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Red Velvet Cake
Yield: 14 servings
Red velvet cake is a vibrant red cake, flavored with buttermilk and cocoa powder. Frosted with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting, this classic favorite is cake perfection.
Equipment
- 3 7-inch round cake pans
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder regular, not dark cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil or other neutral cooking oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 7 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt adjust to taste
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare three 7-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment circles.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients (vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red gel food coloring) to the dry ingredients. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients together until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Portion the cake batter evenly between the cake pans. Use a kitchen scale to ensure that the batter is equally divided.
- Bake cakes for approximately 30 minutes until the cake layers spring back when gently touched. *Please note that baking times will vary if you use different sizes of cake pans.
- Remove cake pans from the oven and allow the cake layers to cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the cake layers and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add room temperature butter and cream cheese. Whip on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low to combine. Add the second half of the powdered sugar and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
- Add in vanilla extract and salt.
- Turn the mixer on medium speed and whip for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Assembling the Red Velvet Cake
- Level the cake layers using a serrated knife.
- Place one cake layer on a cake board or plate. Add desired amount of frosting to the top of the layer and spread evenly.
- Continue to repeat this process until the layers are stacked.
- Spread a very thin layer of frosting all over the cake (crumb coat). Chill the cake for 20-30 minutes.
- Add the final layer of frosting with an offset spatula. Use a cake scraper to remove excess frosting and to smooth the sides and top of the cake.
- If desired, add cake crumbs to the sides or top from the cake domes that were cut off when leveling your layers. Pipe a border of frosting around the top edge of the cake using a Wilton 1M piping tip.
Notes
Store the red velvet cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cover any exposed cake with plastic wrap to prevent the cake from drying out. Serve the cake at room temperature.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
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