Doctored Red Velvet Box Mix Cake
How to make a boring red velvet box mix taste extra moist and delicious! Almost as good as homemade. No one will ever know!
Servings: 9 cups
Calories: 500kcal
Equipment
- Three, 8"x2" cake pans
- Stand mixer, hand mixer or even a bowl with a whisk
- For decorating: 8" cake board, bench scraper, offset spatula, rustic scallop cake comb, piping bag and Wilton 2D piping tip.
Ingredients
Doctored Red Velvet Cake
- 1 box red velvet cake mix I like Betty Crocker Delights super moist red velvet cake mix, or Duncan Hines.
- 5 ounces all purpose flour 1 cup spooned in and leveled
- 7 ounces granulated sugar 1 cup
- 6 ounces sour cream, room temperature or plain greek yogurt - ¾ cup
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces vegetable oil ¼ cup
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted ½ cup
- 12 ounces buttermilk, room temperature or regular milk + 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. 1 ½ cups
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Super Red Food Coloring
Easy Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 6 ounces pasteurized egg whites
- 24 ounces sifted powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 24 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon yellow food coloring
- 1 teaspoon electric pink food coloring
- 2 Tablespoons super red food coloring
Instructions
Before you Begin
- Preheat the oven to 335º F and prepare your cake pans. Bring eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk to room temperature before mixing. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to look lumpy. If short on time, warm eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
For The Cake
- Preheat oven to 335º F. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans with cake goop or preferred pan release.
- Add all cake ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then scrape the bowl.
- Increase to medium speed and mix for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Check at 25 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack. Wrap warm layers in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour before frosting for best moisture and handling.
Easy Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Place egg whites and sifted powdered sugar in the stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment. Mix on low to combine, then whip on high for 1 minute to dissolve the powdered sugar.
- Add in your salt and vanilla extract
- Add butter in chunks and whip to combine. The buttercream will look curdled at first. Keep whipping.
- If it looks curdled, remove ⅓ cup, melt it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds until barely melted, and pour it back into the mixer to bring it together.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15 to 20 minutes until smooth and free of air bubbles.
- Divide and color as desired.
Video
Notes
For cupcakes:
Fill standard cupcake liners ⅔ full (about 50 to 55 grams each). Bake at 335º F for 16 to 19 minutes. Makes 24 to 28 cupcakes.
For a 9x13 pan:
Pour all batter into a prepared 9x13 pan. Bake at 335º F for 35 to 40 minutes, checking at 35 minutes.
Box size: The smaller 13.25 oz box works fine in this recipe without adjustment.
Buttermilk substitute: Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 12 ounces of regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes.
Sour cream substitute: Full-fat plain Greek yogurt at a 1:1 swap.
Frosting choice: Cream cheese frosting is the traditional red velvet pairing. Use this recipe's Swiss meringue buttercream for decorated, stacked cakes where a smooth exterior is important.
Freezing tip: Wrap warm layers tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour before frosting. This locks in moisture and makes the layers much easier to handle.
Storage:
- Unfrosted layers: wrap and freeze up to 3 months.
- SMB-frosted cake: room temperature under a dome, up to 3 days.
- Cream cheese-frosted cake: refrigerator in an airtight container, up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
