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. 😉
I can’t get buttermilk where I am. Would a 50/50 yoghurt and milk work better than lemon and milk?
This is truly a beautiful recipe. I had a favourite before but this one has truly surpassed it. Talk about velvety, Yummy
Easy to follow, loved it!
Thank you.
Wahoo, I’m so glad you loved it Glynis!!! N x
Hello Nagi!
Planning to bake this for my niece’s birthday. just want to clarify if this recipe really calls for a cup oil?
Absolutely love this recipe, I’ve made it so many times and always turns out PERFECT!! Thank you Nagi!
Also I was wondering what “cake flour” brand do you use please? I’m based in Australia as well.
Hi Nagi, can I sub canola oil for the vege oil?
Hi Hagi,
Im confused with your measurement for the cake flour. It says 2 2/3 cups or 400 gms. I weigh my cake flour and its 120gms/cup. What measurement should I follow?
Hi Marianne, 1 cup of flour here weighs 150g, so if you’re ever confused, go by the metric measurement as that’s a standard no matter where you are!! N x
Hi..
That’s an amazing recipe.. thanks for sharing..
Wanted to know if we can skip the food color in which case should we substitute 2.5tbs with anything?
Hi Surya, you can skip it – but then it’s not a traditional red velvet cake! N x
Hi Nagi, would it work to substitute grated beetroot for the food colouring? If so, how many…2?
Great recipe, cake turned out so good. Followed recipe exactly but baked in three 6″ cake tins for 34mins.
Frosting measurements allowed me to fill between layers, outside of cake and pipe basic swirls on the top.
Tips:
– cold weather meant butter needed more beating time + I also warmed my mixing bowl under the tap. (make sure you beat well so there are no butter lumps as it’ll cause crispy burnt holes on your cake layers!).
– cake strips made a difference (more even layers and had a softer exterior)
Great recipe, cake turned out so good. Tips: cold weather meant butter needed more beating time + I also warmed my mixing bowl under the tap. (make sure you beat well so there are no butter lumps as it’ll cause crispy burnt holes on your cake layers!). Followed recipe exactly but baked in three 6″ cake tins for 34mins.
Frosting measurements allowed me to fill between layers, outside of cake and pipe basic swirls on the top.
Hi how much ingredients would I need for a 10inch cake.
Many thanks nicole
Hi Nagi—I’m in the US so do I need to convert the TBSP from Australian quantities to US for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Ann, I use a 15ml tablespoon in my recipes so no need to convert anything. N x
Oh that’s so great to know! That makes it easier for me in the US because I cook A LOT of your recipes and love them all!
Just making this now and the butter and sugar has not fluffed up it’s stayed as crumbs. Been beating for ages. Doesn’t look like your video. Worried about next stages. What do you think? Thanks.
Hi A, sorry you’re having issues, and you definitely used the correct amount here? Sounds like there may be too much sugar or the butter is too firm. N x
Hi Nagi, how long does the cupcake version stay moist?
I did not have any cake crumb to use for decoration, so chopped up a cherry ripe (1 and half bars) and crumbled that over edges. Looked and tasted awesome! (And dipping left over cherry ripe into left over frosting – pure heaven)
Hi thank you for this wonderful recipe! I’m planning on using this for my friend’s wedding cake! I want 3 x 6′ and 3 x 10′ in addition to 3 x 8′, so I’m going to keep the same measurements for 3 x 6′ as above, and multiply by 1.5 and 3 for 3 x 8′ and 3 x 10′, respectively. Do you think this will work? Thanks so much!
Made this for my fiance’s birthday and it came out perfect! I was nervous at first as it was my first time baking a two layer cake with frosting. Plus, red velvet is our fav cake so the pressure was there. Soo thankful to have found this recipe as the instructions were spot on. Thank you for sharing!
nice cake I had fallen in love with it
Hey Nagi!
Can I halve this recipe for a 1 layer cake?
Sure can Ayushi, it will be quite short though. N x
This is the ONLY red velvet recipe you’ll ever need. I wish I found it sooner as red velvet is my families favorite. The cream cheese frosting is the best ever too. For my filling I use a thick 1” layer of instant vanilla pudding made with heavy cream and I add white chips. To die for. Wish I could post a pic. Photo worthy on the first attempt!!
Hello. Can I use the self raising sponge cake flour instead? Also what other frosting works well?
Hi Linda, the texture will be different sorry. You could always use an ermine or buttercream for this recipe too if you like! N x
Just made this one! Recipe is easy to follow and absolutely on point. Cake is moist and velvety! Couldn’t find plain cake flour at my local Coles but made a substitute by subtracting 5TBS of plain flour from the total quantity (2 2/3 cups) and adding 5 TBS of corn flour.