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. 😉
Cake came out perfectly, only problem was the frosting was pretty runny, which could be due to the fact that I left the cream cheese out for too long to soften. Other than that, this is basically the best red velvet cake recipe I’ve tried.
Hi Adeeb, if your icing was too soft, you can always add a little more icing sugar to stiffen it up ❤️
Hi Nagi,
I am wanting to make this for a birthday on Sunday, do you think I can make it ahead and store at room temperature for 2 days?
Nagi, Ive made this red velvet 5 times already, and every one raves about how good it is! I was going to make Christmas cake for Christmas, but our friends seem to want your Red Velvet cake! Your recipes really are amazing! Ive even put in the freezer for a couple days and just let it thaw while having dinner and its been amazing cold – great for summer!
Hi Nagi I am making this cake today and wondered if it would be OK to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil? Thanks
Hi Cathy, you could although i find the taste of olive oil slightly too strong in cakes – N x
OK I will stick to veg oil. Thank you
Hi Nagi, I want to make this for a friend, but she has issues with red food colouring. If I leave it out altogether, will it affect the recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Georgia,
Will be great to know whether you end up omitting the colouring and how it turned out 🙂
Hi Georgia, you can also use natural food colourings – like beetroot powder – N x
Delicious cake for a family birthday. Followed all the notes, turned out beautifully. Thank you!
You’re so welcome Rachel!
Oh my goodness!!!!!!! You are a genius. This recipe is the bomb. I followed it precisely and it turned out perf!!!!!! Thanks a billion.
Hi Nagi,
If I want to make white velvet cake, do I just need to remove cocoa powder and red colouring will do? Thanks
I haven’t made one just yet – the recipe would need adjusting to do this – N x
Hi Nagi!
What would be the best way to make this in 3 x 6″ cake pans? Halve the amount of the ingredients?
Thanks!
Hi Marissa, this makes 2 x 8″ pans, if you want to make 3 x 6″ pans just keep the amount the same, they will be slightly thinner cakes – N x
Thanks Nagi. I’ll give it a go!!
Hi Nagi,
How do I need to bake this cake in a 9 inch cake tin?
Hi Nagi . Just wondering could you make the cake ahead of time (not the icing obviously) as Id like to make for Christmas day and decorate with sugared raspberries/cherries and rosemary.
Made this today. Looks absolutely beautiful. Made for a birthday. Hopefully tastes as good as it looks. The frosting is delicious. My question is: Not being for a 1-2 days, Do i put it in fridge or will it dry out? Cover with cling wrap? i decorated it with chocolate and strawberries
Hi Jo, I usually store mine at room temp – N x
I made this cake today and followed the recipe to a ‘T’. It worked perfectly … still retaining a slight dome on the top and beautifully light on the inside with the right amount of chocolate flavour. recipetineats is a go to site for many recipes. Keep experimenting and keep posting because the recipes always work!!!! Love your work.
Thanks so much Liz, I truly appreciate the great feedback ❤️
Hello! I’m not a baker at all but I still want to give this recipe a go, as it is the most straightforward and the tips are super helpful! That being said, I have no (zero) idea what is going on with the measurements. When you say 2 2/3 cups flour (400g) does that mean that 2 and 2/3rds of the standard measuring cups (250ml) actually produces around 400g? Same for the tbs measures. I apologise if this is stuff that the taught us in school regarding ml/g conversion, I clearly wasn’t paying attention. Thank you!
Hi Dom, yes 2 + 2/3rds of a cup of flour – or you can also weigh out 400g. Flour weighs less than water so the ml’s here is irrelevant – N x
Hi there
I love the recipe!! I’ve made it 3 times now and it’s perfect! I’m thinking of making a smaller version using a 6” cake pan x 4. Do you know how I can adjust measurements and time to bake in the oven?
Hi Nagi and other bakers, how long does this cake keep and any tips around that? Planning to make this for a wedding cake so wondering how far in advance I can make. Thank you!!
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for the recipe.
I made this cake, but the texture was not really good. It was dense. What i would have done wrong?I used the flour ‘Lighthouse- Biscuit, Pastry & Cake’ bought from woolworths. This was the only low protein flour available in Coles/Woolworths.
Your help highly appreciated
Hi Bigi. I used the exact same flour and mine was dense too. I initially assumed it was because I mixed a bit too long but now wonder whether it was the flour… Nagi, assuming you are in Australia, which cake flour brand do you choose?
Hi Bigi, sorry you had problems here – did you make it in two pans?
I had only one pan. So I baked two times to get two cakes.
Btw, can u let me know the cake flour brand available in Australia? Also, where can I buy it from.
I’ve tested a few Red Velvet recipes recently and yours is the best by far! It’s a hard cake to make since nothing is naturally Red Velvet. Cake flavors like chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla are easier because you know what they’re supposed to taste like — I was even beginning to think that I didn’t like Red Velvet. Anyway, I followed your recipe to a T and the color was beautiful, the crumb was delicate, the flavors were balanced. The other recipes would yield, at best, a bland flavor and tough crumb. I’m icing the cake tomorrow and so I haven’t tried the frosting with it, but I was picking at the test round all night and it was incredible on its own!
That’s so so so great to hear Lars!!
Hi, I haven’t made your red velvet cake, just at the planning stage at the moment but just wanted to say how useful your tips and notes are, I didn’t realise there was a difference in cream cheese between here and the USA, very good to know!
I hope you give it a go and love it Liz!
Hello! If I am making a 3 – 9 inch layer cake should I double the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, you probably won’t need exactly double, but I’d make that much just incase, you don’t want to be caught short!
Hi, I could only find self raiding cake flour, could you use this instead of adding baking Soda or is it better to just use normal plain flour and add the sofa etc?