Homemade Pink velvet cake covered in a thick layer of stabilized whipped cream and fresh raspberries. If you loved my white velvet buttermilk cake and my red velvet cake, this is the cake for you. This pretty pink cake is perfect for Valentine's Day.
What does pink velvet cake taste like?
Pink velvet cake is a vanilla-flavored cake. The pink color comes from just a touch of pink food coloring although you could use natural colorings like strawberry or raspberry emulsion to get that pretty pink color without any artificial colors.
I like to use a liquid pink food coloring instead of a gel because it mixes into the milk/egg mixture better than a gel which can leave behind a few specks. If all you have is gel food coloring then mix it with a teaspoon of warm water and stir well before adding it into your cake batter.
How do you make a pink velvet layer cake?
Making a layer cake doesn't have to be hard. Follow these simple steps to making a beautiful pink velvet layer cake.
- Bake your pink velvet cake layers and let them cool
- Trim off the dome and the brown sides of the cake if you want your cake slice to be really pretty
- Make your stabilized whipped cream
- Place your first layer of cake onto your cake board or plate
- Use an offset spatula to spread a layer of whipped cream on top of the cake then place your second layer of cake on top of the whipped cream. Repeat with the final layer of cake.
- Spread a thin layer of whipped cream all over your cake and then put the whole cake into the freezer for 10 minutes
- Spread a final layer of whipped cream on top of the cake
- Use a bench scraper to make the sides straight and an offset spatula to make the top flat
- Optional: use a cake comb to make the sides more interesting
- Finish the cake design with some swirls of whipped cream on top using a 1M piping tip and finish with some fresh raspberries.
If you want to learn more about the basics of stacking and frosting a cake you can check out this tutorial on making your first cake.
What makes a cake velvet cake?
A lot of people ask what makes a cake a velvet cake. The answer is in the texture of the cake. Velvet cakes make use of buttermilk and sometimes vinegar that reacts with baking soda to create a delicious velvet-textured cake.
Buttermilk is one of those magical ingredients that really adds tenderness to baked goods. It also leaves behind a slightly tangy flavor that cuts down on the sweetness of a cake.
What makes velvet cake so moist?
Velvet cakes are super moist because of the buttermilk and the oil. No need for simple syrup, these cakes stay moist for days.
Don't have buttermilk? It's ok! You can substitute buttermilk for 10 ounces of milk with 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice added. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes then add it to your recipe.
Pink velvet cake with stabilized whipped cream should be stored in the refrigerator because of the dairy in the whipped cream but cold cake doesn't taste so great. I take my cake out of the fridge for about an hour or two before it will be served to give the cake a chance to warm up.
Other velvet cake recipes you might enjoy
Black Velvet Cake
Authentic Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
White Velvet Cake With Ermine Frosting
Green Velvet Cake
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Whisk Attachment
- Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Pink Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 13 oz cake flour
- 12 oz granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 5 oz egg whites room temperature
- 4 oz vegetable oil
- 10 oz buttermilk room temperature or slightly warm
- 6 oz butter unsalted and softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 drops electric pink food coloring
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 24 ounces Heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup fresh raspberries (optional) garnish
Instructions
- NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and measured by weight so that the ingredients mix and incorporate correctly. Heat oven to 335º F/168º C — 350º F/177º C. I tend to use lower setting to prevent my cakes from getting too dark on the outside before the inside is done baking.
- Prepare two three 6"x2" cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan spray. Fill your pans about ¾ of the way full of batter.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix 10 seconds to combine.
- Combine ½ cup of the milk and the oil together and set aside.
- Combine the remaining milk, egg whites, pink food coloring and vanilla together, whisk to break up the eggs and set aside.
- Add your softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until mixture resembles a coarse sand (about 30 seconds). Add in your milk/oil mixture and let mix until dry ingredients are moistened and then bump up to med (setting 4 on my kitchenaid) and let mix for 2 minutes to develop the cakes structure. If you don't let your cake mix on this step your cake could collapse.
- Scrape your bowl and then reduce speed to low. Add in your egg white mixture in three batches, letting the batter mix for 15 seconds between additions.
- Scrape down the sides again to make sure everything has incorporated then pour into prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly but the cake has not begun to shrink yet from the sides of the pan. IMMEDIATELY TAP PAN FIRMLY on countertop once to release the steam from the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking.
- Let cakes cool for 10 minutes inside the pan before flipping them out. The cake will shrink a bit and that is normal. Flip onto a cooling rack and let cool fully. I chill my cakes before handling or you can wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them to trap moisture in the cake. Thaw on the countertop while still wrapped before frosting.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Sprinkle your gelatin over the water and let bloom for 5 minutes.
- Melt gelatin for 5 seconds in the microwave. If not fully melted do another 3 seconds. You can tell gelatin is melted when there are no granules of unmelted gelatin visible.After dissolving your gelatin, add in 1 teaspoon of heavy cream and mix. If your gelatin is too cold, heat again until it's melted (5 seconds).
- In a cold mixing bowl, whip your heavy cream to soft peaks
- Add in your powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until combined
- Turn your mixer down to low and drizzle in your gelatin and mix until whipped cream forms stiff peaks. Do not over-mix or your whipped cream will turn into butter.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Crystal says
hey girl! i tried your vanilla cake recipe for Father's day and it was hands down the best vanilla cake I've ever made, everyone loved it! so im excited to try this one. im going to be making it into a number 22 cake for my best friend. it'll be made in a sheet pan and i wanted to ask how much i shoukd double the recipe and what adjustments should be made in terms of mixing time and oven time. thanks so much! 🙂
Sania says
can I divide the measurements of the ingredients into 2 for a smaller cake?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yep, use the cake calculator right above the recipe card
Meg says
We loved this recipe over here! I've been baking a lot lately and wanted to try my hand at a cake and we gobbled this one up! We've made it twice and the second time used a strawberry filling in between layers and put strawberries on top. Totally would recommend this recipe!
Lorry Norton says
I'm going to make this tomorrow, but I'll have to use AP flour since I can't find any cake flour anywhere since the pandemic started. I noticed someone asked about gluten free flour. Does that work like cake flour? I have seen that.
Elizabeth Marek says
This cake needs a low protein cake flour to work or you can use cup 4 cup gluten free flour
Thea says
Good day Liz, I'm really excited to try your recipe. I, however, only have 2 8" cake pans. Could I use double the recipe and bake it in the two 8" pans? The plan is to then cut each layer in half to make a four layer cake. (For a party of about 15 +people)
My worry is that it will be too much batter in one tin and it won't rise, or the texture might suffer. What do you suggest?
Elizabeth Marek says
You can use the cake batter calculator above the recipe card to change the batter amounts
Casey says
Amazing! If I wanted to make this as a 3 layer 8” cake would I need to double it?
Elizabeth Marek says
1 1/2 batch of batter is enough for three 8" layers
Sophia says
I made this today and it is SO light and fluffy and delicious. I almost feel like I will never bother with vanilla or yellow cake again lol. The buttermilk, egg whites and oil make a big difference IMO. Absolutely loved this and am going to make white velvet next and try with easy buttercream.
Liz says
Hi Liz,
The recipe looks great, however, because I like in the UK, the only flour available for baking here is AP/ plain flour, can I use that instead?
Thanks,
Liz
Elizabeth Marek says
Search for Shipton mills cake and pastry flour. It is available in the UK.
Arlette says
Hi, I'd love to make this but I don't have a scale, plus I am totally confused by volumn and mass. Can I just measure the ounces like regular cups, you know, 4 ounces s half a cup? Thanks!
Arlette - numbers illiterate 🙂
Elizabeth Marek says
Hi there, volume and weight are completely different! Check out my blog post on why I use a scale and how to use one. Best tool you could ever buy for your kitchen https://sugargeekshow.com/digital-kitchen-scale/
Leslie says
Hi Liz
Instead of (3) 6” cake pans, can I bake it in (2) 6” tall cake pans?
Elizabeth Marek says
You would have leftover cake batter.
Ashley says
Hi Liz! This is a reply to my cupcake question and you suggested leaving the oil out of the recipe. So during the "velvet stage" after the butter/ flour turns into sand like texture i are only milk and mix for 2 minutes.
Does leaving the oil out make it less soft ?
Thanks for your reply! ❤️
Elizabeth Marek says
The oil helps the cake to stay moist and soft
Sara says
How much exactly is 5oz of egg white or also can I use the entire egg if the colour doesnt matter?
Elizabeth Marek says
Egg yolk will definitely change the color. 5 ounces is 5 egg whites.
Ann says
I made this cake minus the food coloring. It can out perfect in every way. My husband raved over it so much that I made it again the next weekend. The second time the cake was perfect but I over whipped the icing. He actually liked the mess up better. My head was so pumped up, I decided to make it for my husband's bday party tomorrow. I'm not sure what happened, but one layer fell when I took it out of the oven🤦♀️ I also added fresh strawberries to the middle filling. All in all I still give this recipe 5⭐
Jarina Branch says
I love looking at your shows on YouTube. I wanted to make this recipe or your white velvet recipe for Mother's Day. Can you used this recipe for cupcakes? If so, what would I need to make this possible? Thank you and have a blessed and safe day?
Elizabeth Marek says
I have heard you can replace cake flour with AP flour and they turn out great for cupcakes but I haven't tested this 🙂
Keni says
Hello Lizz, can i use carton egg whites? Thank you.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can