Red Velvet Cake
There’s a reason why they call this soft and ultra-moist Red Velvet Cake the queen of desserts. When baked right, the result is an ULTRA-MOSIT, lightly cocoa flavored cake that when paired with my dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting is a melt in your mouth experience in every bite.
Honestly, it’s like no other cake you’ve had. It’s light, it’s dreamy and it is the first cake I try when I go to a bakery. If you can get a Red Velvet cake right, and it’s not that hard with the right recipe, you’re a star baker!
For today’s recipe you’ll need to make a batch of my Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s super creamy. But this cake pairs well with Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate Buttercream too!
And if you’re looking for more amazing cake recipes, I have heaps on the blog, but I’d recommend my Easy Chocolate Cake, Hungarian Chocolate And Hazelnut Cake and my Raspberry Lamington Sponge Cake. They’re crowd pleasers!
I have been making this recipe for 10 years!
Well, sort of. This recipe is an updated version of my older recipe. It’s easier to make, comes out even more moist and isn’t as high. It’s a sensible 4 layers. But here’s some other reasons you’ll love my recipe over others!
- Rich, unique flavor! – Red velvet cake is known for it’s super unique flavor. It’s a moist vanilla cake with a hint of cocoa which, when paired with Cream Cheese Frosting is other wordly!
- It’s MOIST! – I know, I used the M word but honestly, it has to be said! The buttermilk in this recipe gives this cake it’s light, yet moist texture. And here’s a secret, it’s even better the next day!
- Cream Cheese Frosting – Look, there are a lot of frosting recipes out there, but the smooth, tangy and creamy flavor you get from this frosting is a match made in heaven with this cake. It’s science.
Why is red Red Velvet Cake, Red?
Traditionally, Red Velvet cake started off as a really deep red color because of a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and the vinegar. Personally, I love the addition of food dye to make this a bright red color. It makes it a perfect seasonal cake that you can make for valentine’s day or Christmas. Although it’s a great all-rounder cake you can have any time of the year!
Ingredients You Need To Make Red Velvet Cake
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
- Cake Flour – Cake flour is a low protein flour that is used to make desserts light and moist. You can use store bought which has a much finer flour consistency, or simply make your own with my simple recipe. Click here to get the recipe and learn all the tips and tricks.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Dutch or natural will work. The small amount use is where this cake gets it’s super unique flavor from and combined with the bright red food dye. its deep red color too.
- Baking powder – helps the cake rise.
- Bicarb soda – also known as baking soda.
- Salt – I used fine salt.
- Caster sugar – otherwise known as superfine sugar.
- Buttermilk – I always use store bought because I think that even though you can make your own, it just always comes out more moist. At a pinch, it’s easy to make your own.
- Vegetable oil – or canola oil. Any light oil will work. Olive oil, coconut oil, those are too heavy and the cake won’t be light in texture with a heavy oil.
- Eggs – make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Super important.
- Vanilla Extract – Always use good quality vanilla extract when baking, it makes a huge difference. I have a great recipe here for it if you’d like to try your own!
- Red food dye (liquid) – I know a lot of people don’t like using food dyes. I used to use them a lot, but I avoid using them as much as possible now. for this cake, there is no substitute. Can you add less than the recipe says? Sure. It won’t be as red though. And let me be clear, you need to use liquid food dye, not food gel.
- White vinegar – reacts with the bicarb soda to help give this cake a boost in the oven as it bakes making it light and fluffy.
How to make The BEST Red velvet Cake!
- Mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl
- Combine both ingredients, taking care not to overmix!
- Divide batter amongst two 8-inch cake tins. Bake in the middle rack. Allow to cool.
- Trim the top of your cakes.
- Then trim in half again. You’ll end up with 4 layers.
- Turn the tops into crumbs.
- Add a smear of cream cheese frosting on the bottom of your serving plate.
- Add frosting on the first layer of cake and smoothen out
- Add the next layer of cake and repeat
- Cover the cake in frosting
- Smoothen out.
- Add crumbs on the outside to finish.
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- Don’t overmix your batter! Mix only until no dry ingredients are showing to avoid a tough cake.
- Trim the tops of your cake to flatten them – it results in a neater looking cake and you can use the crumbs to decorate the outside of your cake.
- Use scales to measure your ingredients! You get far more accurate results.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Sift the dry ingredients to make sure there are no lumps. That’ll help stop the risk of overmixing as you try to get rid of lumps.
Frequently Asked Questions about Red Velvet Cake
What does it taste like?
This cake has a light cocoa flavor, a slight tang which pairs perfectly with my smooth, creamy Cream Cheese Frosting!
How do I store this?
Red Velvet Cake should be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s even more moist the next day!
Can I turn these into cupcakes?
I’ve done the hard work for you and have a great Red Velvet Cupcake recipe here on the blog!
Can I freeze it?
Yep! Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
Can I use other frostings?
Yes! Chocolate Ganache, Chantilly Cream and Chocolate Buttercream are also great with this cake. But hey, if you want it plain you can just dust powdered sugar on top!
Can I use food gel instead?
No. Sorry, I’ve tried using red food gel for this recipe and the color, weirdly, just isn’t as bright. Liquid food dye works best. If you don’t want to color your cake, that’s fine. It won’t affect the end result or the flavor, but your cake just won’t be red.
How do I make buttermilk? Can I use regular milk?
You could use regular milk, but the cake wont come out as moist. Buttermilk is also acidic which helps react with the bicarb soda in the cake to help give it its light texture.
To make 1 cup of your own buttermilk whisk together 1 cup (250ml) milk and 1 tsp of white vinegar together and allow to rest for 5 minutes. The milk will curdle. Whisk again before using.
Couple more notes:
- Store bought buttermilk is always better than home-made. For some reason the end result of your cake just comes out moister and lighter. I would use store bought if you can get it.
- Make sure your buttermilk is at room temperature.
If you loved this recipe, check these out!
- Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Easy Chocolate Cake
- Hungarian Chocolate And Hazelnut Cake (Esterhazy Torte)
- Fluffy Coconut Cake
- Cookies And Cream Cake
- Raspberry Lamington Sponge Cake
- Easy Carrot Cake
- Ferrero Rocher Cake
- Lemon Sponge Cake
What is this recipe in grams and not cups?
The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistency results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!
A Quick Baking Guide
If you’re new to baking or just want to brush up on the basics, these guides are a great place to start!
Loved the recipe? Let me know!
If you enjoyed this recipe, leave a star rating and comment below. It helps others find the recipe and keeps the baking community growing. Tag me on Instagram so I can see your version too!
Soft and Fluffy Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Ultra-moist and tender Red Velvet Cake with velvety cream cheese frosting. Each bite is soft, rich, and full of luscious texture.
Serves 12
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
- 450 g cake flour, see notes
- 24 g unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/4 tsp bicarb soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 260 g caster sugar, see notes
- 600 g buttermilk, see notes
- 175 g vegetable oil, or canola oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature (55g each)
- 14 g vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp red liquid food dye, not food gel (see notes)
- 1 1/4 tsp white vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 500g g unsalted butter, softened (see notes)
- 500g g full-fat cream cheese blocks, chilled (see notes)
- 14 g tsp vanilla extract
- 300 g milk powder, see notes
- 600 g powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140C / 285F (160C / 320F for no fan). Spray two 20cm / 8-inch cake tins with oil spray and line the bottoms with baking paper.
- Combine dry ingredients – Add the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients – To a large jug or medium sized mixing bowl add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, red food dye and white vinegar. Use a whisk to combine.
- Combine wet with dry – Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until no dry ingredients are showing. Small lumps are ok, the key is to not overmix.
- Bake – Distribute the batter amongst both cake tins evenly. Bake in the middle rack of your oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream butter and cream cheese – Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer. Mix on low speed to begin with, to help break up the cream cheese a little, then increase the speed to high for a couple of minutes to help combine the cream cheese and butter.
- Add sugar and milk powder – After a couple of minutes, stop your mixer and scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula. Add the powdered sugar, milk powder and vanilla. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, then bring the speed back up to high. Continue beating on high speed, about 5 minutes, until your frosting is fluffy and turns pale in color. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add to a piping bag.
Let’s decorate!
- Trim cakes – Start by trimming the tops off your cake layers to make them flat. Then slice each cake in half. You’ll end up with four cake layers.
- Crumble extra cake – Add the tops of the cakes into a food processor and pulse until you reach crumbs. You can also do this by hand, but a machine will give you finer crumbs.
- Layer cake – Add the first layer of cake to a serving plate or cake board. Pipe some frosting on top and use an offset spatula to spread around flat. Add the next layer of cake and repeat that until the fourth layer of cake is on top.
- Finish cake – Cover the cake in frosting and even off the sides and top as neatly as you can. Stick some red velvet crumbs on the side of the cake. Finish the cake by fitting the end of a piping bag with a star tip and pipe swirls on top of the cake. Slice and serve at room temperature.
Notes
Cake Flour – Cake flour is a low protein flour that is used to make desserts light and moist. You can use store bought which has a much finer flour consistency, or simply make your own with my simple recipe. Click here to get the recipe and learn all the tips and tricks.
To make your own buttermilk – Combine 250g of whole-fat cows milk (plant based milks don’t curdle the same way) with 1 tsp of white vinegar. Whisk both ingredients together and allow to rest for 5 minutes. The milk will curdle. Whisk again before using.
Red Food Dye – For this recipe, you need to use liquid food dye. Not food gel. To get that bright red color, you would have to use the entire bottle of red food gel. Trust me, I’ve tried it.
Caster sugar – Caster sugar, also known as superfine sugar, is a fine sugar often used for cakes which helps give you a finer and more delicate cake crumb. If you don’t have it, you can use granulated sugar.
Butter – It’s important to use butter that is high in fat and softened. Usually, butter made in New Zealand and France is good quality butter. Using cheap butter can cause your frosting to split. You also want to make sure your butter is softened. If you keep your butter in the fridge you can soften it by adding it to the microwave for 10 seconds at a time, turning over each time until softened. It usually takes about 2-4 goes.
Cream cheese – You want to use what is called ‘block style’ cream cheese for this recipe and straight out of the fridge, cold. This is different to ‘spreadable’ cream cheese which is soft even when it’s cold. ‘Block style’ cream cheese helps give this frosting structure. If you’re in the UK, you can use any brand block style cream cheese, I would recommend the Philadelphia brand cream cheese. It’s important that you use cold cream cheese, straight out of the fridge.
Milk Powder – Milk powder is what people used to use to make milk before fridges were widely used in kitchens. It can be found in the long-life milk isle of your supermarket. Skim or full fat can be used. To learn more about Milk Powder, take a read of the post I wrote up!
Storage – this cake can be stored in an airtight container, the fridge for up to three days. Thaw to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition – is based on per slice. This recipe makes 12 slices.
A note on measurements – this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precise measurements and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales
Nutrition
Serving: 20g
Calories : 842kcal
Carbonhydrates: 82g
Protein: 16g
Fat: 46g
Saturated Fat: 27g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Monounsaturated Fat : 12g
Trans Fat : 1g
Cholesterol: 185mg
Sodium: 549mg
Potassium : 495mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar : 52g
Vitamin A: 1550IU
Vitamin C: 2mg
Calcium: 339mg
Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Gave this recipe a go?Mention @thescranline or tag #thescranline!
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96 comments
Your explanations are wonderful! I could listen to you all day.. really! You have a very informational and kind voice. Thank you for the amazing tips and being such a caring person ♥
Awww, thanks Sarai! N x
Hi Nick!
Do you have a tip how to stiffen the frosting? Unfortunately, in Croatia, we do not have a cream cheese that would be thick as yours. The frosting, it is really spreadable, it stiffens up nicely in the fridge, but when I take it out it becomes really soft. I am afraid that the layers will slide, or if I frost and decorate it completely, that it wont hold the shape.
Hi Mateja! Sorry to hear you don’t have access to the block style cream cheese. Unfortunately, for this recipe to be stiff enough to pipe, it needs this style of cream cheese.
Hi Nick, do you think it’s ok to make the cake 1 day before you serve it and take out of the fridge 1 hour or so before so that the frosting dont get too hard? Its ok too refrigerate the cake for that long (24hrs) or do you think it will change the texture of the frosting? Maybe it’s better to frost the cake the same day you are going to eat it?
Absolutely! That’s completely fine N x
Where’s the cream cheese icing recipe?
Here you go Michael! N x https://thescranline.com/cream-cheese-frosting/
Hi Nick!
A little question for you….so to frost this cake (I’d like to do the 6 layers version) do I have to triple the ingredients of the tour cream cheese frosting, as you write “3 batches” of it in the ingredients list???
And again -probably you already answered this question, but ai want to be super sure :))- I will have to triple the ingredients for a 6 layer cake? Like 1200 gr of flour, 960 gr of sugar and so on????
Thanks in advance dear!!!
Yep, that’s right. You’ll need to triple the recipe of the cake and triple the recipe of the frosting. It’s a lot, but it’s a big cake.
Hi there can I just ask Nick, I want to do this cake tomorrow and just wondering how deep are your layers? I want to make 6inch round 2inch thickx3….I’m not sure how much I will need, a bit confused ,many thanks
Hi Emma! The cake tins are about 2 inches in height and the cakes just over 1 inch I’d say. Although I’ve never measured them. Happy baking! N x
Hey Nick! Can’t wait to make this for my SIL birthday! How deep are the 8inch tins you use? I’ve found anything from 3.5 to 7.5 and want to make sure I get the correct size.
Also is food coloring or gel better?
Thanks!
Hi Kelly! Mine are about 2 inches deep. Happy baking! N x
Hi Nick!
Thank you for all the recipes, look delicious! I wanted to make this cake for my niece’s birthday but I have a little doubt about one of the ingredients. I live in Spain and I’m not quite sure I can get buttermilk. I’ve seen quite a few recipes to do it at home, but I’m not very keen on the idea T.T Should I try and do it homemade or replace it with something else? If so, what can I replace it with?
Again, thanks a lot and hope you have a good day!
Hi Lucia! Such a good question. My mum asked me the same question the other day. You could try making your own but store bought buttermilk just yields a better result and a cake that’s fluffy and moist. Having said that, if you don’t have access to it, then making your own is the next best option! N x
hi from Australia… Nick i need to make a baby shower cake for my daughter….. she would like 4 layers x 9inch cakes with a white chocolate buttercream frosting… the recipe for the cake is it a double or triple batch???? and do you have a recipe for the frosting please
Hi Christina! I would make 4 batches in that case. I would recommend my Cream cheese frosting it’s absolutely divine! N x
Cream Cheese Frosting
Hello Nick 28th JUNE 2022 nsw
hope you answer my questions:
i have to make a 4 layer x 9″ round cakes for a baby shower
with white chocolate swiss buttercream filling and frosting.
do you have a recipe for the icing?
and why is there no vinegar in the ingredients for the cake????
This particular cake doesn’t need it. For the frosting I would highly recommend my cream cheese frosting!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Hello Nick. Can i use this red velvet ingredients and make a chocolate cake instead by omitting the red food colour and add more cocoa and will it be suitable for stacking the same size cake as in the picture. Also can i use the same cream cheese recipe and add cocoa. Btw your recipes are so easy to understand 👍🏻
Hi Gadija! I would recommend making my chocolate cake instead! You can absolutely use cream cheese frosting and make it chocolate flavoured using 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 200g melted chocolate, cooled to room temp. Hope that helps! N x
Does this recipe with the 400gr flour fill 3 x 20cm cake pans. Then the three cakes get split in two making the 6 layers. Just want to make sure as the recipe says to divide the batter into three 20cm pans but also says to triple the recipe for that size cake
Hi Gadija! This recipe would be enough for on 20cm cake pan. Cut in half once baked, that would give you two layers. You’d need to triple the recipe to get the 6 layer cakes I used to make.
Hi Nick
I have made this cake over and over again using Chefmaster food gel and it comes out very red. Awesome recipe
Amazing! N x
If anyone is planning on making the 9″ version I would check them at 30 minutes, I checked mine at 40 min and they were already very overcooked, sadly. I think my oven was also running a little hot but just a warning, since the batter is thinner.
Hey Tam! Thanks so much for the tip! Ovens can definitely be tricky sometimes. It’s always a good idea to check earlier when using a larger tin, as the batter does spread thinner. I’ll add a note in the recipe to help others out—thanks for sharing your experience! N x
Hi Nick….wanted to check something. Your recipe for the single measure cake ,spilt into two layers says 400g flour.
So when we triple it for 3 cakes with 6 layers wouldn’t it be 400*3….1200gm etc. The recipe for 6layers shows 800gm. I’m asking about the 8inch cake pan .
Hope you can help.
Update to this recipe coming this week! N x
Hi, can i make cupcakes using this recipe? thanks
Hey Yanina! You can definitely make cupcakes with this recipe, but I actually have a great Red Velvet Cupcake recipe on the blog that’s already perfect for cupcakes. You might want to check that out for the best results! N x
Hi! I wanted to make this cake for Christmas but where i am from the milk powder for the frosting costs a bit. May a substitute it with something else?
Hey Andrea! Totally get it—milk powder can be pricey in some places. You can swap it out for extra powdered sugar to maintain sweetness and texture, though the frosting might be a tad less rich. Just keep an eye on the consistency and adjust as needed. Hope it turned out amazing for your Christmas celebration last year! Nx
I tried making it for Valentine’s day and it was a success. It was indeed moist and I did not need to add sugar syrup. I followed everything in the recipe and I used skim milk powder.
How cool! Glad you enjoyed the recipe Mcihelle! It’s one of my fave cakes! N x
Heyy!! I made this recipe 2 years ago. Is the new recipe for a one pan cake or a 2 pan cake. Last time i made it everybody was stunned about it they loved it!
Awesome! N x
Can I replace flour by 1 to 1 to create a gluten free version?
Hi Tala! Unfortunately I don’t have much experience working with gluten free flour. I also didn’t test this recipe with it either so I can’t say that it would work for sure!
Hello
Can I use AP flour? I’m in a pinch and don’t have any cornstarch on hand. Really looking forward to trying this recipe
Hey Sue! Yes, you can use AP flour if you’re in a pinch. The texture might be a tiny bit less soft, but it’ll still turn out great. Hope you enjoy the recipe! N x
Hi Nick! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! Could I use some raspberry jam in the middle of my layers to add some fruitiness?
Hey Elena! Absolutely—adding raspberry jam between the layers would be delicious and give it a nice fruity twist. Just spread a thin layer so it doesn’t slide around, and you’re good to go. Hope you love it! N x