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. 😉
This is my first time leaving a comment online ever. I believe a little effort is needed to show my gratitude towards this posted recipe. This has been the best red velvet cake I have ever tried. I have been on a quest to try as much red velvet cake recipes as possible (23 and counting ) and this was my 23rd and it beat all the first 22 recipes. Thank you for sharing! I appreciate this being a part of my cake journey.
Note: i know you said no sub but I was excited to try it and realized I had no buttermilk. I used half yogurt and whole milk with 1tbs of apple cider vinegar and 1tbs of lemon juice and shook the heck out of it. It came out still perfect! I can’t imagine it getting any better if I have used buttermilk. I can’t wait to to try it with the real deal!
Bravo!
Hey nagi
I dont have any butter at the moment can i use oil instead?
Thanks
Hi Nagi, you seem to have taken my comment out, I didn’t realise me asking for a 12in cake batter would offend you, if it has I do apologise. I will just play about with it and see what I come up with. Sounds just lovely though by everyone else’s accounts.
thanks
Jackie
hi Jackie, i quite often use this conversion chart works well for me 🙂
http://www.cakebaker.co.uk/baking-tin-size-conversion-calculator.html
hope it helps!
This was the first time that I ever made this cake and with your recipe it just worked out great! I just tasted it. Super fluffy and delicious! Thank you very much! 🙂 I will definitely make it again.
Say, is it possible to refrigerate the cake or won’t it taste anymore when you defrost it again?
Hi Ava! This cake freezes just fine! 🙂 N x PS Pre frosting. Don’t freeze the frosting!
You definitely mastered this recipe. Easy to follow. Great instructions! Loved the cake!
Great to hear you enjoyed this Renata!! N xx
What is the best type of food colouring to use for this recipe?
Which country are you in Lauren? 🙂 N x
I could only find self raising cake flour, will this work? should I just subtract the bicarb from the recipe?
Thanks!
HI Hannah! I haven’t tried that, it’s best to stick to the recipe for baked goods! 🙂 N xx
Thanku very much for the great recipe..the cake was perfect 😃
I LOVE HEARING THAT!! *Sorry for shouting* 😂
Hi Zuzana! Did you use the recommended amount of food colouring for UK readers? I have a specific note about this! 🙂 N x
You should TOTALLY gives this a go! Make sure you read the recipe properly and watch the video 🙂 Then go!
Ofcourse! Thank you so much…. I will surely revert back with the results 🙂
While going through all the reviews of your recipe I couldn’t believe that almost every one said those things which I too wanted to share with you..though I bake simple cakes but this time I dared and made this cake ..and the result is unbelievable.thanks to you..thank you for the tips also. Your cake is just suberb.
With sincere thanks
Swarnali
India
LOVE hearing that Swarnali!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
hi Nagi
your sure we can’t replace butter milk with anything for this recipe?
Hi Hassini! Please see the recipe notes 🙂 N x
I’m not a big fun of baking, so I don’t know what led me to enroll in a bake off competition. I’ve never baked a red velvet, but when I saw your recipe I was excited and confident, first because you have made this cake five times in two weeks which I thought that was crazy in a good way, which meant you have already perfected for us. second your recipe is so precise with different alternatives. It is easy to follow. I was in disbelief when my cake was announced the winner. IT was yummy and moist, so thanks to you Nagi, your hard work in kitchen is helping many.
WHOOT WHOOT WHOOT!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 🏆
Hi Nagi, I’m making your cake recipe tonight for a birthday cake for my other half who’s birthday is tomorrow . Gulp. I’ve got all the ingredients apart from cake flour and not 100% sure Ive got the right vinegar but I’m excited to bake it, your recipe is great. Thank for considering us UK bakers here, I love that you go the extra mile and this definitely swung the decision to use your recipe. I will let you know how I get on.
Sorry for the late response John! How did you go? Did you use the sub for the cake flour?? 🙂
Totally fabulous Everyone who tried it wanted the recipe and it really did taste light and velvety. Went down well as a birthday cake ! Thank you!!!
HIGH FIVE!
OMG, this velvet cake is super easy to make and extremely delicious. Made it for my grand-daughter’s 3rd Birthday 🙂
Will definitely be keeping this recipe.
Thank you 😀
So glad you enjoyed this Jazz! N x ❤️
Tried this cake and it’s awesome, moist and delicious. My baby nephew ate most of it. Thank you so so much for a brilliant cake recipe. Tried and trusted. Definitely a winner.
LOVE HEARING THAT!!!! Thanks for letting me know Renaldo! N xx ❤️
Thanks Naagi for a great recipe…. mine turned out perfect…. followed your instructions carefully….. I’m from India
So pleased to hear that Jyotika! Thanks for letting me know! N x
This makes a very good red velvet cake!! And, I truly appreciate all your tips,
Nagi!
I came back for information on how to make cupcakes using this recipe and found Kathleen’s comments. Thank you, Kathleen!
I subscribed to this site, thank you for the cookbooks and sharing all your recipes and tips. Looking forward to trying other recipes!!
Love hearing that Tommie! so glad you enjoyed it! N x
Can I double this recipe yo make a bigger cake or sheet cake
Sure thing!
Hi!
I made this and it was a lovely cake! It looked and tasted perfect! However it had a very strange smell. For lack of a better word to use, i’d say it smelled eggy but the thing is, i only made a half measure of this. Meaning i only used 1 egg…how can it be eggy??! Not like i can reduce the number of eggs unless i omit it (what are your thoughts on this?). Is this smell normal? Should it smell eggy? Or is it the smell of the vinegar or some reaction caused by the ingredients. The smell was really unpleasant and it is a shame since it tasted soooo good! Let me know what you think. Tq!!
Yvette
Hi Yvette – I’m so confused! So it TASTED great but SMELLED of egg????
Hahahahhaha! Yes! Smelled very strong especially when i open the container i kept it in the next day. I made the cake again without the vinegar and it turned out having the same texture and taste but minus the smell 😄 I also did a version with vinegar but minus the eggs and it turned out not too good. It was a little flat, didnt rise much and a little to moist bordering on soggy but no smell! Hence i came to the conclusion that it was the combination or eggs and vinegar tht caused the stink. So now i need to know why was the vinegar needed in the first place since the cake turned out well without it? And my 2nd problem is, i need to make several of these cakes and my buttermilk isnt sufficient so i would have to resort to using milk+vinegar as a substitute. This frightens me. What if the smell returns?? 😂😂
That’s so odd!!!!! The vinegar activates the baking soda and helps give it the extra rise. If you loved it without, you’ve found your way!!! I honestly don’t know what to say re: vinegar causing egg smell, I have never heard of it! Is your vinegar old by any chance?? I wonder if that’s the reason? But no matter. The vinegar is one of those things that adds a little extra to the end result but is not a deal breaker. So skip it! N x