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. 😉
Mari Hunt says
Made this today for my son’s 24th birthday celebration this evening. I thought it was going to be a disaster… but it was pretty well received and was quite delicious and lovely velvety texture! You’re right about the frosting though… very sloppy even with extra icing sugar but I placed in the fridge for 3 hour and it stayed together long enough to cut and serve…! My son loved it by the way!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Mari!
anne duggins says
Fantastic recipe! Thank you for all the helpful tips especially regarding the icing. I live in the uk and I now understand why my icing is always too runny. Thank you.
I was concerned about beating it for as long as was stated so I didn’t and it’s turned out pretty good but I just wonder wether it would have have become more thick or more runny if I’d beaten it for longer?
Anyway, great recipe, thank you x
Montserrat says
Hi Nagi,
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and I was meant to review it straight away but with the busy lives we have…..anyway here it goes… It’s the best red velvet cake recipe ever!! a must!! Your knowledge has been invaluable for me living in the UK, advising us what to do with the cheese, colour gel etc.. a massive big thank you!! xxx :_)
Nagi says
Woah that’s great feedback, thank you so much!
Alex C says
used this recipe already a couple of times after comparing many, many recipes -try it because this will become your go-to recipe for red velvet!
I used a different frosting (cream cheese (UK-type), mascarpone, whipping cream and some icing sugar….great stuff 🙂
Nagi says
That’s great Alex!!
Suzon says
What is buttermilk in this recipe, in India it’s diluted curd and a little salt added to it.
Nagi says
Hi Suzon, buttermilk is the liquid that is left over after churning butter, however these days (and in Australia) it’s artificially made. I haven’t tried with diluted curd but would’ve to know if it works!
Dominyka Griskina says
Hi Nagi, Can I use white wine vinegar instead of white vinegar? Thank you!
Nagi says
Sure can!
Franceska Barnard says
Hi how long will this cake remain moist – if I bake it the night before a big occasion will it still be exactly the same the next day (correct storage implied!). Thank you
Nagi says
Hi Franceska, yes it will definitely be good the next day – Enjoy!
Clair says
Sensational cake! Moist and with such a lovely flavour! I’m not much of a cake person but I could eat this all day. Thank you Nagi!
Nagi says
Woot! Great to hear Clair!
Autumn D Herrera says
I am looking to make a 3 layer 6 inch round cake, would this recipe size work for three 6 inch pans to that or should I double the recipe and freeze extra layers? Thanks!
Renée says
Easy to follow recipe and a beautiful cake! I didn’t use any colouring and it still is a damn pretty cake. I used less icing sugar (guestimate 200g) and 300g of cream cheese and I love the frosting. My sponge however has a distinct baking soda smell (less so when you taste the cake, but it’s unmistakably bly there). Am I just sensitive to this particular smell, or has anyone else noticed this? Could I minimise the smell by increasing the acidic elements or decreasing the amount of baking soda a little?
That said sponge itself is moist and texture is great 🙂
Nagi says
Hi Renee, I have never noticed this – it’s only a minimal amount for the whole cake, I wouldn’t decrease it otherwise the cake won’t rise. – N x
Renée says
P.S. I used two 20cm cake tins and baked them for 38 minutes. My oven is a bit weaker than average.
Alisia Usher says
Hi.
I wanted to ask if margarine would work in place of butter (stork) and also if white wine vinegar can be used.
The recipe used 2 9 inch tins. Would this batter be enough for a 3 layer 6-7 inch cake or should I make more batter??
Thank you
Nagi says
Hi Alisha, I’m sure that margarine would be ok in place of butter but I haven’t tried in smaller pans sorry!
Dominyka Griskina says
Hi Nagi, Can I use white wine vinegar instead of white vinegar? Thank you!
Fonny Megawati says
Hi Nagi,
For cocoa powder..is it dutch process or naturall ?
Elny Widjaja says
I compare your recipe to other sources which they also use oil to make the cakes moist. Other grams almost the same, the only big difference is the weight of the oil though. 250ml of oil is way too much. Other recipe using only 1/4 cup of oil.. Convert to US measurements will be around 60 ml.
Nagi says
Hi Elny, you’ll have to try mine to see why people love it 😉
Susan George says
Thanks Nagi:)
Could gel be used too?
Nagi says
Sure can!
Susan George says
thanks 🙂
Susan George says
Hi Nagi,
Enjoy your recipes and have been trying them out here in NZ. Could you tell me what colouring liquid you used ?
Many thanks, Susan
Nagi says
Hi Susan, I used Queen Pillar Box Red – N x
Susan George says
thanks Nagi:)
Could gel be used too?
Pam Pietracci says
This cake turned out fantastic. Found the ingredients a little strange, dont normally see both oil and butter in a cake mix, but went along with it. Really happy I did, everyone loved it. Will definitely make again
Nagi says
I’m so glad you tried it Pam!
Debbie Rooke says
Thinking of using this recipe as a tier for a wedding cake. Just concerned how the cream cheese filling would be for about 24 hours? The cake would have to be iced with fondant the day before.
Nagi says
Hi Debbie, I’m not too sure to be honest, I usually prefer buttercream for caked that are going to be covered in fondant as it’s more stable – N x
Hope says
Hi there! How tall is one layer of this cake?
Catherine says
I’m from the UK and followed the cake recipe exactly! The cake came out beautifully moist and tasty, I’m so pleased! For the cream cheese frosting I used another recipe however just adjusting the sugar accordingly would probably work for the recipe provided here.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Catherine!
Kasmira hamill says
I’m planning on making this cake this weekend, I am also from the UK but am a bit confused on the frosting bit, how much of the soft Philadelphia cream cheese to how much icing sugar am I to use? Tia x
Maz says
The besttttt red velvet cake recipe our there!!!
Nagi says
Thanks so much!!