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Serving of Red Velvet cake
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5 from 1 vote

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Red Velvet Cake is a soft homemade cake that is bright red thanks to a some cocoa powder and some red food coloring. This classic is topped with cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
3 hours
Course: Cakes, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake
Servings: 12
Calories: 947kcal
Author: Melissa Griffiths

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter 3 sticks
  • 1 ½ cup sugar granulated
  • 1 oz red food coloring
  • 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

Cream cheese frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, at room temperature
  • 2 pounds powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoons salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Grease 3, 8-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. This helps the cake to not stick and is worth the extra effort.
  • In a medium bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
  • Add eggs and mix until well combined.
  • In a small bowl mix the red food coloring with cocoa to make a paste, you can use a fork to combine it well.
  • Add the food coloring mixture to the bowl with the whipped butter and beat to combine.
  • Add the salt and 1 cup of flour and mix just until combined.
  • Add ½ cup buttermilk and vanilla and mix until the mixture just comes together.
  • Add 1 cup flour and mix just until combined.
  • Add remaining buttermilk and mix until a smooth batter forms.
  • Add remaining flour and mix to combine.
  • Add vinegar to the baking soda and immediately add to mixture. Mix thoroughly.
  • Divide between the cake pans, smooth out the tops with a spatula, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cakes spring back lightly when touched.
  • Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then run a knife around the ends of the pan and flip the cakes out onto cooling racks. Let the cakes cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until completely combined
  • Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  • Add more heavy cream if it seems too thick, it should be stable but spreadable.
  • Frost cake with and generous portion of frosting between each layer
  • The red cake crumbs can come through the frosting easily so a crumb coat makes frosting much easier. Do this by lightly frosting the outside of the cake, letting the crumbs come through, and then chill for 10-15 minutes. Frost as you normally would after the cake as chilled and decorate with toasted pecans around the bottom of the cake if you desire.

Nutrition

Calories: 947kcal | Carbohydrates: 128g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 435mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 106g | Vitamin A: 1545IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg