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 Nagi,
Am so excited to try your recipe! I would like to make a 2 layer 10″ cake for my daughter’s 5th birthday. Would the proportions be ok for a 10″ if i double the recipe? And would i just make 2 batches of the frosting?
thanks!
Hi Sharon! If you hover your cursor over the Servings and move it to 12 (up from 10) that should be the right amount for a 10″ pan! That will also scale up the frosting too 🙂 Hope you love it – and happy birthday to your daughter! N xx
Hi Nagi. Really love this recipe of yours but just wondering, is it compulsory to use red food colouring? Will using blue alter the flavour of the recipe? #cluelessbaker
Hi Amanda! The colour doesn’t alter the flavour at all, but the red colouring is the classic colour of red velvet cake! N x
Hi, how much in grams is 4 cups of soft icing sugar for the frosting? Thanks
450g, updating the recipe too 🙂
Hi Nagi,
If I want to make a 6″ cake, how to change weight of ingredients ? Thanks!
Move the slider down to 8 servings (hover curser over servings and move slider down until the 10 changes to 8 🙂
Thanks for reply! So for example, cake flour is 320g, coco powder is 8g…? Sounds right?
I know they calculate to weird numbers / decimals etc 🙂 That’s just the way the scaler works. N x
yes 😂😂😂😂
nah, I’m in Australia. I bought red food coulouring liquid in woolies.
That’s exactly what I use. You definitely used the amount per recipe??
I tried today! It’s so yum! Only problem is mine turns out not so red.. and a little wet in the middle ( definitely cooked) ?
Oh dear Sara! Are you by chance in the UK? I have notes in the recipe about food colouring in the UK. 🙂
How long could this cake be kept without frosting?
2 – 3 days in an airtight container, refrigerate if it’s very hot where you are 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi
I have baked this cake before and the recipe called for hot coffee to be added which I did. I wld love to try ur recipe and wld u recommend coffee to be added. Thanks
Hi Usha! I would not add coffee to this, you add coffee to chocolate cakes when you want to bring out the chocolate flavour which is not the case here. Chocolate is a secondary flavour 🙂
How many gms flour in recipe please ?
Hi Aine! I’ve updated the recipe 🙂
Hello from Switzerland 🙂 so I madr this cake yesterday and brought it to work today. I wasn’t sure because of the cheese frosting because I made a philadelphia cheesecake once and I thought it was horrible! This one actually tasted really good! I thought it would be too sweet but the cake itself isn’t so the frosting evens it out perfectly! Everyone loved it and it’s nice and spongey! I was so stuffed but I couldn’t stop eating! I added a little bit of lemon juice (freshly pressed of course) to the frosting so it would have a fresh taste 🙂 and I rrally appreciate the amount of grams you posted, helped me alot!
So pleased you enjoyed it Massiel! Thanks for letting me know! N xx❤️
Good Evening Nagi, how many cupcakes will I make with this recipe? Thanks
Hi Iris! Another reader made them and said it made 14 🙂
I’m an absolute novice at baking and I made this a few days ago. My oven wasn’t big enough for two cakes at once, so I baked them separately. The cake turned out AMAZING! SO good! Really moist cake with that rich distinctively red colour. I gave most of it away because a) I saw how much sugar and butter I used to make it, and b) it’s too good not to share. Nevertheless, I’m having TWO slices of it for supper right now and I just had to leave a comment to thank you for the recipe. Cheers!
I am always so pleased to hear from experienced bakers, I LOVE getting the feedback – good and bad. In this case, so pleased that you were happy with this! YES!!!
I don’t have time to make the cake and frost all in the same day. Do you think making the cake one day and the next frosting it will be okay? Do you think I should fridge the cake in the mean time. I am an avid baker, however I haven’t made cakes all too often.
Hi Vanessa! Absolutely 🙂
Hi Nagi, I’ve made this red velvet cake and I absolutely love the texture and taste of this cake. I have been in search for easy fluffy and light vanilla cake that I can use under fondant! Could I convert this recipe into vanilla by omitting red colour and cocoa?
Thank you so much for your time:)
Hi Sherry! I haven’t tried that specific for this recipe, I’m sorry about that! I promise to share a classic vanilla recipe soon 🙂
Hi, Im going to bake this red velvet cake but I can’t find backing soda anywhere, can I substitute it for any thing else? Thanks
Hi Tara, I’m sorry no. Bi carbonate / baking soda is pretty common nowadays here in Australia. Can I ask where you live??
Hi thank you for answering me.
I live in Germany. That means I must search more. I’m just really nervous, I’m backing it for a friends birthday party and everything must go perfect
Hey Tara, I’m from switzerland and I bought the baking soda in germany. It’s called Kaiser-Natron and it comes in a green bag. I bought in in Marktkauf and it worked perfectly 🙂 hoped I could help
Don’t be nervous! Just measure out all the ingredients, lay them out on the counter and take it step by step!
Hi Nagi,
I super love your blog and instagram, have made so many things successfully because of your recipes!
Was I supposed to use cold (Philadelphia) cream cheese, because I’ve just done the frosting for your red velvet and the second I added the icing sugar it turned into glaze consistency. So bizarre. I’ve made frostings and cake countless times, but have taken a long break since my last cream cheese…what did I do? It’s sitting in the fridge in the hopes it’ll firm up…
thanks!!!
(Also, am a supporter and advocate of the baby hands 😀 )
That is SO bizarre Safira. It is REALLY hard to melt cream cheese! Definitely not supposed to use cold, it won’t whip smoothly. I will do some research and see if I can learn more, I have honestly never heard of this problem. Was it stinking hot where you are???
Thanks Nagi for replying!
The kitchen wasn’t hot, we’ve got the air conditioning on in there.
As an update, left overnight in the fridge the frosting (glaze) didn’t firm up, so am going to try a fresh batch later adding the sugar a little at a time and see what happens. I was googling around after I wrote you and it seems sometimes the sugar dissolves in the cheese causing it to become runny! Sooo bizarre.
Crossing fingers!
Safira
I googled too but couldn’t find anything definitive that could explain it. I can honestly say this is the first I’ve heard of this problem! Sorry!
Hi Nagi, I’m going to try to make this cake today!!! Wish me luck haha.
How much butter do you grease the pans with to ensure I’m not using too much? And regarding what you said earlier about the base of the cake potentially getting too oily if the butter was too melted while making the batter – how soft should the butter be when I mix it in? Do you usually put it in the microwave for a few seconds?
Thanks so much! Chloe 🙂
Hi Chloe! Definitely don’t put the butter in the microwave to soften, what happens is that the inside turns to liquid before the outside is hot and that’s what can cause the oily cake!! I didnt think of anyone doing that 🙁 Just leave the butter out on the counter or put it in a warm spot. It just needs to be soft so you leave a dent in it when you poke it, soft enough to beat. If it is so soft that it’s bordering on melting – i.e. it is like whipped cream, that’s when it’s too soft and might melt while the batter is being made.
Hi, would I need to add baking powder if I make this recipe into cupcakes?
Hi Dana! Nope, just make the same batter and only bake for around 20 minutes. 🙂
Hi Nagi, I really want to make this. I thought since we’re both from Australia, I can find all those ingredients. But I cant find the cake flour. Where do you get your cake flour? And what brand do you use? Is the brand ok to ask?
Hi Maria! I use Lighthouse which is sold at Woolies, Coles etc 🙂 Here it is: https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Browse/spreads-breakfast-baking-desserts/flour?name=lighthouse-biscuit-pastry-cake-plain-flour&productId=262660 Hope that helps!
hi , can i make this cake in a square or rectangular pan? i need to serve it in sliced in individual boxes! please help
Yes! Around 20cm/8″ square will work great, use 2 if you can so you can sandwich together or if you want to make one without a layer of frosting in between, just use a larger one!
Hi, I made your cake and loved the texture as I made it but unfortunately it just took forever to cook and in the end although the cake skewer came out clean, as it cooled the underneath was too moist, as if too much oil. I added the ingredients according to the recipe using grams not American cup but do you think I might have just added too much oil, I used sunflower oil, is there a particular oil I should use? Many thanks.
Hi Nagi, Vic,
I made the Red Velvet cake according to the recipe/ instructions and had the same issue – the bottom part was too oily/ most, sticked to the bottom of the pan and when I finally got it out, it was actually dripping. I baked another one and just left out the oil – it turned out perfectly!! The buttermilk still made it sufficient moist. I found this recipe here. It is exactly like yours, except for no oil:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016329-red-velvet-cake?register=email&auth=register-email®i=1&join_cooking_newsletter=false
Would still be interested to know how some cakes turn out great and others are too oily! Thanks!
PS I added notes to the recipe about this 🙂
Hi! I’m sorry to hear you had that problem. I’ve done some research and added a note to the instructions to ensure the eggs are beaten in properly and also again after the oil is added. I read that can be the problem for the oil splitting. The other cause is if the butter is beyond softened and it melts while the batter is being made. I’m glad you enjoyed the NYT recipe! I did try it myself years ago and found the crumb a little dry for my taste, which you can kind of see in the photo – notice how the crumbs are….well, crumbly? 🙂 I hope that helps!!
Hi Vic! Can you expand a bit and tell me where exactly it was too moist?? So the base of the cake??
Yes it was the base of the cake.
Hi Vic! What type of oven do you have?? Also, do you think there’s any chance the pan was over buttered???
Made your Red Velvet Cake tonight for my husband’s birthday. It was a huge hit, everyone loved it! The cake was moist, icing very creamy. I followed your directions exactly. Best Red Velvet cake I have ever had! Will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Fantastic! So pleased to hear that Susan, thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N xx