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Slice of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting on a white plate.
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4.89 from 656 votes

Red Velvet Cake

Real red velvet cake with the perfect velvety texture, tangy buttermilk-and-cocoa flavor, and a smooth cream cheese frosting. Holds up to stacking and fondant for tiered cakes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chilling time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 643kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake Ingredients

  • 21 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 21 ounces granulated Sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 6 ounces vegetable oil
  • 12 ounces buttermilk room temperature
  • 1 ½ Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 9 ounces unsalted butter melted but not hot
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon red food coloring gel food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

  • 18 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 12 ounces unsalted butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or orange extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 40 ounces powdered sugar sifted
Makes: 8inch round, 2inch height
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Before you begin: All refrigerated ingredients (eggs, buttermilk, butter, cream cheese) must be at room temperature or slightly warm before starting. Cold ingredients break the batter and curdle the frosting. Grease three 8-inch cake pans with cake goop and preheat the oven to 335º F before you begin mixing.

Red Velvet Cake

  • Whisk the wet ingredients together. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar, melted butter, vanilla, and red food coloring until smooth. Set aside.
  • Combine the dry ingredients in your stand mixer. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda to the mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Mix on low for a few seconds to combine.
  • Add the wet to the dry and mix. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Once incorporated, increase to medium speed and mix for about 1 minute until smooth. Stop and scrape the bowl thoroughly.
  • Divide and bake. Pour the batter evenly between the three prepared pans. Bake at 335º F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the centers feel firm, the dome bounces back when lightly touched, and a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool the cakes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. For same-day stacking, pop the layers in the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Otherwise, wrap and freeze for up to a week.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on low until smooth and lump-free.
  • Add the softened cream cheese and combine on low until smooth and completely homogeneous. Scrape the bowl to make sure it is all incorporated.
  • Add 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.
  • Assemble and decorate. Stack the chilled cake layers with cream cheese frosting between each layer. Crumb coat, chill, then frost the outside. Refrigerate before serving for clean slices.

Video

Notes

Ingredient notes:
  • Bring all your refrigerated ingredients (eggs, buttermilk, butter, cream cheese) to room temperature or even slightly warm before mixing. Cold ingredients break the batter and curdle the frosting.
  • Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients including liquids. Cup measurements vary too much for consistent results.
  • Practice mise en place. Measure everything out before you start mixing so you don't accidentally leave something out.
  • Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. Cold cakes are easier to handle and the cream cheese frosting holds firmer when applied to chilled layers. This recipe also covers beautifully under fondant.
  • If you don't have buttermilk, use one of my buttermilk substitutes. One Tablespoon of vinegar in a cup of regular milk, sat for 5 minutes, works perfectly.
  • For red food coloring, I prefer Americolor Super Red because it doesn't have an aftertaste, which matters when you're using a full Tablespoon. Other concentrated gels work too if you don't notice the taste.
  • Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, NOT Dutch-processed. Dutch cocoa breaks the chemistry that gives red velvet its color and flavor.
Pan options:
  • Three 8-inch cake pans is the recommended size (the wedding-cake build).
  • Two 9-inch pans work; bake for 35 to 40 minutes since the layers will be a bit thicker.
  • Two 10-inch pans work for a wider, slightly thinner cake; bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
  • Cupcakes: line a cupcake pan, fill liners ⅔ full, bake at 335º F for 18 to 25 minutes. Yields about 36 cupcakes.
  • Half-sheet pan (12x18): pour the full batch into a greased pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
  • 12-cup bundt pan: bake at 325º F for 50 to 60 minutes.
Scale down to a 2-layer home version (if you don't need the wedding-cake yield): cut every ingredient in the cake AND the frosting by one-third. The simpler math: 14 oz flour, 14 oz sugar, 2 tablespoon cocoa, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 eggs, 4 oz oil, 8 oz buttermilk, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 6 oz butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon Americolor Super Red. Frosting: 12 oz cream cheese, 8 oz butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon salt, 26 oz powdered sugar. Bake in TWO 8-inch pans at the same temp for 35 to 40 minutes. Same method, smaller cake.
Make-ahead and storage:
  • Cake layers: wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months before assembling.
  • Cream cheese frosting: refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Re-whip briefly before using.
  • Frosted assembled cake: refrigerate covered for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature 30 to 60 minutes before serving.
  • Frosted cake in freezer: flash-freeze unwrapped for 1 hour, then double-wrap. Up to 1 month.
Substitutions:
  • Ermine frosting for cream cheese: the original Southern frosting. See the recipe linked in the body.
  • White chocolate cream cheese frosting for tiered cakes: beat 4 oz melted and cooled white chocolate into the cream cheese before the powdered sugar.
  • Buttermilk: 1 Tablespoon of vinegar in 1 cup regular milk, sat 5 minutes.
  • Orange extract in place of vanilla in the frosting: use ½ teaspoon orange extract instead of 1 teaspoon vanilla for a brighter, slightly citrusy cream cheese that pairs beautifully with red velvet.
  • No food coloring at all: cake will be muted reddish-brown instead of vivid red. Flavor is the same.
Critical do-nots:
  • Don't substitute Dutch-processed cocoa for natural cocoa. The chemistry won't work.
  • Don't use liquid food coloring or skip the food coloring if you want a vivid red color.
  • Don't use cold ingredients. Everything must be at room temperature.
  • Don't over-mix the batter or the frosting.
  • Don't skip the vinegar even though it sounds weird. It's what activates the baking soda.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 643kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 963IU | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
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