcakes? Here they are! UK readers: Please read note 7.
Red Velvet Cake recipe – tried and tested favourite!
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.
Why should you use THIS Red Velvet Cake!
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
Red Velvet Cake
Watch how to make it
How to make Red Velvet Cake – quick tutorial video! Red Velvet Cake for UK readers – please ensure you read Notes 7 and 9.
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Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups (400 g) plain cake flour (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp (10 g) cocoa powder , unsweetened
- 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda / bi-carb soda , NOT baking powder (Note 2)
- Pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter , softened (1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups (330 g) caster / superfine white sugar (Note 3a)
- 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)
Frosting (Note 10)
- 14 oz (400 g) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, block , softened but not too soft (UK see Note 9)
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter , softened (but not too soft)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups (450 g) soft icing sugar / powdered sugar sifted (Note 3b)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all oven types). Butter 2 x 21cm / 8″ round cake pans (sides and base) and dust with cocoa powder.
- Sift the Dry Ingredients and whisk to combine in a bowl.
- 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).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between to combine. At first it will look curdle – keep beating until it’s smooth.
- Add vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk and red food colouring. Beat until combined and smooth (Note 5).
- Add Dry Ingredients. Beat until just combined – some small lumps is ok, that’s better than over mixing.
- 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)
- Rest for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
Frosting
- 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.
Frost Cake
- Cut the top off the cake using a serrated knife (to make the layers neat).
- Spread one cake with 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the other cake. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
- Optional: Crumble offcuts and use to decorate the top rim and base of the cake.
Recipe Notes:
Let them eat cake! 10 more classic cakes
.Life of Dozer
This is how he starts every day: assessing the surf. 😉
Dave says
I made this today (UK) and it turned out well. Like the previous poster my cream frosting seemed a bit runny (followed advice) but it was okay in the end.
One problem I had was the cake needed about 20 minutes extra time to get a clean skewer, this crisped the outside somewhat but didn’t ruin it. Next time I’ll probably try it without the fan assistance as I suspect that didn’t help.
Appreciate the time that went into all this, all the footnotes were a great help as were the metric measures!
Angie says
What happens if I can’t get buttermilk , do I make my own for what?
Elinor says
Hi Nagi, making this today, can I check the bicarb / cocoa measurement – 2 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 teaspoon of bicarb? The gram measurements next to them look like a different ratio?
Nagi says
Hi Elinor, yes the ratios look different – cocoa is lighter than bicarb 🙂 – N x
Elinor Smith says
Thanks Nagi!! X
Gwen McNulty Williams says
Hi Nagi, made this yesterday (UK) and its really lovely. However, the frosting was too runny and a bit sweet for my taste, so didn’t want to add more icing sugar. Can I put a bit of cornflour in it to stiffen it up (same as cornstarch I think?). Thanks.
Nagi says
Hi Gwen! Did you see my notes about UK cream cheese??? I have specific notes in the recipe about your cream cheese – your cream cheese is much softer than the blocks available in much of the rest of the world so you need to use less. 🙂 N xx
Azy says
this recipe is amazing definitely recommend
Nagi says
Thanks so much Azy!
Louise says
Hi, I have to make a red velvet cake for an engagement party, there will be four layers of sponge, will the cheese frosting hold the four layers or should I add more butter and less cream cheese to make it stiffer? (I purchased the UK Philadelphia in the tub) x
Nagi says
Hi Louise, I’m not sure it will hold the weight of that many layers unfortunately – N x
Jess D says
WOW! This recipe made the most amazing cake. Texture and flavour devine. Can’t wait for an excuse to make it again. I made two separate batches to make two slab cakes and sandwiched together with a double batch of frosting. Both turned out perfect cooked in 2 different ovens. A big hit with everyone at the birthday party. Thank you for perfecting your recipe for us xx
Nagi says
Sounds like you nailed it Jess! N x
Anna says
Will this cake freeze? Hoping to make it for my sons birthday and decorate it so need it cooked previously to save time. Thanks
Taryn says
Hi there, I am using your recipe to bake a birthday cake for my little girl tomorrow – thx for the recipe it looks great. I’d like to know if I can sub the veg oil with coconut oil?
Nagi says
Hi Taryn, yes that will be fine – enjoy!
Boubou says
Hi Nagi, just wondering, can I use the dutch process cocoa instead of unsweetened cocoa powder? Thanks
Laira says
Natural cocoa and the acid in the buttermilk/vinegar react to produce a natural Red tinge. Dutch processed cocoa is alkalized so it kills the reaction but produces a darker, richer looking chocolate. Since this recipe uses food coloring, you can use Dutch processed chocolate.
Nagi says
Sure can Boubou!
Adeeb says
Cake came out perfectly, only problem was the frosting was pretty runny, which could be due to the fact that I left the cream cheese out for too long to soften. Other than that, this is basically the best red velvet cake recipe I’ve tried.
Nagi says
Hi Adeeb, if your icing was too soft, you can always add a little more icing sugar to stiffen it up ❤️
Neetha David says
Hi Nagi,
I am wanting to make this for a birthday on Sunday, do you think I can make it ahead and store at room temperature for 2 days?
Neetha says
Nagi, Ive made this red velvet 5 times already, and every one raves about how good it is! I was going to make Christmas cake for Christmas, but our friends seem to want your Red Velvet cake! Your recipes really are amazing! Ive even put in the freezer for a couple days and just let it thaw while having dinner and its been amazing cold – great for summer!
Cathy says
Hi Nagi I am making this cake today and wondered if it would be OK to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil? Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Cathy, you could although i find the taste of olive oil slightly too strong in cakes – N x
Cathy says
OK I will stick to veg oil. Thank you
Georgia says
Hi Nagi, I want to make this for a friend, but she has issues with red food colouring. If I leave it out altogether, will it affect the recipe?
Thank you!
Amore says
Hi Georgia,
Will be great to know whether you end up omitting the colouring and how it turned out 🙂
Nagi says
Hi Georgia, you can also use natural food colourings – like beetroot powder – N x
Rachel says
Delicious cake for a family birthday. Followed all the notes, turned out beautifully. Thank you!
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Rachel!
Latipha says
Oh my goodness!!!!!!! You are a genius. This recipe is the bomb. I followed it precisely and it turned out perf!!!!!! Thanks a billion.
Min says
Hi Nagi,
If I want to make white velvet cake, do I just need to remove cocoa powder and red colouring will do? Thanks
Nagi says
I haven’t made one just yet – the recipe would need adjusting to do this – N x
Marissa says
Hi Nagi!
What would be the best way to make this in 3 x 6″ cake pans? Halve the amount of the ingredients?
Thanks!
Nagi says
Hi Marissa, this makes 2 x 8″ pans, if you want to make 3 x 6″ pans just keep the amount the same, they will be slightly thinner cakes – N x
Marissa says
Thanks Nagi. I’ll give it a go!!
Lyn says
Hi Nagi,
How do I need to bake this cake in a 9 inch cake tin?
Tania Purkis says
Hi Nagi . Just wondering could you make the cake ahead of time (not the icing obviously) as Id like to make for Christmas day and decorate with sugared raspberries/cherries and rosemary.
Jo Pidgeon says
Made this today. Looks absolutely beautiful. Made for a birthday. Hopefully tastes as good as it looks. The frosting is delicious. My question is: Not being for a 1-2 days, Do i put it in fridge or will it dry out? Cover with cling wrap? i decorated it with chocolate and strawberries
Nagi says
Hi Jo, I usually store mine at room temp – N x