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. 😉
Hi, could I make this cake on wednesday to be eaten on friday if I put it in the fridge? I need to cover in fondant and decorate on the thursday- its going to be a Game of Thrones cake for my husbands birthday. Thanks
Definitely! Don’t need to refrigerate if it’s not too hot where you are, but keep it in an airtight container 🙂
Hi Nagi, can I reduce the amount of sugar in both wet ingredient and frosting?
I’m sorry Foon, I don’t recommend that. I am not sure what that would do to the recipe!
I just made this cake and it turned out amazingly delicious!! My frosting was a bit too soft as well so I added about two more cups of sifted powdered sugar and that really did the trick. Surprisingly, the frosting was still not at all overly sweet. Next time you make this frosting try that, Ibrahim. Just add enough powdered sugar to get the consistency you want. I already have a co-worker asking me to make a white cake with this same cream cheese frosting so I know it’s good!
That’s great to hear April! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! N xx
Hi Ibrahim, I suspect that your butter is too soft. It needs to be soft enough so you can beat it but not so soft that it melts when you beat it. Also, did you definitely use cream cheese? That is like butter, it should be soft so it can be creamed but not runny 🙂 N xx
Hi,
You mentioned “Add Dry Ingredients. Beat until just combined – some small lumps is ok, that’s better than over mixing’ Can you please tell me what happens if you over mix? I think i did this. It mixed it until super smooth. The cake turned out okay but I didn’t know what to look for.
Thanks,
Hi there! Overmixing can toughen the batter, making the cake dry, and also once the wet is mixed with the dry, the rising agent is activated and if you spend ages (e.g. 5 minutes) mixing, then the rising agent starts to lose its firepower 🙂 If you mix for about 30 seconds or so, that’s just fine! 🙂 N xx
Thanks! I definitely over mixed. Lucky it wasn’t super dry. It wasn’t moist as I wished but not too dry either.
Wow wow wow wow!!! Sooo good Nagi best cake I’ve ever made! Halved the mixture and turned them into 8 cupcakes instead. Truely divine!
That’s terrific to hear Alison! I’m so pleased to hear that. 🙂 N xx
Hi, i have only 1 bake tins of 8in and I want to avoid halving the cake as I am not good at it, I will surely make a mess if it. Can I use 9in bake tins which I so happen to have 2 of them, do I need to change anything? Thanks.
Hi Jessica! That’s fine, no change needed at all, the cake will be a touch less high but it’s not significant. I switch between 8 and 9″ tins myself 🙂 N xx
Jessica- Did you try it with your 9 inch pans yet? I am in the exact same situation as you and I’m planning on making this cake tomorrow for a birthday.
Hi Nagi,
This recipe sounds perfect and I can’t wait to try it! I have only one question, can you recommend a substitute for eggs for this particular recipe, such that the outcome is not affect adversely? Look forward to your response!
And I love love love Dozer 🙂
Hi Shalini! I’m sorry I can’t help you with that one, eggs are critical in this recipe! 🙁 N x
Thank you so much for your response! I am myself not fond of egg-less bakes, was checking for a friend who can’t have them. Too bad for her 🙁 I will be baking this on the weekend with eggs only in that case!
Dear Nagi,
I (yankee) am married to a man who grew up in New Orleans, whose favorite cake is Red Velvet. I have tried (in vain) for 12 years now to make the ‘perfect’ version of this cake but there was always something not quite right: not moist enough, wrong texture, insufficient butter taste, not the right buttermilk tang, too much cocoa, etc. I am considered by many a pretty darn good baker for someone with no formal training, and this is the only cake that I’ve messed up to the point of having to start over.
And then I came across your recipe in time for his birthday this year, and it received 5-STARS!!!! I knew it was right as soon as I tasted the batter. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nagi!!! You aced this. So much appreciated!!!
That’s so great to hear Adrienne! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
I made this cake back in April and it was sensational! It got rave reviews and the whole cake eaten by friends in one sitting!!!
Definitely the best Red Velvet I’ve ever eaten and a little sad I had forgotten about it…until now!!
Thanks for sharing!!!!
What wonderful feedback Sophie, I’m so pleased to hear that, thank you! N xx
Made this for my Mom’s birthday. Followed exactly as the instructions said, although increased the amount a bit in order to make 3-layer cake. Thanks for the thorough instructions. The cake came out wonderful (although I have to admit forgetting to dust one of the pans with cocoa, but there was not much damage in the end).
However (although I cannot say whether it was only an issue on my side) need to warn – the sponges are delicious but so, so fragile, so be really careful handling them (don’t be afraid, they will not crumble by just breathing on them, but please be very gentle when moving them around or assembling cakes).
Nevertheless, big applause for the delicious recipe.
So glad you enjoyed this Diana! Yes this cake is quite fragile, as fragile as other cakes with tender crumbs like this 🙂 N xx
Hello Ms. Nagi! I’m so glad I found your page. I’m pretty sure it’s really a delectable one, lots of positive comments. 🙂 I would like to bake one this weekend but I only found buttermilk powder, not the liquid one. I have read in other posts that buttermilk powder can also be used by diluting 1/4 cup of buttermilk powder in 1 cup water (not sure if hot or cold). Have u tried this? Will it make any difference? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks in advance.
Hi Ana! I haven’t tried it but from what I know about powder, it should work fine! 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi! This recipe looks amazing, I want to try it for a special occasion for a friend of mine. She smallest pan I have is a 9″ springform pan, is there any chance that will work?
I was also hoping you would have the measurements on hand to make a one or two person sized batch (perhaps as a cupcake or two) just to get a feel for the process and not having to make an entire “practice” cake 😁
Thank you so much!
Hi Amber! That pan should be fine, just check with a skewer and if it’s not done and the top is browning too much, cover with foil 🙂 It’s hard to scale down recipes like a cake, sorry to say, but you can use the scaler by hovering your curser over the Servings! N xx
Hi, you say to use food colouring gel for those of us in the UK, would you still use 2 1/2 tbsp like you recommend in the original recipe?
Yes that’s correct! N xx
How much of the ingredients would I need to make a 12 inch (30 cm) cake tin?
Shall I double the amount of ingredients you have listed? Pls advise.
Thx
Hi SY! I’d increase it by 30% – use the scaler by hovering over Servings and it will change all the ingredients for you 🙂 N x
Thx so much!!! Everyone is in awe of this cake. It was the moist and tasty ….soooooo tasty.
Only think that I needs recommendation is the frosting. It ended up being more wet than stiff….would I need to add more icing sugar?
Hi SY! Sorry to hear the frosting was wet, did you definitely add all the icing sugar per recipe??? N xx
I realised now where I was going wrong – I think my butter was too soft that it became more runny than stiff frosting.
I’ve just retried and it’s perfect. Thx 😉
That’s so wonderful to hear SY! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Hi, I’m going to try this cake. However, the only time I have suitable is a deep 7″ cake tin. will this recipe work ok in this tin? Lower oven temperature?
Thanks
Hi Ashleigh! I’d bake for the time per recipe then check it with a skewer, if it’s still uncooked then cover with foil and continue 10 minutes at a time 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I would like to make this cake for my nephew birthday. I have look at the ingredients require, is it possible to reduce the sugar and oil for the cake batter and also the sugar for the frosting. We all love cakes but not too sweet. And as for frosting can I use mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese. Does it apply the same quantities.
Thank you
Hi CT! I’m afraid not for this one, it is such a delicate balance for the cake. Same for the frosting. You could half the frosting recipe and just use a thinner layer? N x
Hi Nagi.. thank you for your advice. I swapped the cream cheese frosting with mascarpone cheese… by add sugar and butter it has become grainy. It is not a smooth texture. Not sure why this happen and I have to made a new batch. I did reduce the sugar and oil and the cake taste fine but my hubby mentioned it was dense (heavy). I though by reducing the ingredients will give the cake fluffy texture. However I will try again using the exact measurement. I haven’t tried the actual red velvet cake therefore can compare the taste and texture of the cake. Thank you for your advice.
Hi. In my country buttermilk is impossible to find. What can i use in substitution? Diluted yogurt?
Hi Sara, no problems! See the recipe notes for the sub – milk + lemon juice. N x
I usually use the milk + vinegar when the recipes ask for buttermilk but then I read your remark about not being as good and decided to use diluted greek yogurt. 🙄 I am yet to see if my decision was a wise one. 😁
Have faith! 🙂 The main purpose is to activate the bicarb and yoghurt will do that 🙂 N x
I just made the cake, followed the recipe, step by step, reading it like alphabet. Cake is extremly sweet, and then I went back to check why, while reading the ingredients for the 100000 time, i realized theres almost 800 gr of sugar in it.
No wonder the cake is too sweet. ALso the frosting came out very runny.
I use metric m., even tho I live in the UK. Please explain to me, how this cake have almost 800 grams of sugar, and why would the frosting, being the easiest thing to make, came out runny?
Hi Dijana! This cake does NOT have 800g sugar in it 🙂 Icing / powdered sugar does not weight as much as normal sugar, so the volume vs weight is completely different. Did you use powdered sugar for the frosting? That is what thickens it and makes it frosting 🙂
Hi Nagi
Does this cake freeze well?
Thanks!
Sarah
X
Hi Sarah! The cake by itself – no frosting – will freeze well! Just wrap it well and put it in an airtight container – makes all the difference with cakes 🙂 N x