A classic red velvet cake recipe made with buttermilk and vinegar for that true red velvet cake flavor
This red velvet cake recipe is what a REAL red velvet cake should taste like! Topped with cream cheese frosting, I finally figured out why people LOVE a real red velvet cake. This cake is buttery, soft and truly lives up to it’s velvet description. This cake also pairs really well with Ermine frosting or my easy buttercream frosting.
This recipe is updated from a previous recipe that I used and is a million times better! That’s the thing with baking, you are always learning and improving. I wanted a red velvet cake recipe that was super classic and wasn’t just vanilla cake with food color added (yuck). I tested this recipe out on a client who’s favorite cake flavor was red velvet and she said it was the best she’s ever had so I think that is a win.
Is red velvet cake just a chocolate cake recipe with red food coloring added?
Red velvet cake isn’t just a chocolate cake with red food coloring added. In fact, the original red velvet cake got its name because the buttermilk and the vinegar naturally bring out the red undertones in the cocoa powder, giving the cake a red tint. Buttermilk and vinegar also break down the gluten in flour resulting in a more tender cake which is probably why it got the nickname red velvet.
Of course over the years a little red food coloring was added to intensify the color to what we see today, which is why people can get confused about what the flavor of a true red velvet cake recipe is supposed to be. Some inexperienced bakers may even just add red food coloring to a vanilla cake. Red food coloring actually tastes really bitter so if you’ve ever had an overly colored red velvet cake recipe, it probably tasted really bad.
What does a real red velvet cake recipe taste like?
A real red velvet cake recipe is made with buttermilk, vinegar and a tiny bit of cocoa powder. These ingredients result in a very tangy cake with a hint of chocolate. This is a pretty unique flavor combination but when you add in some cream cheese frosting or ermine frosting (the classic frosting for red velvet cake), then it adds even more tangy flavor. That tangy flavor is the sign of a true red velvet cake recipe.
Why is red velvet cake such a popular flavor?
I personally think that red velvet cake is popular due to two factors. Some people have had a TRUE red velvet cake recipe and love it! I don’t blame them, it really is delicious. The other factor is that it’s a very controversial cake flavor. If you haven’t had a really good red velvet cake and you associate the cake with just a bland red cake then you won’t see what the big deal is.
Whenever there is a controversy between is something good or not, it always becomes more popular. There is a saying in art, if it’s good then people will either love it or hate it. If everyone just feels “ok” about it, then it’s just meh. Same with cake, people seem to either love or hate red velvet cake.
Easy red velvet cake recipe
Ok this is the really the only cake recipe I make that’s a one bowl method. Typically I prefer a more precise mixing method like the reverse creaming method. This red velvet cake recipe is soooo super easy!
- Just combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
- Whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, melted butter, vinegar, vanilla and coloring in a separate bowl.
- Slowly add in the wet ingredients to the dry and mix for one minute. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Pour batter into two 8″ round cake pans and bake!
I like to frost and fill my cake with cream cheese frosting and then use some of the cake trimmings (from removing the dome) to make a pretty cake crumb coating on the outside. Garnish with a little white chocolate and boom! That’s one pretty red velvet cake.
How to make a red velvet layer cake with cream cheese frosting
- After my cakes baked and I let them cool, trim off the domes of your cakes to make them flat. Place your first layer on a cake board or large flat plate.
- Add a big scoop of your cream cheese frosting and spread it onto your cake layer using an offset spatula. I make my frosting about 1/4″ thick. Then place another layer of cake on top. Repeat with the final layer.
- Spread more of your frosting in a thin layer all over the cake. This is called the crumb coat and literally seals in all the crumbs so they don’t get into your final coat of frosting. Freeze cake for 20 minutes to harden the crumb coat.
- Add another layer of buttercream to your chilled cake and smooth with a bench scraper or off-set spatula. A turntable helps a lot with this process.
- Next, crumble up your cake domes and add them to the top of your cake and sides as decoration.
- Finish your cake with some small dollops of buttercream around the outside edge! All done!
Frequently asked questions about this red velvet cake recipe
Can this recipe be made into cupcakes? – Yes you can definitely use this recipe for cupcakes. I have made them many times and they turn out really well. Bake for 5 minutes on 400ºF then reduce to 350ºF for 10-15 minutes or until the cupcakes are set in the center. Do not fill cupcake liners more than 2/3 of the way full or they will overflow and collapse.
What can I use if I don’t have buttermilk? – You can use an equal amount (by weight) of sour cream or you can add 1 Tbsp of vinegar into regular milk and let it sit a few minutes until it starts to curdle to make homemade buttermilk.
Can I leave out the red food coloring? Yes you can but the cake will not be very red on the inside.
Recipe
Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Paddle Attachment
- Whisk Attachment
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 12 ounces AP flour
- 14 ounces Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 4 ounces vegetable oil
- 8 ounces buttermilk room temp
- 1 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 6 ounces unsalted butter melted but not hot
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon super red food coloring I prefer americolor super red because it doesn't have a taste
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 26 ounces powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prepare two 8" cake pans or three 6" cake pans with cake goop or preferred pan spray. Make sure your cold ingredients are all room temperature. See notes at the bottom of the recipe for details.
- Lightly whisk together your room temperature eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar, melted butter, vanilla and food coloring and set aside.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer
- Add your egg mixture into your flour mixture and mix on medium speed for about a minute until combined
- Divide batter into cake pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Pairs perfectly with our cream cheese buttercream.
Cream Cheese Frosting Instructions
- Place softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and cream on low until smooth and has no lumps.
- Place softened cream cheese in the bowl with butter in small chunks and cream on low until smooth and combined
- Add in sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until combined, mixing on low
- Add your orange extract and salt
- Frost your cooled cake as desired and serve at room temperature. Cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated until a few hours (2-3) before the cake is served.
Notes
Nutrition
Is this recipe sturdy enough for carving?
There are 2 red velvet recipes that are very nice and sturdy enough to carve. Cake recipes that are for carving as Liz Merek mentioned are nice flavors but a touch denser so you can carve it.
Hi,
I have a question regarding cake belts. Can they be used for this recipe?
If you mean cake strips then yes you can
ca we use cake flour instead
Not for this recipe because it will be too tender!
2 oz of red? Really?
Two tablespoons 🙂 It’s not that much considering how much cake this recipe makes
I get two tablespoons. Recipe says 2 oz! 😬😬😬. Love this cake btw. First red velvet cake that tastes good to me!!
Recipe here calls for 1 Tablespoon. It’s chilling now as i write this. Ive had many red velvet cakes and have never been impressed. They have always been meh. Here’s hoping for a delicious RVC!
I would have never made, but my customer really, really wanted a RVC. Ive made many of your cakes and if there’s one thats gonna change my mind, it would be one of yours!
2oz equals 4 tablespoon? correct?
ummm not sure? I measure by weight not tablespoons because then I can squeeze directly into the bowl 🙂
Love ❤️ it
I made this recipe before and it’s been requested by another customer. Can you give me the ratio for a 10” square cake 2” high? The only option is to change it in cups.
BTW…so far I’ve made your old vanilla and new vanilla recipe, chocolate cake, black velvet, carrot cake, whipped ganache, cream cheese, LMF etc. I’m a big fan!!!!
I don’t know how many cups of batter is in a 10″ square pan. 🙂 Google might have the answer or just bake up a single batch, pour it in and see if you need to make more. It’s a fast batter to make 😀
Ma’am I want to know if I want to bake eggless thn instead of egg what other ingredient I can substitute with and what will be the quantity??
I have not used any egg replacers in this recipe but I assume you can use any egg replacement that you’re used to like ener-g
Liz,is this sturdy enough for stacking and can I increase the batter for a larger pan? Love your recipes!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
Yes you can stack this but make sure it’s chilled before you handle it
Can you do purple velvet with this recipe?
You totally could! I would use pink and purple food coloring for a nice shade that’s not too blue
So I tried this recipe yesterday and it’s super yummy, made the house smell amazing!! However, I’m afraid it’s going to turn everyone’s mouth red 😣. I weighed 2 ounces of the americolor, which was most definetly more than 2 Tablespoons.
Did you have this problem? Turning everyone’s mouth red?
Anything with food color is going to color your mouth temporarily. Just think of things like candy. It’s not permanent.
I will try it out
Hi Liz, can I use regular herseys cocoa powder? Will it still taste bomb?
Hi Liz! Thanks again for yet another recipe I will never go without. This is the most delicious red velvet recipe I’ve ever made or eaten. But I wanted your expert opinion on a variation. I wanted to try this recipe using black cocoa powder, but that is dutched and this recipe calls for natural cocoa powder. I’ve seen your black velvet recipe, and while that looks incredible, I really wanted to have the buttermilk and vinegar in for the flavors they impart. Would I need to change the amounts of baking soda or use some baking powder to use the black cocoa?
Thanks a million! (:
Yes I would just switch out the leavener and you should be good to go 🙂
Hi..Liz..i learn so much about variaty of cake from your blog, thank you. about Red Velvet recipe i waiting your experience for “Complete guide for RV”, include how to make perfect colour RV with beetroot pure with minimal food colouring. 2tsp still too much for me. thanks so muchfor your attention.
Hi Liz,
Even I want to scale down the quantity of red food colour. Can u pl share the technique, tips and quantity of beet purée to be used to make the perfect red velvet cake.
Please can u also share the recipe of healthy banana cake.
You can replace the food color with natural food coloring of your choice 🙂
Is the cake sturdy enough to hold sugarpaste Liz?
Yes, just make sure it’s chilled well or even partially frozen.
I tried this recipe today and it did not worked out for me. The sides are overcooked and the middle is raw. I used a flower nail in the center, bake even strips, and my oven thermometer read 350. The parts that are adequately cooked are delicious and I would love for the whole cake to turn out that way. What could the problem be?
You problem was probably that your ingredients where not all room temperature including your milk. If some of your ingredients are cold and some are warm then the cake batter will break and not bake up evenly.
I have tried so many of your recipes and every single one is a hit!’!! I’m excited to try this one next. Do you know if these will turn out as cupcakes?
Yes they work great as cupcakes 🙂
hi Liz conversion is a problem and most.sited have different conversions.Could you kindly perhaps just help me with measurements in cups
Hi there, we only use weight in this recipes because they are more accurate. Measuring by cups can create big problems and for you to waste expensive ingredients. Cheap kitchen scales can be found at the same place you buy a measuring cup and will be a huge benefit to you in the kitchen 🙂
Hello!
You say oz for your sugar and flour amounts as well as oz for your liquid ingredients. Are you measuring both by fluid ounce? Or are you measuring the dry ingredients by weight?
Thank you so much!
Love your work!
Elisabeth
Everything is by weight
Thank you for your quick reply! I am new to measuring ingredients this way. I bought a kitchen scale, it has a fluid ounce setting as well as a weight setting. When you are weighing your ingredients, which setting do you use? Thank you so much!
Hi this recipe looks good would love to try it.. Can I make this as cupcakes instead? would it still be the same? Also instead of buttermilk, can I substitute with milk and vinegar? Thanks!
Yes and yes 🙂
Do you add in teh wet ingredients in like in your vanilla cake, or do you add them in all at once?
Thank you for sharing this recipe! But I have noticed that there is no baking powder in the ingredients, is the baking Soda is enough by itself?
Yes
Hello. I can’t wait to taste this recipe and I’m in the middle of making it right now! Could you please help me? I’ve measured the room temp butter to 4oz. When melted, it comes to 2.2oz. Does this recipe call for melted butter measured at 4oz or butter measured out to 4oz then melted? A stick of butter (1/2 cup) is 4oz at room temp. Thanks so much for your help!
I think you might be measuring by volume. You must weigh the butter melted or not melted and it should weigh 4oz.
Hi! I’m just starting to learn about food coloring so I apologize if this is a silly question. Is the Americolor food coloring a gel paste?
Yes it is.
Thanks! And just for clarification, does there recipe call for 2 tablespoons or 2 oz. (by weight) or 2 fl. oz of the Americolor gel paste? I read through the comments and was a little confused. Love your recipes! Thanks do much for sharing!
Thanks! And just for clarification, does the recipe call for 2 tablespoons or 2 oz. (by weight) or 2 fl. oz of the Americolor gel paste? I read through the comments and was a little confused. Love your recipes! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi, I read thru the comments but I want to make sure I understood. I have a 15th bday cake order for 60 ppl and the girl wants red velvet, I will try yours. It will be a fondan covered cake 3 tiers. Will this cake be able to hold offor is to too moist and tender? Thank you!
Yes it can, just make sure your cakes are chilled when you handle them.
i’m a bit confused as well, the written recipe say 1 tablespoon of red color but in the comments it refers to 2 TBLspoons then says 2oz in others?
thanks
I have adjusted the amount of food coloring over time so that I can use as little as possible and still achieve a nice red. Always go by the written recipe.
Sugargreekshow pls how do I measure the ingredients with my scale. I don’t understand the Oz you are talking about
Usually, a scale comes with different modes of measurement, oz or grams. Change the mode to oz.
Hi Liz,
Thanks for the best recipe !
Would you suggest any unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe ?
As you suggested cocoa brutes for your classic chocolate cake I would like to know for unsweetened cocoa powder please
Any cocoa powder is ok for this one 🙂
Hi Liz
What is the best recipe to cover with ganache and fondant? Is it this one or the one for carving.please advise
This cake is very soft so I would recommend the firmer red velvet cake (The one for carving)
Please can i use salted butter for this recipe.. Or its compulsory i use unsalted butter?
Salted butter has too much salt in it for baking which is why baking recipes tend to use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in them.
I used salted butter, it made taste not so sweet which everyone loved. but then it depends on the type of salted butter.
This is my go to red velvet cake recipe .. I’ve gotten great reviews from my customers .. Thank you Liz 1luv💞
Thank you so much! So glad you love this red velvet cake recipe as much as I do <3
This is my go to red velvet cake recipe.. my customers give great reviews .. just this Sunday I received this message:
Omg morning fb fam. Yesterday I went to my fren bday, we got the cake from firn small bites. Ppl let me tell u the red velvet is to die for. The cake was delicious.i would recommend u try her for weddings, bday, baby shower or any event. Firn Breary. Link me if u interested. Will surely pass on the info. Sorry no pic of the cake bcz unnu know unnu greedy fren no have time fi tek pic only eat. Lol.
I like to use Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion from Lorann Professional Kitchen instead of red food coloring. It has a great taste.
Thanks for the tip! I will def have to try that!
Can I have the ingredients for making the cream cheese filling please, thankyou
I just updated it for you!
The Best Red Velvet Cake recipe!!! Thank you Liz, looking forward to making more of your recipes.
Thank you so much! So glad you liked the recipe!
Hey Liz would love to have a banana pudding cake recipe. Thank you!
Hello Liz, my daughter wants a red velvet/vanilla cake for her birthday. I was thinking of this recipe and the updated vanilla recipe. In equal amounts in the pan swirled together would this be alright?
Yes I don’t see why not 🙂
Can you make a video for this recipe.. Since it shows the white velvet recipe i feel like i won’t feel like I know what im doing since the ing are slightly different 🤦 I’m a visual learner lol
I think you’re mistaken, the recipe is for red velvet.
The recipe is for red velvet but, the video that shows up is for the white velvet
Hi Liz,
This recipe is so exciting! I just had one request for you. I had an amazing red velvet cake that also had a slightly crunchy effect in its icing (sugar granules?). It wasn’t a mistake, whenever I went to eat there we got that dessert (I confess partially for that unique and delicious icing). Do you know how I could adapt your red velvet icing to create a similar, not off-putting, ¿texture?, if that is what it could be called. Are there medium sized sugar granules that are made to be added into icings and how would that be accomplished? It was always on a favorite red velvet cake my family would go get (from a restaurant that offered on their menu for their customers but it was purchased by them from a third-party baker). I don’t know who made it and I don’t even know what to say to explain the icing, but it was thick and would melt in your mouth and was a butter cream cheese frosting. It sounds a lot like yours! Yum ❤️
Not a clue what that icing might be unless it just has sparkling sugar pressed onto the surface of the icing.
I know this is probably crazy to ask but did you use your “normal” mixing technique: The backwards technique for this?
Or do I just follow those directions word for word? 😂🤪
(Sorry, I just want my cake to cut exactly like your picture😊)
I know it sounds crazy lol, I even tried it with other mixing techniques! You can do the creaming butter/sugar then adding in eggs one at a time, then add in flour/liquids in thirds technique but I thought the results were only slightly different. Just put it all in the bowl and mix!
please can you recommend a good kitchen scale?
This is my affiliate link for the scale I use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VEKX35Y/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.Z0PFK2BYSGWM&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_sugargeekshow_dp_vv_d
Hi! Liz
Could please if curd/yoghurt could be used in place of eggs along with buttermilk in the same quantity? Cake looks amazing and being strongly allergic to eggs i don’t want to miss baking this one.
You could use an egg replacer that they sell at grocery stores but curd/yogurt would not work the same way
I did not see in the written recipe when the vinegar was added. Thank you
Step two 🙂
Hi,
Have you ever frozen this cake to make in advance of a cake order? Does it still taste nice after it has been frozen or it has become dry?
You can freeze any cake for a few days without harming it. Some even do it to trap in moisture. Cake dries out from freezing if it is frozen too long.
Hi Liz! Big fan and love ur work! Met u on the Gold Coast in Australia a few years ago! I’ve tried at least 20 different RV cake recipes and going for the 21st try with this one. I’ve always found cakes that use oil instead of butter have a better shelf life, do u think I could swap out the butter for oil in this recipe and it not mess with it too much? I’m being lazy, I know I could just try, but would love to hear your thoughts. Many thanks!
Hi Mardie! Good to hear from you! I think that if you took out the butter this cake would be too tender to handle. It’s already super tender <3 Good luck luv!
Hi Liz, planning to make try this recipe on the weekend. Quick question, the cream cheese recipe listed above; differs from your frosting cream cheese recipe. Butter ratio is less. Main issue I have with red velvet cakes is the frosting. Please can you confirm weather the recipe listed above fro the frosting will be sturdy?
Thank you really appreciate your help! 🙂
I have two cream cheese recipes. One is really firm (crusting cream cheese) and one is like a normal cream cheese. I find the best way to make the cream cheese frosting is to make sure both are room temp. Cream the butter first with a whisk, then the cream cheese into the butter, then add the sugar until just combined.
Hello Liz! I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while and I am FINALLY going to try your Best Vanilla Cake from Scratch! I would like to try your Red Velvet Cake recipe, but make it a pink velvet. Could I use pink coloring as opposed to the red or would it not be quite pink due to the cocoa? Thank you for all of your help!
Hi Jen! Use my white velvet cake recipe and add some pink food coloring. Real red velvet cake has cocoa powder in it so it will affect the pink color
Thank you so much!!
Hello ma thanks for the recipe pls ma what I don’t understand in this recipe is the oz like flour and sugar. Because I use cup and measuring scale to measure. Like u stated 12 oz flour I don’t understand and even how to measure it. Pls help me in cups or kilogram. Thanks
Check to see if your scale has an oz setting, which is the measurements that I use.
I don’t like red velvet cake…… or so i thought. It’s my friends 50th and she loves RV so I came here because I know your recipes are amazing. Unfortunately for me I didn’t put parchment in the bottom of the pan and my cakes majorly stuck (even with pan spray) so i am going to rebake. Fortunately for my family there is broken RV cake that will not go to waste. I had to try it and its freaking delicious . Thank you for sharing your talent , skills and amazing recipes, Liz!
You should try the cake goop! In my opinion, nothing works better!
This tastes so yummy!!! It is seriously the best, and I am not a fan of red velvet!! I have made it twice and the center falls. 😕 I don’t open my oven until it’s baked for 30 minutes. All of my ingredients were at room temp when mixed. Any suggestions?
Bake it for longer. If the center is falling it’s not done. Do not remove the cake until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
I love the ease of this recipe and the flavor but the are sinking in the middle for my 5 and 7 inch round pans. Any thoughts? All ingredients room temp, scaled and mixed in my KA on 4 for 1 min. I do use bake even strips but not sure why that would cause a problem. I also have been using the automatic scaler here on the recipe to make just enough for two 7″ rounds (12oz AP Flour) but they are not rising in the centers (again) 🙁
Try baking them for longer. A skewer should come out cleanly from the center before you remove them from the oven.
Oh yes, I baked them until done with a clean skewer (325 in fat daddios pans w/ bake strips) and they were delicious albeit a tad crunchy on the sides but was wondering if others also experienced the sink in the center.
Sometimes a cake can sink if the oven door is opened too soon. It lets heat out & the ‘bang’ of the door closing can cause the cake to collapse. Just leave the door shut & turn the light on to see if the cake is baked through/risen in the centre & looks cooked (not ‘wet’). If yes then test with skewer.
My daughter wants a purple velvet cake for her birthday. Can I just replace the red fiid color for the purple?
Is this recipe good to cover in fondant?
Yes, any of my scratch recipes can be chilled and used under fondant.
Is it natural or dutch processed cocoa?
Hi! This recipe looks great! If I were to use a cake tin strip, will I have to make any changes to the baking time or temperature?
And would you recommend using a strip or not?
You can bake in any size tin you want. Just bake for longer or shorter depending on the size of the cake. Make sure bake all the way or the cake can collapse. I don’t use baking strips but there’s no reason why you can’t if you want to
Love this recipe, my second time making it, but I did notice that when you convert the recipe to grams, the oil (4oz) and the butter (6oz) both convert to 170g. I measured my ingredients on grams because thats what im used to so I noticed my cakes coming out very oily, so kept thinking I was not multiplying right since I made bigger batches. The flavor doesnt change much but the oily ness is a bit too much. Other than great recipe, now I know for next time I make this delicious cake
Hmmm looks like the recipe card automatically changed the amounts. I changed it back.
If I need to make 3 9 inch cakes, do you think I should double the batter recipe?
1 1/2 batches will be enough
Hi This recipe sounds awesome and will be trying this tomorrow but what is AP flour please??
AP flour is standard all purpose baking flour
hi Liz ,
how high would this cake be if it is a 6 inch wide cake?
I need to make it for a wedding cake .
can you give me a trick how to keep fondant covered cakes in the fridge please?
can cream cheese frosting stay out of for the fridge ?and for how long?
How tall the cake is depends on how tall your cake pans are and how much frosting you use in between the layers. You can use cream cheese frosting as a filling but not on the outside of your cake if you are covering it in fondant. Cream cheese can be out of the fridge for hours as long as the temperature is not over 80ºF. Fondant cakes can be refrigerated with no problems.
Good morning,
Can I use the Wilton Red No Taste for the coloring?
Yes you sure can
Hello, how long will the leftover cream cheese frosting last in the fridge?
If you’re not going to use it within the week I would freeze it 🙂
Hi Liz
I wanted to know if I don’t have. Buttermilk what should I use instead please let me know thanks
One cup of milk plus two tablespoons of white vinegar
The cake tasted amazing!! I’ve tried a bunch of your other recipes with great success! For some reason though this one didn’t rise very well and totally sunk in the middle. What did I do wrong? I read an earlier comment about needing to be at room temp and I totally did that. So I’m stumped ?
Try mixing for just a little bit longer next time and make sure you don’t open the oven too soon and the cake is baked before pulling it out of the oven
Hi Liz, i talk with you from saudi arabia, i Admire your recipes and i admire more attempts to develop each recipe, I saw many recipes for red velvet cake to mix baking soda with vinegar in recipe end and add last step, What do you think, is that true?
Thank you.
Everybody’s recipes are different 🙂 I don’t see a need to do that since the baking soda reacts with the liquids within the batter
In the recipe for the icing it says cream cheese ame buttercream. Did you use both?
If I’m not covering the cake in fondant I just use cream cheese frosting but you can fill it with any kind of buttercream you want
I have made this over and over again and it always falls. Always. What am I doing wrong?! I am a professional baker and this has me stumped.
Hmmm I’m not sure! It’s hard to say unless I watched you make it. Try the traditional creaming method where you cream the butter/sugar then add in room temp eggs and then room temp liquids alternating with the dry ingredients.
I do not have a mixer.
Can I still try to make or do you believe it will change texture too much?
Thx and great site!
You can make this by hand with a whisk or with a hand mixer
Awesome cake!!! This is the second night in a row I made this!!! Thank you for sharing 🙂 I doubled the recipe to make 3 8” cakes and had one very small 6” cake to crumble up and put on the sides.
Perfect! So glad you like it
why no baking powder? is it because of the soda and vinegar? : ) {thanks}
You only need baking soda
Gracias!
Hi Liz,
Thanks for your help one these? I have some others.
1. I have cake flour (can I substitute using the 2 cups 2 tblsps for every 8 ounces of AP?
2. I used dark cocoa and liquid food coloring, and it came out really dark with little red. Can I substitute using 1 Tablsp and more red Food coloring?
3. also I have standard steel pans, my cakes seem a little dense; can I adjust the oven temp ? What would you recommend EAST Coast
Thanks : )
I tried using cake flour one time and the cake was too delicate for me because of the way it’s mixed. If you switch to the creaming method (creaming butter/sugar then adding in eggs, then alternating dry ingredients and wet ingredients until mixed) you might be able to use cake flour. Dark red is normal, you can add a little more red but not too much or it will make the cake bitter. Yes you can reduce your oven temperature to 325 if you are using dark metal pans.
Can you use this recipe for a Bundt cake? if so are there any modifications?
I have not tried this recipe for a bundt cake but that sounds delicious! I would use the creaming method to convert to a bundt cake.
What is the creaming method?
Where you cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, then the dry ingredients alternating with the liquid ingredients. This mixing method is used in the white cake recipe if you want to check it out.
Hi when I researched converting the flour and sugar measurements to cups, I came up with over 2.5 cups flour and 2 cups sugar. Does that sound correct? These measurements sound high, especially the flour.
I would not recommend converting to cups because they are not accurate and can cause the cake to fail. Check out my blog post on why I use a scale, how I use a scale and my personal conversion chart for my own recipes. But even with the chart, there is no guarantee that you will properly measure the correct amount of flour without using a scale. https://sugargeekshow.com/news/digital-kitchen-scale/
Wow is all i can say.I tired this recipe for a 3 tiered wedding cake and everyone loved it.
I used LorAnn Red Velvet Emulsion instead of red coloring it was so nice.
I also added half cup of hot coffee to it, it was very moist and delicious.
Thanks so much.
Hi,
Is this cake very sweet? would I be able to reduce the sugar?
Sorry, most cakes are very sweet. You can’t just reduce the sugar or the ratio of flour/sugar will be off and the recipe will not work right
Hello,
Would Wilton Red gel food coloring work?
Yes it will
Will i get the same result if I substitute oil for butter?
It might not be as moist or tender 🙂
Your picture of your cake is 3 layers. Did you double your ingredients together or separate?
Thanks.
I divided the recipe into three 8″ cake pans
Hi Liz,
I tried these cupcakes and adjusted for high altitude by reducing baking soda by half, filled the cups 2/3 and baked at 400 then 350. The sank soooo much. I tried again by reducing the baking soda by half and added 2T flour and leaving out the oil, filled 2/3 and baked 400 then 350 (total bake time 19 min). The still sank in the middle, though not nearly as much. How do I get these to dome at high altitude? I am at around 7,000 ft.
p.s. I love your site and recipes! I am a scientist turned baker weighing ingredients really makes the nerd in me so happy!
Try mixing the batter for about 15 seconds longer and baking at 350 instead of 400, you probably dont need the high temp at first
I am going to make this on the 15th. I was wondering if this recipe would work for 2 9in round pans or to just stick with the two 8in pans?
You can use any size pan you like, you will just adjust either the amount of batter you make to more or less or you will bake the cakes for more or less time depending on the size of the pan
What am I doing wrong??
Iv tried making this THREE times already, and every single time they sink in the middle, caramelize and are extremely oily.. iv double checked everything and I dont understand it..
Hmmm I’m not sure, Are you at a high altitude by any chance?
My attitude is at 2411, I’ve made almost every single 1 of your cakes with no problem and this is the only 1 that wont work for me.. everything is room temp and I weigh everything, my oven is also at the proper temp.. at 1st I thought I forgot something, but it happened the second time, then I tried doing it with the reverse mixing method (that 1 was a little better, but still the same oily and sinking problem)
My dad does a lot if baking too and he was wondering if its necessary for 6oz butter and 4oz oil?
The butter and oil is what makes the cake so moist, I’ve made it many times with no problems as well as others so I’m not sure why it would be sinking for you. Try reducing the oil by 2 ounces and see if that works better for you 🙂
I measured using a scale that doesn’t have the option for fluid ounces. Only ounces. So I measured both wet and dry the same. I’m just trying to figure out why my cakes failed when I followed everything to a T.
Hi Sarah, nothing is measured in fluid ounces. It’s all in regular ounces, by weight.
Are we using food color gel or liquid?
super red gel food coloring from Americolor
The best ! Thank you so much for yet another amazing recipe!
Your recipe says this is an authentic Red Velvet Cake, but the classic, original, and authentic frosting for a Velvet Cake is an Ermine Buttercream Frosting.
Yes you are right 🙂 I did mention that in the blog post
How do you adjust for high altitude. I live at 10000 ft. I usually have to add 1/4 cup flour, 2T liquid, take out 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 soda
How do I weight that out?
Here are some high altitude hacks for you https://sugargeekshow.com/news/high-altitude-baking-hacks/
Hi Liz, love this cake best recipe ever. However, I noticed every time I bake the cake it always sinks in the middle whenever I take it out. Do you know why that is? Also do you use gel or powder food coloring? hank you
Make sure you are baking the cake fully and mixing enough.
Hi Liz, I’m making this cake for the first time can i use McCormick red food color?
I think so, I’m not familiar with that brand but any kind of red food coloring should be ok!