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.
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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
Today I needed a vanilla sponge recipe for my daughters 18 birthday and I came across your site. As we speak the cakei is almost baked, another three minutes to go. It looks great and it smells good.
Later I will whip the cream and put strawberries in between and on top.
I also saw your red velvet recipe and I am tempted to try soon.
Thank you for all the tips it’s a great help!
Happy birthday to your daughter! I hope she loves this!! N xx
Hi! Nagi!
So tempted to try your red velvet cake! May i ask how tall is your cake tin? Because sometimes i use 8″ but a taller tin, somehow the cake collapsed. I dont know its thats the reason thou.
Im in Singapore, which food coloring should i use 🙂
Hi Lisa! I think your food colouring is the same as ours so use normal 🙂 My cake tin is around 2″ / 5cm tall!
Hi there Nagi,
I made your recipe into cupcakes and they turned out beautifully. I swapped vegetable oil for coconut oil and used just 1 cup of sugar in the mixture, baked for 25 mins.
Pretty sure I’ll be using this again!
Thanks.
One of the best red velvet cakes I have ever made. Baked it 2 weeks ago for a party, and just today. Every one loved it so much, and couldn’t stop talking about how moist the cake was. I really loved the step by step instructions and the very helpful notes that went with it. Thank you for sharing such a super recipe, this is definitely a keeper for years to come!!
Love hearing that Jo! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤
Hello Nagi
I have baked this cake for many many times coz everyone loves it!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!!!
Love hearing that Yuki! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
This is the best red velvet cake recipe! Thank you, i made it for my stepdaughters 12th birthday, she loved it. Thanks for the notes – really helpful (I’m in the UK)
That’s terrific! So pleased you enjoyed this Laura – N x
Hi the recipe sounds amazing is it possible to freeze the cake ?
You sure can, please see the storage note!
Will this work with full fat greek yogurt instead of buttermilk? I just bought this for another recipe, but your recipe looks easier (and hopefully more succesful). NB – I’m in the UK.
Also, re white vinegar, can I just use distilled malt vinegar instead?
I’m not worried about the colour – I have bakers food colouring, so should still be able to achieve the bright red 🙂
Sorry Hannah, I don’t know about yoghurt. I think you’re better of using the milk + lemon or vinegar alternative to buttermilk 🙂 N x
Hi
Mine turned out really brown – and not red at all! Also dry :/ I’m sure I followed the recipe perfectly ..
Sara
Hi Sara! I see you are in the UK. Did you see the note I created especially for those in the UK? Your red food colouring is different to ours and those in the US 🙂
Hi Nagi, first time to comment but know that i have been baking your red velvet recipe for almost 3 months now. Everyone just love this cake. You are a heaven sent. I have been cooking your recipes here and they are all sooo good. As a mother of 2 and dont know how to cook (cook simple meals only). I surprise my husband everytime i cook from your recipes and i would nail it! But, it”s because of you 😉 I have been a silent follower but from now on, i would leave my comment and ratings so other followers would now how good your recipes are.
All the best.
Sheila
This is such a lovely message to receive Sheila! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoy my recipes. But I just provide the tools – it’s YOU who is making them! You get 99% of the credit, I’ll take 1%! 🙂 N x
awww 😍😍😍 thanks for replying! 😊 i enjoy baking and cooking now that i found yur website. I am always cofident that i can cook good food for my family. ❤
Hi Nagi, your cake looks delish and I’m thinking of making this for a bridal shindig in the UK (I’m Australia based). Can you tell me if it’s possible to premix and package the dry ingredients to take to the UK and then make it the cake there adding the remaining wet ingredients?
I love the look of this cake! How many cupcakes do you think the recipe would make?
22 🙂 Please see note 6
Hello dear,
How long does this red velvet cake last?
Misunderstanding, I was enquiringly as to how many days would I last not how many it serves.
I use the same recipe to make a black velvet and it was hummy. 😋
Thanks again
Hi Pam! Please see recipe notes for storage 🙂
Hi! This is the first time I’ve made the cake and it was AMAZING!! The sponge was soooo soft and everyone loved it! Im baking the cake again the evening before a party, should I be storing it in the fridge beforehand? Thanks!
Love hearing that Jane! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 Have a great weekend! N x
Hi Nagi!!!
I’m Bibi from México, love the way you describe your recipies, I follow each detail you write and the result is really good tasting.
Thank’s for share them.
You’re so welcome Bibi!
Ahh! I forgot to add buttermilk so had to add it at very end so cake is most definitely over mixed now! Hope it’s not ruined%! My daughters fav cake is red velvet so fingers crossed it works!! Easy recipe to follow though and the batter tastes good!
I hope it came out ok Tracy! N x
Hi Nagi,
I have made many of your savoury recipes and they have been winners. Truth be told, I mainly only cook your recipes for dinner, with the exception of old favourites.
I have a good Red Velvet recipe but decided to try other recipes to see whether there is a better one.
A web search yielded at least 8 Red Velvet cakes, from famous bakeries, chefs etc. All of them different in quantities of ingredients, and all described as THE BEST.
I have great confidence in your recipes but gasped when I saw the quantity of butter+ all that oil. My heart fainted at the thought of making a cake with such a large quantity of fat. I have visions of greasy, mushy cake.
Is it possible to reduce the oil?
Thanks for all your tireless work in helping me, and thousands of others, in the kitchen. It is greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Angela
Hi Angela – thank you for the lovely compliment! I know I KNOW there is a lot of oil in this, but I’m sorry, I can’t change it for this one! No without completely changing the recipe. 🙂 Sorry! N x
Yes I have come to terms with the quantities as I know you would certainly be happy with the cake, having trialled it to perfection. I look forward to baking it.
Could you please tell me what is the approx height of a baked layer of cake? It has quite a lot of flour in the recipe so wondered whether it could be baked as a 3-layer cake.
Thanks again. You really are a legend.
Angela
NAGI! This cake just made me look like an absolute hero at my boyfriend’s birthday last week – thank yooouuuu!!! For anyone about to make this – FOLLOW ALL THE NOTES! Buttermilk, sponge/cake flour – all of it. Do it. So freakin’ good.
G xx
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!! You superstar, you!!
Hi is it Self raising flour that I use?as I don’t understand from your tips or is it plain flour?
Hi Sobi, no it’s a different type of flour, please see recipe notes for explanation of what it is and how to substitute if required!
Hi Nagi, I live in UK, I want to try your recipe. I have tried different recipe many times before & failed but I’m not ready to give up. what is cake flour? Is it self raising flour or plain flour? And can I use any cocoa powder as long as it is unsweetened ?
Hi Rue! Plenty of people from the UK have tried and loved this recipe! Please see recipe notes for cake flour 🙂 Hope that helps! N xx