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 made it and it was so GOOD
I noticed the chocolate wasn’t used but it’s listed in the ingredients. Can you please advise?
Hi Nagi,
I made this into cupcakes. Can I freeze it?
Hi Selene, can I ask how many cupcakes were you able to make with this recipe?
Hi, I made this into cupcakes once and I had 22 🙂
Sure can Selene! N x
I made this recently for my birthday, it is absolutely gorgeous, I’m always nervous of new recipes but this honestly makes a super delicious cake , Thankyou Nagi
Hi Nagi, I’ve been wanting to make a Red Velvet cake for the longest time, so gave this recipe a try, since it had a lot of positive feedback. This recipe yeilds the most perfect, velvety and moist red velvet cake ever. Absolutely loved it (even better the next day). The cake was demolished and loved by everyone. Thanks Nagi for taking the time to perfect recipes 🙂
Just a note: I used cakecraft Gel food colouring and used aroun 2 full tsp of it for the colour.
Was wondering if the queen branded red food colouring yeilds a good result?
Hi Nagi,
Would I be able to use Top Flour instead of cake flour?
Hi Veronica, yes I imagine so, although it’s not easily available here so I haven’t tried it. Would love to know if you use it and how the cake comes out! N x
Hi Nagi
I’m looking forward to making this. I’m in the UK and you advised to use the gel food colouring but didn’t mention how much of it. The gel is quite concentrated and 2.5 Tbsp is more than the entire contents of the gel. The gel only comes in 28g containers. Thanks 😊
Hi Shola, it’s very concentrate – so 1 tsp should be plenty! N x
Hi Nagi,
I’ve just made the cake and it sunk in the middle after it cooled and I trying to find out why it did. I used 6” x 2 pans and baked both for 45mins and didn’t open the oven door. I used the same quantity as the 8” in the recipe. Any advise about what I could have done wrong? (I did want 2 separate 6” cakes out of the recipe)
Hi did you do the toothpick test at 45 mins ?
I sure did and it came out clean. I did attempt it again but baked it for 60 mins and it turned out well.
Thanks for the clear and detailed instructions. Wonderful cake! I love the tip of using the crumb for decoration. Will definitely be making this again.
First time I’ve made red velvet- was lovely! Thank you. I only bought one tube of red gel and wasn’t enough- needed two for the three tiers I made.
Great recipe! It turned out perfectly. How do you recommend I store the frosted cake overnight?
hi Nagi. just wondering if I can use this recipe to make a giant cupcake. will it be enough or I need to double up. Thank you
Hi Alice, sorry I can’t say exactly without knowing the volume of the cake mould! N x
Hi Nagi
It’s the giant silicone mould
Hi Nagi!
Can’t wait to try this recipe as I’ve been daydreaming about red velvet cake for months now. I’d be really keen to try using freshly cooked beetroot as the colouring agent but all the recipes I’ve seen online using this have pretty average reviews. Have you ever tried this? I feel like if anyone can nail a colouring free recipe it’ll be you.
Yum . . . thanks so much for this recipe. My daughter and I made RV cupcakes and they turned out amazing. We has to make a couple of subs, instead of buttermilk I used 2/3 cup of Greek Yoghurt and 1/3 cup Full Cream Milk and Olive Oil instead of Vegetable oil. Cake had great flavour and texture with a fine crumb.
Hi Nagi,
Can this cake be used for a layer cake or is it too delicate?
Looking forward to trying this one.
Thank you.
Hi Mieks, depends on how high and how many layers – but it is pretty sturdy and the texture is very forgiving here. N x
Every time I make this, people tell me I should take orders. Nagi, that’s how amazing this cake is.
Unfortunately, my daughter was recently diagnosed with a dairy allergy. She used to love this cake, so I wanted to try and make it dairy free. I substituted the butter with olive nuttelex and the buttermilk with 3-4 tbsp dairy free yogurt and water to make 1 cup. The cake turned out sooo good. Still super moist and tasty.
For the cream cheese frosting, I tried dairy free cream cheese but the one I got didn’t turn out so great, so if anyone has tried anything that works, please let me know!
Thanks again Nagi, for a great recipe! xxx
Woah that’s great to know Neetha, I’m sure other readers would appreciate knowing this too – thanks so much! N x
Hi Nagi
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I would like to make it for our 40th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks.
How far ahead can the cake be iced with piped rosettes? Would they hold on the side of a cake?
Sorry for so many questions but it will save me having to do a test run.
Warm regards from Brisbane.
Your recipes never fail. I love how detailed your explanations are. They are easy to follow and the Notes you add are very useful, especially for people like me who don’t live in Australia.
Can I substitute plain kefir for the buttermilk?
Hi Lynda, did you try the keffir, and if so, how did it turn out?
Hi Lynda, yes I imagine that will work fine here 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi!
It’l be my first time baking a cake, and I’ll be making it for just 2 persons.
I planned to use just 1 cake pan with half of what your recipe called in. Basically, I’m just baking the first pan but cut the cake into two so I could still fill frosting in between. Do you think the cake layer would be too thin or just fine?
Hi Heidi, you’re going to struggle to cut it in half I think – it’s going to be very thin! N x
Hello. Buttermilk is not readily available in my country.Does it make a big difference if I substitute with milk and lemon?
Hi Diksha, you can although as mentioned in the notes, it doesn’t work as well for this recipe. N x
Hi Nagi. I am a bit confused. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons cocoa (10g) and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (5g). Is this right? The conversion seems strange to me, but I am probably being an idiot. Your recipe looks lovely and I want to get it right. Thank you
Hi Pauline, yes that’s correct, different foods weigh different weights and cocoa is lighter than bi carb (just like 1 cup of water would weigh more than 1 cup of flour) – N x