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. 😉
Gaylene Hoskin says
Hi Nagi, how long does the cupcake version stay moist?
Barb says
I did not have any cake crumb to use for decoration, so chopped up a cherry ripe (1 and half bars) and crumbled that over edges. Looked and tasted awesome! (And dipping left over cherry ripe into left over frosting – pure heaven)
Ruth says
Hi thank you for this wonderful recipe! I’m planning on using this for my friend’s wedding cake! I want 3 x 6′ and 3 x 10′ in addition to 3 x 8′, so I’m going to keep the same measurements for 3 x 6′ as above, and multiply by 1.5 and 3 for 3 x 8′ and 3 x 10′, respectively. Do you think this will work? Thanks so much!
Precilla says
Made this for my fiance’s birthday and it came out perfect! I was nervous at first as it was my first time baking a two layer cake with frosting. Plus, red velvet is our fav cake so the pressure was there. Soo thankful to have found this recipe as the instructions were spot on. Thank you for sharing!
Jolyn Chanel Babirye says
nice cake I had fallen in love with it
Ayushi Mohanty says
Hey Nagi!
Can I halve this recipe for a 1 layer cake?
Nagi says
Sure can Ayushi, it will be quite short though. N x
Mia says
This is the ONLY red velvet recipe you’ll ever need. I wish I found it sooner as red velvet is my families favorite. The cream cheese frosting is the best ever too. For my filling I use a thick 1” layer of instant vanilla pudding made with heavy cream and I add white chips. To die for. Wish I could post a pic. Photo worthy on the first attempt!!
Linda says
Hello. Can I use the self raising sponge cake flour instead? Also what other frosting works well?
Nagi says
Hi Linda, the texture will be different sorry. You could always use an ermine or buttercream for this recipe too if you like! N x
Elin Forslund says
Just made this one! Recipe is easy to follow and absolutely on point. Cake is moist and velvety! Couldn’t find plain cake flour at my local Coles but made a substitute by subtracting 5TBS of plain flour from the total quantity (2 2/3 cups) and adding 5 TBS of corn flour.
M says
I made it and it was so GOOD
Tala says
I noticed the chocolate wasn’t used but it’s listed in the ingredients. Can you please advise?
Selene says
Hi Nagi,
I made this into cupcakes. Can I freeze it?
Vanessa says
Hi Selene, can I ask how many cupcakes were you able to make with this recipe?
Karo says
Hi, I made this into cupcakes once and I had 22 🙂
Nagi says
Sure can Selene! N x
Lydia cheshire says
I made this recently for my birthday, it is absolutely gorgeous, I’m always nervous of new recipes but this honestly makes a super delicious cake , Thankyou Nagi
VS says
Hi Nagi, I’ve been wanting to make a Red Velvet cake for the longest time, so gave this recipe a try, since it had a lot of positive feedback. This recipe yeilds the most perfect, velvety and moist red velvet cake ever. Absolutely loved it (even better the next day). The cake was demolished and loved by everyone. Thanks Nagi for taking the time to perfect recipes 🙂
Just a note: I used cakecraft Gel food colouring and used aroun 2 full tsp of it for the colour.
Was wondering if the queen branded red food colouring yeilds a good result?
Veronica says
Hi Nagi,
Would I be able to use Top Flour instead of cake flour?
Nagi says
Hi Veronica, yes I imagine so, although it’s not easily available here so I haven’t tried it. Would love to know if you use it and how the cake comes out! N x
Shola says
Hi Nagi
I’m looking forward to making this. I’m in the UK and you advised to use the gel food colouring but didn’t mention how much of it. The gel is quite concentrated and 2.5 Tbsp is more than the entire contents of the gel. The gel only comes in 28g containers. Thanks 😊
Nagi says
Hi Shola, it’s very concentrate – so 1 tsp should be plenty! N x
Shola says
Hi Nagi,
I’ve just made the cake and it sunk in the middle after it cooled and I trying to find out why it did. I used 6” x 2 pans and baked both for 45mins and didn’t open the oven door. I used the same quantity as the 8” in the recipe. Any advise about what I could have done wrong? (I did want 2 separate 6” cakes out of the recipe)
Lydia says
Hi did you do the toothpick test at 45 mins ?
Shola says
I sure did and it came out clean. I did attempt it again but baked it for 60 mins and it turned out well.
Liz says
Thanks for the clear and detailed instructions. Wonderful cake! I love the tip of using the crumb for decoration. Will definitely be making this again.
Archana Vaghela says
First time I’ve made red velvet- was lovely! Thank you. I only bought one tube of red gel and wasn’t enough- needed two for the three tiers I made.
Lani says
Great recipe! It turned out perfectly. How do you recommend I store the frosted cake overnight?
Alice says
hi Nagi. just wondering if I can use this recipe to make a giant cupcake. will it be enough or I need to double up. Thank you
Nagi says
Hi Alice, sorry I can’t say exactly without knowing the volume of the cake mould! N x
Alice Mbara says
Hi Nagi
It’s the giant silicone mould
Caity says
Hi Nagi!
Can’t wait to try this recipe as I’ve been daydreaming about red velvet cake for months now. I’d be really keen to try using freshly cooked beetroot as the colouring agent but all the recipes I’ve seen online using this have pretty average reviews. Have you ever tried this? I feel like if anyone can nail a colouring free recipe it’ll be you.