Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Make this classic moist red velvet cake for your next celebration! Easy to make, with less than half the food coloring of other recipes.
There is just something so festive about red velvet cake!
I mean, all layer cakes in general just scream “party” to me. My Simply Perfect Chocolate Cake, Carrot Cake, and Tiramisu Cake always get tons of ooh’s and ahh’s, and never fail to make any celebration that much happier and more memorable.
But red velvet cake is special. It’s so eye-catching, and every time I make it, that first bite takes my breath away.
It’s so moist, and the subtle cocoa and buttermilk flavors are so old-fashioned and comforting! I’ve heard a lot of people say that red velvet cake just tastes like plain cake tinted red, but that is not the case with this recipe at all. This red velvet cake tastes so rich!
The cocoa flavor really shines, and there’s a subtle tang from the buttermilk. The cream cheese frosting plays off of that and adds sweetness. It complements all the flavors in the cake in the most delicious way!
THE ORIGIN OF RED VELVET CAKE
Red velvet cake has been around for a long time. Southern bakers have been making it since the 1800’s. The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York claims to have invented it, but since that time it has become hugely popular in the US and around the world.
It’s perfect for any occasion, but I especially love to serve it for birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and patriotic holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. That bright red color is such a show-stopper!
WHAT FLAVOR IS RED VELVET CAKE?
Red velvet is an oil-based cake that gets its unique flavor from buttermilk, a touch of cocoa, and vinegar. It may sound like a crazy combination, but it’s surprisingly delicious!
The buttermilk gives this layer cake a soft, creamy quality, and it’s amazing how much chocolate flavor just two tablespoons of cocoa powder can bring. Vinegar enhances the subtle tanginess of the buttermilk, but it also reacts with the baking soda to help the cake to rise tall and fluffy.
It’s also thought that at one time the natural alkyds in the cocoa powder would chemically react with the acidity in the buttermilk and vinegar to create the red color. But nowadays, we just use a splash food coloring.
WHAT MAKES THIS RED VELVET CAKE RECIPE SPECIAL?
This recipe bakes up incredibly moist and delicate, but unlike many other recipes, it’s not the slightest bit oily. There’s enough oil to keep it moist, and plenty of buttermilk for richness.
It also contains about a third of the food coloring of most other red velvet recipes. I just can’t imagine why anything would need more than a tablespoon of red dye. A little bit goes a long way, and this cake looks vibrantly red, with less than half the artificial color.
Plus, red velvet cake is one of the easiest things you’ll ever bake from scratch. It comes together almost like a quick bread: stir the dry ingredients together, stir the liquid ingredients together, combine them, and bake. So simple, quick, and easy!
WHAT KIND OF FILLING OR TOPPING TO USE?
There are lots of ways to adorn a red velvet cake, but my favorite by far is cream cheese icing. The way the cake and frosting flavors combine is just heavenly.
For this layer cake recipe, I chose a traditional cream cheese frosting. You can read lots more about it here: Cream Cheese Frosting.
You can also cover this red velvet cake with fondant! It’s perfect for that, and the bright white is gorgeous against the brilliant red cake.
CAN RED VELVET CAKE BE MADE GLUTEN-FREE?
Yes! If you’d like to make a gluten-free red velvet layer cake, just substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour blend. Look for one that subs 1 for 1 (in other words, 1 cup of gluten-free flour is equivalent to 1 cup of all-purpose flour). Here are some good options:
And if you’re looking for a cupcake version, I’ve got you covered! Be sure to check out my Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe!
CAN THIS BE MADE AHEAD?
Totally! As a matter of fact, I think it’s best that way.
Any time I make a layer cake, I always bake the layers at least a day before I plan to fill and frost them. Once they’ve cooled, wrap them up tightly in plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated. They’ll stay good for several days to a week.
You can also freeze them. I often slip the wrapped cakes into a zip-top bag, just for added protection from freezer burn and funny freezer odors. They should last at least 2 weeks in the freezer, maybe even longer!
The cake layers are easiest to frost when they’re cold. They’re less crumbly that way. Sometimes I’ll even frost them frozen and that makes the job so easy!
I hope you’ll make this red velvet cake for your next celebration! It’s sure to impress, with both its stunning good looks and rich, delicious flavor!
A FEW MORE OF MY FAVORITE RED VELVET RECIPES:
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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups (266.67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (29.57 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (4.93 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (4.93 g) kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (360 g) buttermilk*
- 1 cup (224 g) oil
- 2 (66 g) large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 g) red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon (4.93 g) white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (4.93 g) vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter , (2 sticks), softened
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, , cold (the kind in a brick)
- 3 teaspoons (14.79 g) lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons (9.86 g) vanilla extract
- 5 cups (600 g) powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.62 g) kosher salt
Instructions
To Make the Red Velvet Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, mist three 6-inch round cake pans** with non-stick spray, and line with circles cut from parchment.
- Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place the buttermilk, oil, egg whites, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in a large measuring cup, and stir together.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, and stir together until smooth (about 90 seconds to 2 minutes).
- Divide the batter equally between the three prepared pans.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean (approximately 30 to 35 minutes).
- Cool completely, then fill and frost with cream cheese frosting.
To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Place the butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, and add about half the powdered sugar.
- Stir in the powdered sugar until combined, then scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again, and add the remaining powdered sugar and the salt.
- Stir together until combined, then turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and whip until the frosting is fluffy and stiff. (Be careful not to over-whip, or it could become runny. As soon as the frosting looks stiff, turn off the mixer and use the frosting immediately.)
would this work in a 9×13 pan. this is my favorite cake with cook frosting not cream cheese cuz my dad didnt buy it so mom made cook frosting
Moist cake. BEST cream cheese frosting! Love the brightness the lemon brings to it! I don’t think I used enough red dye. I was estimating with gel colouring.
For the future, is it the same ratio?
No definitely not! Gel coloring is much more concentrated so you would probably only need a little bit. Use a small amount and add more as needed, keeping in mind that the color will deepen over time. So happy you liked the final result! Thanks for the great feedback!
I was wondering why you use just the white of the eggs and not the whole egg? Also thought maybe I needed the yolk when using gluten free flour? Just guessing!
Tried this recipe today and it was delicious! The cake was not overly sweet which went well with the cream cheese frosting. I used 2 7.5-inch cake pans since those are what I have on hand so i had extra cream cheese after frosting the cake.
Would like to ask though if I can add more sweetness to the cake and lessen the sweetness of the frosting? Just curious. But still one of the best red velvet cakes I’ve tried!
If I wanted to use oil and butter would I do half and half? Or more of one than another?
Hi this cake looks yumm and I would love to make this for christmas. My baking tin is 7inch, can you please help me with the measurements of the ingredients to make 3 layers.
is there anything you can substitute the buttermilk with?
Yes, it’s noted in the Recipe Notes just below the video in the recipe card.
hi, can the frosting be made a day or two in advance?
I’m having some trouble dividing the recipe by 3, so I can just get one layer and double it for just 2 layers… can you tell me how I can make this recipe into 2 layers only??
The easiest way to do what you’re describing would be to convert it to metric, do the math, and measure everything out by weight. Or you could just bake the cake (as is) in 2 8-inch pans, as noted at the bottom of the recipe card.
Hi,
what brand of red food color did you use?
most of the ones have used doesn’t come out so red.
I use McCormick brand for most of the red velvet recipes on this site. If you’re finding that it’s not a deep enough color, maybe try using a gel color like the ones made by Americolor or Wilton. They are usually much more concentrated. Good luck!
Made this cake this weekend. My husband said
It was the best red velvet cake he ever had!!!
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thank you so much for letting me know Roxy!
Can you use a little more cocoa powder for a more intense chocolate flavor? Some recipes call for 1/4 cup total. I want to try this recipe but don’t want to throw off the texture by adding a little extra cocoa.
Thank you
Pam
Hi Pam! You can try it but I can’t guarantee what the results would be. Good luck!
What size cake pans did you use and baking times? I’m usually skeptical about adjusting my pans but I like the size of the cake in the picture!
That information can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Hello. The cake looks amazing!
Is it possible to incorporate white chocolate into the frosting? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it myself, but I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work!
Would you have any suggestions for how to cut the recipe down for a three tier 4 inch mini cake?
Hi Juno! Whenever I’m trying to scale a cake recipe up or down, I always look to this chart: https://www.wilton.com/cake-serving-guide/cms-baking-serving-guide.html. Hope it’s helpful for you too!
I made this cake for a work bake-off. It got first place and many, many compliments!!! Very yummy! Thank you!
My pleasure Kristen! I’m so happy everyone enjoyed. Thanks so much for the great feedback!
My layers look brown and burned out. I tried 150 degrees, a little bit better, but still brown on the sides and still rounded on the top. What could be the problem?
Hey Katya, so sorry to hear you had trouble! If your cakes are browning too quickly, it’s most likely because your oven runs hot. Sometimes ovens do wander out of proper calibration. I would recommend hanging one of those little oven thermometers from the middle rack, so you can see what temperature is actually registering, and making adjustments based on that. Hope that’s helpful!
Hello, I wanted to ask how deep are your cake tins? You said 6-inch diameter but I would also like to know the depth. Thanks
Mine are 2 inches but if you have the 3-inch deep kind, that should work too.
Beautiful….
Thank you!
So lovely I love it
I’m so glad! Thank you Joel!