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Authentic Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Amazing real red velvet cake recipe. One bowl, one spatula, one amazing cake! The cake is very light and delicate and very moist. Goes great with cream cheese frosting or ermine buttercream!
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Serves: 8 cups
Calories: 446kcal
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
- 14 ounces (397 g) all-purpose flour
- 14 ounces (397 g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tbsp) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) baking soda
- 2 large (2 ) eggs room temp
- 4 ounces (114 g) vegetable oil
- 8 ounces (227 g) buttermilk room temp
- 1 Tablespoons (1 Tbsp) white vinegar
- 6 ounces (170 g) unsalted butter melted but not hot
- 1 teaspoons (1 tsp) vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tbsp) super red food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340 g) cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces (227 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 tsp) orange extract or vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 tsp) salt
- 26 ounces (737 g) powdered sugar sifted
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Paddle Attachment
- Whisk Attachment
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and prepare three 6″ x 2” cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan spray. Make sure your cold ingredients are all room temperature.
- In a separate container, whisk together your room temperature eggs, oil, room temperature buttermilk, vinegar, melted butter, vanilla, and food coloring and set aside.
- Add in the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix it with the paddle attachment until it is combined.
- Next, add your egg mixture into your flour mixture and mix it on medium speed for about 1 minute until it is combined.
- Divide the batter into your cake pans and bake the cakes for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Baking times may vary depending on your oven and pan sizes.
- Cool your cakes in the pans for 10 minutes before flipping them out onto a cooling rack. Cool them completely at room temperature or wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them for an hour before frosting. You can freeze them for up to 1 week if needed.
Cream Cheese Frosting Instructions
- Sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. This is optional, but definitely recommended.
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and cream it on low until it’s smooth and has no lumps. I like to use a hand mixer for cream cheese frosting because I find it to mix more smoothly and incorporate less air.
- Add in the softened cream cheese in small chunks and mix it on low until it is smooth and combined.
- Next, add in the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until it is combined mixing on low.
- Then, add in your orange extract (or vanilla) 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 hours) before the cake is served.
Notes
If you do not 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.
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 you do not have buttermilk, you can create your own with one of my buttermilk substitutes.
6. For red food coloring, I prefer to use Chefmaster. Use code "SUGARGEEKTEN" to get 10% off your Chefmaster purchase.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 446kcal (22%) | Carbohydrates: 59g (20%) | Protein: 3g (6%) | Fat: 22g (34%) | Saturated Fat: 15g (75%) | Cholesterol: 54mg (18%) | Sodium: 305mg (13%) | Potassium: 59mg (2%) | Sugar: 45g (50%) | Vitamin A: 480IU (10%) | Calcium: 32mg (3%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)