This is what a TRUE authentic classic red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting tastes like. Soft, moist, buttery, and far better than any grocery store cake! This recipe is a true Southern classic perfect for weddings, birthdays, holidays, or for that red velvet-obsessed person in your life.
What's In This Blog Post
Why This Is The Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe
I spent a lot of time researching the history of American red velvet cake and how it was originally made. I also tested many different mixing styles until I perfected the best red velvet cake recipe that was super moist, soft, and had that perfect red velvet cake flavor.
Red velvet cake does NOT taste like chocolate cake. Although it does have some hints of chocolate, it's really a mixture of chocolate, vanilla, and buttermilk. It should taste a little tangy and is most often times paired with cream cheese frosting or ermine frosting.
For the smoothest, most flavorful topping, frost this cake with my cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar. No starchy aftertaste, just pure tangy cream cheese flavor.
- Velvet texture that is soft and moist
- True red velvet flavor from a combination of buttermilk and cocoa powder
- Beautiful red color without using too much due to the concentrated nature of super red gel
- An easy homemade cream cheese frosting that is the perfect compliment to this cake or you can make a classic ermine frosting which is also a traditional frosting combo.
- One bowl method! Anyone can make this cake.
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
Authentic red velvet cake ingredients include vinegar, a small amount of cocoa powder, and food coloring which creates a true Southen red velvet cake flavor.
My favorite aspect of this perfect red velvet cake recipe is its simple mixing method. Scale the dry ingredients, scale the wet ingredients, and then mix them together! You have to work hard to mess up this cake. There are so many versions of red velvet cake, but to get to make the best version I referred back to these authentic ingredients that always make this classic cake a success.
Buttermilk: This is a key ingredient to achieving the tender "velvety" texture of this cake. The lactic acid (which is milder than lemon juice or vinegar) breaks down the long strands of gluten, and it thickens the buttermilk, giving it a creamy quality. I recommend using real cultured buttermilk for this cake to give it that distinct "red velvet" flavor. If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, learn how to make it with my buttermilk substitute recipe.
White Vinegar: It sounds like a strange ingredient in a cake, but it is essential in a red velvet cake. This recipe calls for baking soda to leaven the cake (make the cake rise). The small amount of added vinegar allows the soda to do its best work.
Food Coloring: Originally Red Velvet cake was colored with beet juice for a reddish color. Additionally, the chemical reaction between natural cocoa powder and the vinegar would also make a reddish tinge. However nowadays a small amount of red food coloring is typically used and a lot easier to get. If you don't want to use food coloring you can definitely still use beet juice or look for natural food coloring available in most grocery stores.
Cocoa Powder: The purpose of cocoa powder in this recipe might not be what you think it is! The natural cocoa powder works alongside the buttermilk and vinegar to tenderize the flour and create a softer, finer, velvety crumb with just a touch of flavor.
How To Make Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat your oven to 335ºF (168ºC) and prepare two 8" x 2" cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, vinegar, butter, vanilla, and red food coloring and set it aside. I like using food coloring gel instead of liquid food coloring for a more vibrant color. My favorite brand is Americolor Super Red.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix this on low speed for a few seconds to combine.
- While mixing on low speed, add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix on medium speed until the batter is fully incorporated and smooth. Don't forget to scrape the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are evenly mixed. This should take about 30 seconds.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center cleanly and the dome bounces back when it is lightly touched.
- Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes on a cooling rack until you can handle the pan with your bare hands, then flip the cakes out onto the rack to finish cooling.
- If you are going to layer and frost the same day, pop the cake layers into the freezer for about an hour, no need to wrap them. Otherwise, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to a week.
Pro-Tip: Wrapping the cakes while they're still warm seals in all of the moisture.
How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on low until it is smooth and lump-free.
- Add in the softened cream cheese and combine on low until smooth and completely homogeneous. Scrape the bowl to make sure it is all incorporated.
- Add in the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low to avoid throwing powdered sugar out of the bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt. Mix until smooth. Do not over-mix.
- Mix until just combined, over-mixing could cause the frosting to curdle and separate.
Tips For Success
Is this your first time decorating a cake? Watch my free video tutorial on how to decorate a cake for the first time.
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients for the best results. Baking is a science!
- I used a stand mixer to make my cakes but you can also use a hand-held electric mixer. If you use a hand-mixer then you may need to mix for longer to achieve the same batter consistency.
- Room temperature ingredients are important. Make sure your buttermilk and eggs are slightly warm and your butter is soft but not melted so that your ingredients mix together properly.
FAQ
Yes you can but the cake will not be very red on the inside.
I don't recommend it, of course, it will still make a red cake, but it will not have the flavor and texture of a classic red velvet cake.
Classic Red Velvet Cake is far more complex than a chocolate cake with red food coloring. The tenderizing buttermilk and vinegar create a texture that's soft, velvety, and full of tangy-rich flavor. The small amount of cocoa allows the other flavors to come through and not be masked with the deep richness that is in a traditional chocolate cake.
You can replace buttermilk with regular milk 1:1 plus 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice per cup.
Do you need more cake inspiration? Check out my other tried-and-true cake recipes
Related Recipes
If you love this red velvet recipe, try my other velvet cakes next!
Recipe
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 14 ounces all-purpose flour
- 14 ounces granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 ounces vegetable oil
- 8 ounces buttermilk room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 6 ounces unsalted butter melted but not hot
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon red food coloring gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces unsalted butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or orange extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 26 ounces powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare two 8" x 2" cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release.
- Combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, vinegar, butter, vanilla, and red food coloring in a medium bowl and set it aside.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix this on low speed for a few seconds to combine.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix on medium speed until the batter is fully incorporated and smooth (about 1 minute). Don't forget to scrape the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops bounce back when lightly touched.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then flip them out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- If you are going to layer and frost the same day, pop the cake layers into the freezer for about an hour, no need to wrap them. Otherwise, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to a week. Pro-Tip: Wrapping the cakes while they're still warm seals in all of the moisture, making them safe to freeze.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on low until it is smooth and lump-free.
- Add in the softened cream cheese and combine on low until smooth and completely homogeneous. Scrape the bowl to make sure it is all incorporated.
- Add in the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low to avoid throwing powdered sugar out of the bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until just combined and smooth. Do not over-mix.
- After your cakes are fully cooled, decorate as desired.
Nancy says
In the recipe for the icing it says cream cheese ame buttercream. Did you use both?
The Sugar Geek Show says
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
Yasser says
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.
The Sugar Geek Show says
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
Jaymie says
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 ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
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
Ushs says
Hi Liz
I wanted to know if I don’t have. Buttermilk what should I use instead please let me know thanks
The Sugar Geek Show says
One cup of milk plus two tablespoons of white vinegar
Katherine says
Hello, how long will the leftover cream cheese frosting last in the fridge?
The Sugar Geek Show says
If you're not going to use it within the week I would freeze it 🙂
Sandra says
Good morning,
Can I use the Wilton Red No Taste for the coloring?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you sure can
lilian says
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?
The Sugar Geek Show says
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.
Judi Burgess says
Hi This recipe sounds awesome and will be trying this tomorrow but what is AP flour please??
The Sugar Geek Show says
AP flour is standard all purpose baking flour
Mary says
If I need to make 3 9 inch cakes, do you think I should double the batter recipe?
The Sugar Geek Show says
1 1/2 batches will be enough
Yami says
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
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hmmm looks like the recipe card automatically changed the amounts. I changed it back.
Claudia says
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?
The Sugar Geek Show says
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
Rebecca says
Is it natural or dutch processed cocoa?
Becky says
Is this recipe good to cover in fondant?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes, any of my scratch recipes can be chilled and used under fondant.
Rebecca says
My daughter wants a purple velvet cake for her birthday. Can I just replace the red fiid color for the purple?
Cindy says
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) 🙁
The Sugar Geek Show says
Try baking them for longer. A skewer should come out cleanly from the center before you remove them from the oven.
Cindy says
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.
Donna says
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.