A moist, classic Red Velvet Cake!! Made from scratch, and surprisingly easy when a few specific, simple steps are followed. This iconic cake has a soft “velvet” texture, just like what you get from the best top end fine bakeries, and is topped with soft, cream cheese frosting.
After Red Velvet Cupcakes? Here they are! UK readers: Please read note 7.
Red Velvet Cake recipe – tried and tested favourite!
This Red Velvet Cake has been taste tested and given a big thumbs up by many people because it’s a rather large cake and I’ve made it 5 times in the last two weeks.
“FIVE TIMES??!!”, I hear you exclaim (out loud or in your head). “You’re MAD!!”
If getting this cake exactly to my taste, as close as I can get it to the cakes you get from posh bakeries, and ensuring it works using both US and metric (i.e. rest of the world!!) measures means that I’m a mad baker, I’ll take that title. 😉
Besides, I’m really enjoying baking at the moment. There is something so satisfying about making something as pretty as Red Velvet Cake.
To tell you the honest truth, the reason I made it so many times in recent weeks is because my original recipe got a “so-so” response from the two toughest taste-testers I know: my mother and brother.
“The sponge is zara-zara”, my mother declared on first bite.
What the….?? Zara-zara? What on earth does that mean??
“Zara-zara” means “rough” in Japanese. The Japanese language has a handful of words which sound like what it means. “Zara-zara” being a perfect example. Usually it cracks me up. Not that day.
I gasped, indignant, and grabbed a spoon to shovel a bite into my mouth, ready to argue. And I realised – she was right. It was not as velvety as it could be. As it should be.
NOT HAPPY.
So I improved it. 🙂
What is Red Velvet Cake?
Red Velvet Cake is not just a chocolate cake with red food colouring added. This cake is softer than most, “velvet-like”, and the chocolate taste is actually quite mild. It’s more like a cross between a vanilla and chocolate cake with a very subtle tang from buttermilk. And it is generously smothered in a fluffy cream cheese frosting.
It’s wildly popular in America and there’s a cult following in Australia. Give it a few years, it will become a firm favourite soon!
The cake tastes buttery and moist, because it has butter in it for flavour, and oil for moisture. Yes, you need both, I promise you. It is not the same if you use only one of them.
Why should you use THIS Red Velvet Cake!
There are 3 more specific things about this recipe which might be a bit different to other Red Velvet recipes you have seen, but there’s a reason for it.
1. Cake flour – it’s a must! It’s key to achieving that soft silky sponge, just like what you get from posh bakeries. However, if you really can’t find it, please see the notes for a substitute;
2. Only 2 eggs – I’ve seen some recipes call for up to 5 eggs. I only use 2. It’s enough to hold the cake together just fine – any more than 2, and find the cake begins to start tasting “eggy”; and
3. Buttermilk – For almost every other baking recipe that I make using buttermilk, I say that you can substitute with lemon juice + milk which, when left for 5 minutes, curdles to have the same effect as using buttermilk. Not for this recipe – sorry! It is just not the same – part of the reason mine was “zara zara”. 😂
Oh, and one more rule. There is no substitute for Philadelphia Cream Cheese for the frosting. I’ve tried better value store-brand cream cheese before. It is never the same. Promise. ❤
I bake the layers in 2 separate tins, but if you don’t have two tins, you can make one big one and cut the cake in half. And to make the layers nice and neat, I cut the dome top off.
I like to crumble the off cuts and use it to decorate the cake. I think it looks pretty, don’t you? But that’s purely optional!
I promise you, there is nothing tricky about this cake. All you have to do is ensure you measure the ingredients properly, rather than just eye-balling it. 😉 As long as you do that, it’s actually easy to make, no more difficult than an ordinary sponge cake.
Putting aside fiddly fancy decorated cakes, Red Velvet Cake is surely one of the most striking and stunning cakes around. If you’ve never tried it before, you’re in for a real treat! – Nagi x
Red Velvet Cake
Watch how to make it
How to make Red Velvet Cake – quick tutorial video! Red Velvet Cake for UK readers – please ensure you read Notes 7 and 9.
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Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups (400 g) plain cake flour (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp (10 g) cocoa powder , unsweetened
- 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda / bi-carb soda , NOT baking powder (Note 2)
- Pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter , softened (1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups (330 g) caster / superfine white sugar (Note 3a)
- 2 eggs , at room temperature (around 2 oz / 60g each)
- 1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
- 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk , at room temperature (Note 4)
- 2 1/2 tbsp red food colouring liquid (UK: use Gel, Note 7)
Frosting (Note 10)
- 14 oz (400 g) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, block , softened but not too soft (UK see Note 9)
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter , softened (but not too soft)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups (450 g) soft icing sugar / powdered sugar sifted (Note 3b)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all oven types). Butter 2 x 21cm / 8″ round cake pans (sides and base) and dust with cocoa powder.
- Sift the Dry Ingredients and whisk to combine in a bowl.
- Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with electric beater or in stand mixer until smooth and well combined (use paddle attachment if using stand mixer).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between to combine. At first it will look curdle – keep beating until it’s smooth.
- Add vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk and red food colouring. Beat until combined and smooth (Note 5).
- Add Dry Ingredients. Beat until just combined – some small lumps is ok, that’s better than over mixing.
- Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes on the same shelf, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Note 6)
- Rest for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
Frosting
- Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla for 3 minutes (this makes it really smooth and changes from yellow to almost white). Add icing sugar and beat for 2 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy to your taste. If your frosting seems too runny (depends on quality of cream cheese/ if the cream cheese was too soft), just add more icing sugar.
Frost Cake
- Cut the top off the cake using a serrated knife (to make the layers neat).
- Spread one cake with 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the other cake. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
- Optional: Crumble offcuts and use to decorate the top rim and base of the cake.
Recipe Notes:
Let them eat cake! 10 more classic cakes
.Life of Dozer
This is how he starts every day: assessing the surf. 😉
Hi Nagi! This recipe looks amazing, I want to try it for a special occasion for a friend of mine. She smallest pan I have is a 9″ springform pan, is there any chance that will work?
I was also hoping you would have the measurements on hand to make a one or two person sized batch (perhaps as a cupcake or two) just to get a feel for the process and not having to make an entire “practice” cake 😁
Thank you so much!
Hi Amber! That pan should be fine, just check with a skewer and if it’s not done and the top is browning too much, cover with foil 🙂 It’s hard to scale down recipes like a cake, sorry to say, but you can use the scaler by hovering your curser over the Servings! N xx
Hi, you say to use food colouring gel for those of us in the UK, would you still use 2 1/2 tbsp like you recommend in the original recipe?
Yes that’s correct! N xx
How much of the ingredients would I need to make a 12 inch (30 cm) cake tin?
Shall I double the amount of ingredients you have listed? Pls advise.
Thx
Hi SY! I’d increase it by 30% – use the scaler by hovering over Servings and it will change all the ingredients for you 🙂 N x
Thx so much!!! Everyone is in awe of this cake. It was the moist and tasty ….soooooo tasty.
Only think that I needs recommendation is the frosting. It ended up being more wet than stiff….would I need to add more icing sugar?
Hi SY! Sorry to hear the frosting was wet, did you definitely add all the icing sugar per recipe??? N xx
I realised now where I was going wrong – I think my butter was too soft that it became more runny than stiff frosting.
I’ve just retried and it’s perfect. Thx 😉
That’s so wonderful to hear SY! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Hi, I’m going to try this cake. However, the only time I have suitable is a deep 7″ cake tin. will this recipe work ok in this tin? Lower oven temperature?
Thanks
Hi Ashleigh! I’d bake for the time per recipe then check it with a skewer, if it’s still uncooked then cover with foil and continue 10 minutes at a time 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I would like to make this cake for my nephew birthday. I have look at the ingredients require, is it possible to reduce the sugar and oil for the cake batter and also the sugar for the frosting. We all love cakes but not too sweet. And as for frosting can I use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese. Does it apply the same quantities.
Thank you
Hi CT! I’m afraid not for this one, it is such a delicate balance for the cake. Same for the frosting. You could half the frosting recipe and just use a thinner layer? N x
Hi Nagi.. thank you for your advice. I swapped the cream cheese frosting with mascarpone cheese… by add sugar and butter it has become grainy. It is not a smooth texture. Not sure why this happen and I have to made a new batch. I did reduce the sugar and oil and the cake taste fine but my hubby mentioned it was dense (heavy). I though by reducing the ingredients will give the cake fluffy texture. However I will try again using the exact measurement. I haven’t tried the actual red velvet cake therefore can compare the taste and texture of the cake. Thank you for your advice.
Hi. In my country buttermilk is impossible to find. What can i use in substitution? Diluted yogurt?
Hi Sara, no problems! See the recipe notes for the sub – milk + lemon juice. N x
I usually use the milk + vinegar when the recipes ask for buttermilk but then I read your remark about not being as good and decided to use diluted greek yogurt. 🙄 I am yet to see if my decision was a wise one. 😁
Have faith! 🙂 The main purpose is to activate the bicarb and yoghurt will do that 🙂 N x
I just made the cake, followed the recipe, step by step, reading it like alphabet. Cake is extremly sweet, and then I went back to check why, while reading the ingredients for the 100000 time, i realized theres almost 800 gr of sugar in it.
No wonder the cake is too sweet. ALso the frosting came out very runny.
I use metric m., even tho I live in the UK. Please explain to me, how this cake have almost 800 grams of sugar, and why would the frosting, being the easiest thing to make, came out runny?
Hi Dijana! This cake does NOT have 800g sugar in it 🙂 Icing / powdered sugar does not weight as much as normal sugar, so the volume vs weight is completely different. Did you use powdered sugar for the frosting? That is what thickens it and makes it frosting 🙂
Hi Nagi
Does this cake freeze well?
Thanks!
Sarah
X
Hi Sarah! The cake by itself – no frosting – will freeze well! Just wrap it well and put it in an airtight container – makes all the difference with cakes 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
Thank you for the recipe! Looks delicious!! Can I use butter cream frosting if I need to cover this cake with fondant?
Pls let me know your suggestions.
Thanks,
Ashini
Yes! Frost this with whatever you want! N x
This is the best red velvet recipe I have tried I have tried endless recipes but they always flop- i never gave up on this cake. I used a different cream cheese recipe but the cake using this recipe was delicious!
Oh wow! I’m so happy to hear that Amina, thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Years ago I made a red velvet cake and it turned out, lets just say not good. So I was reluctant to make another mistake. But, when I came across your recipe with the simple easy directions I decided to make this cake for my son-in-laws 40th birthday a few days ago. It was wonderful. My husband said it beat the bakery here in town.( New Iberia, Louisiana, USA ) The flavor and texture were just amazing. I will continue making this recipe. I am looking forward to making it for every holiday and also church functions. A BIG THANKS to you.
WOAH! High praise! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you very much for coming back to let me know! N xx
Hello! Do you know what the cooking time for cupcakes would be?
Hi Bridget! 20 minutes would be a safe starting point at 180C/350F. 🙂 Stick a skewer into the centre and if it comes out clean then it’s good!
This is an excellent recipe
Made for my daughters birthday
Just follow the instructions including use of 2 pans
Also, the cake is slightly too much for 12-13, maybe better for 15 ppl but no one is complaining eating the next day
Thanks
That’s SO GREAT to hear Rajeev! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
I’m making this cake now for a birthday and it smells delicious! I’m in Australia and was wondering what brand of red food colouring your using to achieve this colour as mine is no where near as bright. Thanks! x
Hi Sarah! I’m in Australia too. I just used the red food colouring from Woolworths! Did you definitely use 2.5 TABLESPOONS and not teaspoons??
Please can u give measurements in grams am in nigeria we measure in kilos and grams
Hi Tolu, I have gram measurements in the recipe, can you see them???
I made this for my daughter’s 13th and i was told that it was, hands down, the Best Cake Ever. So I’ve got to make another for my son’s 11th on Sunday lol! It is a delicious cake and it was beautiful. I followed the advice about getting the best quality ingredients and I’m convinced that made all the difference.
I’m so pleased to hear that Amy! Especially because it was for your daughter’s birthday 🙂 Happy birthday to her – and in advance for your son! N x
Just wanted to let you know that this was the best red velvet cake recipe bar none, thank you for sharing. My question is do you think this would/could be a good basic yellow cake recipe by omitting the cocoa powder, white vinegar and food coloring? thanking you in advance for your response.
High praise! So pleased to hear that 🙂 I’m sorry it’s not that easy to convert into a yellow cake but I’ll share one soon! N xx
Hi!
I’m wanting to make this for my sisters birthday, but I’m wondering how the recipe would differ if I used square tins and did a 3 tier cake?
Can you help?
Thanks 😊
Hi Renee! I would increase the recipe by 50% (use the scaler by hovering over servings, it will scale up all ingredients) then split the batter across 3 tins. 🙂
Thankyou 😁
Just another question, will a chocolate buttercream work as icing for this cake? I’m wanting to make the icing black with some americolour food colouring. Thanks 🙂
Gosh YES! YUM!
Do you have any tips on making the cream cheese frosting red?
I would like the whole inside of the cake to be red. And is it okay to make the frosting the night before serving the cake?
I Renee! I find it’s always better to make the frosting just before frosting the cake to ensure it’s at its fluffiest. If you make it ahead, beat it just before spreading to soften / make it fluffy again. Just use food colouring to make it red – do one drop at a time until it’s the perfect match! N x
Can you use canola instead of vegetable oil? Thanks. Debbie.
Yep for sure! 🙂
After reading through comments, I found the difference as Australian cups are different then US. I’ll just keep to the US measurements :-). Thanks for posting both measurements I’ll let you know how it turns out
And you answered my question! 🙂 Hope you love it! N x
I’m baking this right now. I have a scale and 400g of cake flour is MUCH more then 2 2/3 cup.
I however the butter measured out perfectly. 1 stick equals 115g.
I would think if I did the 400 g the cake would belle way too dry versus doing just the 2 2/3 cups
Do you know why this is?
Thanks!
Hi Crista! Which country are you in? 🙂
This is the first time I made a red velvet cake. It turned out perfect. I used half the frosting and lt was good.
Thank you for the recipe.
Pleased to hear you enjoyed it Sherin, thanks for letting me know! N xx