• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Cake School
  • Buy Fondant

Sugar Geek Show logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Cake School
  • Buy Fondant
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Cake School
  • Buy Fondant
×
Home › Recipe

Published: Jan 28, 2020 · Modified: Jun 8, 2020 by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 160 Comments

Pink Velvet Cake

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
pink velvet cake pin
pink velvet cake pin

Pink velvet cake is fluffy, moist and has a velvety crumb that melts in your mouth

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. 

slice of pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh raspberries on a white plate

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. 

pink velvet cake layer showing the crumb

three layers of pink velvet cake with whipped cream in between the layers

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. 

  1. Bake your pink velvet cake layers and let them cool
  2. Trim off the dome and the brown sides of the cake if you want your cake slice to be really pretty
  3. Make your stabilized whipped cream
  4. Place your first layer of cake onto your cake board or plate
  5. 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. 
  6. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream all over your cake and then put the whole cake into the freezer for 10 minutes
  7. Spread a final layer of whipped cream on top of the cake
  8. Use a bench scraper to make the sides straight and an offset spatula to make the top flat
  9. Optional: use a cake comb to make the sides more interesting
  10. Finish the cake design with some swirls of whipped cream on top using a 1M piping tip and finish with some fresh raspberries. 

pink velvet cake frosted in stabilized whipped cream with fresh raspberries on top

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. 

how to make a cake tutorial

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. 

slice of pink velvet cake on a white plate in front of pink velvet layer cake in the background

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. 

three slices of pink velvet cake on white plates shot overhead

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.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

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

slice of pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh raspberries on a white plate

Pink velvet buttermilk cake recipe

Homemade pink velvet cake gets its flavor and velvety texture from buttermilk. The stabilized whipped cream and fresh raspberries add a touch of sweetness. A moist, tender cake that is great for any special occasion. This recipe makes three 6"x2" tall cakes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 656kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

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
US Customary - Metric

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

IMPORTANT: Make sure all your ingredients are at room temp and you're using a scale to measure. Substituting ingredients may cause this recipe to fail. (see notes at the bottom of the recipe)
Important Things To Note Before You Start
1. Bring all your ingredients to room temperature or even a little warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter, etc) to ensure your batter does not break or curdle. 
2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in it's place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
4. Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transporting. 
5. If the recipe calls for specific ingredients like cake flour, replacing it with all purpose flour and cornstarch is not recommended unless specified in the recipe that it’s ok. Substituting ingredients may cause this recipe to fail. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 1233IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

More Recipe

  • close up of keto biscuits on a plate
    Fluffy Keto Biscuits
  • gold drip on a white cake
    Drip Cake Recipe
  • sliced focaccia on a wooden board
    Easy Sourdough Focaccia Recipe
  • close up of a slice of cheesecake with strawberry and chocolate on top
    Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cristina says

    February 06, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    5 stars
    Hello, I am writing to you from Spain and you cannot find this type of flour here. The closest I have found has 8.6 grams of protein per 100 of flour. Could you serve me? thank you very much!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      February 07, 2021 at 11:10 am

      That sounds like cake flour to me, low protein is good.

      Reply
  2. jEANMARIE T says

    February 08, 2021 at 7:54 am

    5 stars
    I know the cake is a 5 but for some reason I bombed it. It was dry.. what did I do wrong?
    Going to try again. Then I did the easy buttercream and I don’t think I whipped the frosting and I basically frosted a cake with butter.

    Reply
    • Sugar Geek Show says

      February 08, 2021 at 3:33 pm

      Oh no! I'm not sure, did you weigh all of your ingredients with a food scale or convert to cups? Did you use cake flour? Did you bring your eggs, milk and butter to room temperature? Did you use a stand mixer or a hand mixer? Did you set a timer and mix for a full 2 minutes on mediums speed? If I knew a little more about what you did with the recipe, I might be able to help determine what went wrong.

      Reply
  3. Corina says

    February 12, 2021 at 8:18 am

    5 stars
    This cake was fabulous! I paired it with a whipped cream/creamed cheese frosting and used sliced strawberries in between the layers and on top. For anyone planning a bigger cake - I doubled the recipe and used 9" pans. I baked it on TRUE CONVECTION at 335 and they were maybe a tad over at 40 minutes. it yielded three very tall layers (I had to move shelves in the fridge so it would fit!). So good!!! My gel colour had gone dry, so I used Club House Neon Pink. My cake was more of a blush tone. I'm guessing the cakes always bake lighter than the batter, so you probably want your batter a bit more intense than your cake to look. No matter, it was delish!

    Reply
  4. Divya says

    March 17, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    5 stars
    Can I use stabilized whipped cream to make a striped cake with 2 color icing

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      March 19, 2021 at 9:39 am

      yes you can

      Reply
  5. Sabrina Chowdhury says

    April 07, 2025 at 8:40 am

    Is there something else I can use instead of gelatine to stabilize the whipped cream

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      April 29, 2025 at 2:17 pm

      Check out this post I have on stabilized whipped cream https://sugargeekshow.com/news/stabilized-whipped-cream/

      Reply
  6. Mandy says

    April 23, 2025 at 2:18 pm

    5 stars
    So the CAKE is phenomenal! I made this with a buttercream frosting. AMAZING!

    Reply
  7. Ruchi says

    April 24, 2025 at 7:30 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Liz, you are amazing and love your recipes. Can I use pasteurized egg whites from a carton or would fresh egg whites work better?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      April 29, 2025 at 11:48 am

      Either will work the same

      Reply
  8. Christina Lopez says

    April 25, 2025 at 7:14 am

    Hi there! Used this recipe for an 6” cake and it came out amazing. I’m curious how I could use this recipe for cupcakes. I made them last night but they did not dome on top and pulled away from the liners. SOS

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      April 29, 2025 at 11:45 am

      You need to leave the oil out of the recipe to use it for cupcakes

      Reply
« Older Comments
4.90 from 139 votes (115 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




All comments are subject to our Terms of Use

Primary Sidebar

Liz Marek with strawberry cake

Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

More about me →

Buy Flawless Fondant

Sugar Geek Flawless Fondant
It's incredibly stretchy, stays soft on the cake and can be rolled 50% thinner than other brands without tearing or becoming transparent. No elephant skin, no frustration, just flawless fondant every time. Buy Fondant

Our Cake Greatest Hits

Check our our best cake recipes

Summer Recipes

  • closeup of vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream slice on a white plate
    Moist Vanilla Cake Using Cake Flour
    Cook Time45 Minutes
  • slice of pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh raspberries on a white plate
    Pink Velvet Cake
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • slice of fresh strawberry cake on a white plate with strawberries behind it
    Fresh Strawberry Cake
    Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
  • close up shot of double chocolate chip cookie
    Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • Fast Bread Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours
  • sourdough bread cut open to show crumb
    Beginners Sourdough Bread Recipe Step-By-Step
    Cook Time25 Hours 10 Minutes

Popular Recipes

  • ganache cake with dark, milk, and white chocolate on it
    The Best Chocolate Ganache Recipe
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • close up of easy buttercream rosettes
    Easy Buttercream Frosting
    Cook Time10 Minutes
  • close up slice of marble cake
    Moist and Fluffy Marble Cake Recipe
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • close up of red velvet cake slice
    Red Velvet Cake Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Fondant

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • About Liz Marek

Copyright © 2024 Sugar Geek Show, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.