Red velvet cake is much more than vanilla cake tinted red. This recipe produces the best red velvet cake with superior buttery, vanilla, and cocoa flavors, as well as a delicious tang from buttermilk. My trick is to whip the egg whites, which guarantees a smooth velvet crumb.
This is my forever favorite red velvet cake recipe. I published it on my blog a few years ago and decided it’s time for clearer recipe instructions and a video tutorial. Many of you love this recipe too, so let’s roll up our sleeves and rev up our mixers!
Red velvet cake is the queen of all layer cakes. The “I can’t quite put my finger on the flavor” cake. It’s the sweet marriage of buttermilk and vanilla with a little cocoa for good measure. She’s tall, dramatic, and completely covered in silky cream cheese frosting. This is my best red velvet cake.
What Does Red Velvet Cake Taste Like?
I used to be unsure about red velvet. I don’t really trust a cake that has a mystery flavor. What is red velvet? Is it more like vanilla cake, chocolate cake, or just a butter cake tinted red? From red velvet brownies and red velvet cookies and red velvet cupcakes, I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know red velvet. Red velvet is:
- Mild cocoa flavor
- Tangy buttermilk
- Sweet vanilla
- Very buttery
These 4 flavors are essential to the perfect red velvet layer cake. Not only is the flavor outstanding, red velvet cake’s texture is worth writing home about. It’s dense and soft with a moist and velvety crumb. However, the absolute best part about red velvet cake is the cream cheese frosting. Slathered on thick, my cream cheese frosting recipe is delicately sweet and undeniably creamy.
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
I use specific ingredients, certain amounts, and unique mixing techniques to produce my best red velvet cake recipe. Begin by whisking the dry ingredients together, then beat together the wet ingredients. We’ll combine the two, add buttermilk and tint the batter red. More on food coloring below.
- Cake Flour: I highly recommend cake flour. Cake flour is much lighter than all-purpose and the perfect base for a light, soft-crumbed cake texture. Like I mention above, red velvet’s texture is important to the authenticity of the flavor. You will thank me for the recommendation after you taste how incredibly soft this cake is. It’s the texture you find at professional bakeries.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 2 Tablespoons is plenty for a little cocoa flavor without overpowering the vanilla and butter flavors.
- Butter & Oil: What sets red velvet cake apart from chocolate is its buttery flavor. With only butter, we risk a dry cake. With only oil, we lose the butter flavor and softness that comes with creaming butter & sugar together. So all that’s to say, use both butter and oil. Moist texture, soft and cakey texture, buttery flavor.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is tangy, creamy, and makes baked goods extremely moist. You can’t make delicious red velvet cake without it! Additionally, buttermilk helps activate the baking soda to leaven the cake.
What About the Food Coloring?
Red velvet cake wouldn’t be red without food coloring. I recommend gel food coloring because the color is concentrated, so you need less of it. For natural coloring, use beet powder. If you don’t want to use food coloring, leave it out! The cake will have the same flavor and be a lovely shade of cocoa.
My #1 Trick
I add one simple step to this red velvet cake recipe and it guarantees the BEST texture.
Whip the egg whites separately, then fold into the batter.
This cake recipe requires 4 large eggs. Separate the eggs before starting. Beat the egg yolks with the wet ingredients, then beat the egg whites into fluffy peaks and fold them in last. Beating the egg whites incorporates air and promises a velvet-rich texture.
You will never go back.
Red Velvet Cake Video Tutorial
Cream Cheese Frosting
In my opinion, cream cheese frosting pairs best with red velvet’s flavor and this frosting recipe is really simple. You need brick-style cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, a splash of milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to offset the sweetness. It glides on seamlessly and is silky smooth. If you’re looking to pipe decoration with this cream cheese frosting, chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This guarantees the creamy frosting will hold its shape.
Of course, feel free to use traditional vanilla buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream here if you prefer. Or try white chocolate buttercream frosting!
This recipe converts red velvet skeptics. I should know because I used to be one!
Interested in turning this red velvet beauty into a tiered wedding cake? See my homemade wedding cake for details.
More Classic Cake Recipes
- Vanilla Cake
- Banana Cake
- Pumpkin Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Strawberry Cake
- Lemon Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Red velvet cake is much more than vanilla cake tinted red. This recipe produces the best red velvet cake with superior buttery, vanilla, and cocoa flavors, as well as a delicious tang from buttermilk. My trick is to whip the egg whites, which guarantees a smooth velvet crumb.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons (10g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature and separated
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- liquid or gel red food coloring
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups (600g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and vinegar and beat on high for 2 minutes. (Set the egg whites aside.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions alternating with the buttermilk. Beat in your desired amount of food coloring just until combined. I use 1-2 teaspoons gel food coloring. Vigorously whisk or beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until fluffy peaks form as pictured above, about 3 minutes. Gently fold into cake batter. The batter will be silky and slightly thick.
- Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 30-32 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cakes need a little longer as determined by wet crumbs on the toothpick, bake for longer. However, careful not to overbake as the cakes may dry out. Remove cakes from the oven and cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be soft, but not runny.
- Assemble and frost: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard or crumble over finished cake. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula and bench scraper for the frosting. I used Wilton piping tip #12 for decoration around the top.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Red Gel Food Coloring or Beet Powder | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Cake Stand, Serving Plate, or Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Bench Scraper | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton Piping Tip #12 | Cake Carrier (for storing cake)
- Cake Flour: For best texture and taste, I strongly recommend cake flour. You can find it in the baking aisle and I have many more recipes using it. If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, you can make a DIY cake flour substitute.
- Vinegar: The vinegar helps brighten the red color. Don’t get scared, a touch of vinegar is normal in red velvet desserts! You can’t taste it.
- Why is everything at room temperature? When everything is near the same temperature, they mix together easily, evenly, and produce a uniform texture. It’s important!
- Food Coloring: The amount of red food coloring is up to you. I tested with varying amounts. To get the dark red color you see here, use 2 teaspoons of gel food coloring. You could use liquid food coloring too, but gel food coloring is more potent. You’ll need at least 1 Tablespoon of liquid. Dye the batter until you are pleased with the color. Use beet powder for a natural alternative (mix 1/2 teaspoon beet powder with 2 teaspoons of water before adding) or leave the food coloring out completely.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is a key ingredient and flavor in this recipe. You can use low fat or full fat. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own sour milk. To do so, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough regular milk (whole milk is best) to make 1 cup. Stir the two together, then let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Sheet Cake: This batter fits nicely into a 9×13-inch cake pan or 12×17-inch sheet pan. Same oven temperature. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or 20-25 minutes, respectively. Keep your eye on the cake and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- 3 Layer Cake: Prepare 3 9-inch cake pans in step 1 and divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for about 22-25 minutes.
- Bundt Cake: This cake batter fits into a 10-cup or larger bundt pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time (likely around an hour), but use a toothpick to test for doneness. Same oven temperature.
- Cupcakes: You can use this cake batter for 2-3 dozen cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 – 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-21 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Use my red velvet cupcakes recipe if you need fewer.
Recipe originally published on Sally’s Baking Recipes in 2015.
Need something smaller? Here are my red velvet cupcakes!
I’ve never left a food review before, but I made this cake for my granddaughter’s birthday and it was a huge hit! Everyone thought it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever made (and I’ve baked a lot of cakes!). As one of the other commenters said, I probably had a bit too much batter in each pan as it baked over a little and the edges were a little “crispy” I trimmed them off with a sharp knife and no one even knew. Next time I’ll fill the pans a little less and make a cupcake or two from the excess batter. The cake was very moist and rich. And the icing was delicious, too. I’m bookmarking this one.
We’re so glad this cake was a hit for you, Karen!
Amazing recipe – for both the cake and icing! I really think beating the butter and sugar until luxuriously creamy and folding in the egg whites at the end makes all the difference. I only have 2 x 20 cm round pans – baked them at 180 degC for 30 min, and then at 160 degC for another 20 min. But 50-60 min at 160 degC from the start possibly would also have worked.
I love this receipe tried and tested just fab. I wonder how can I make it a 12 inch square with your receipe
Hi Andrea, we’re so glad you enjoyed this cake! Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
I wanted to leave a comment because I am so pleased with how this cake turned out. Such a lovely moist texture. Absolutely perfect! I’m a Brit and using generic cream cheese brand worked perfectly fine. My only complaint is the sugar – I find recipes online always seem to have too much. Since I’m used to seeing this though, I reduced the sugar substantially for this cake. I used 280g of sugar for the cake itself and 200g of icing sugar for the cream cheese frosting, and both came out wonderfully. They were sweet but not overbearing at all. Honestly, in the future I might even reduce the sweetness of the frosting too. I haven’t made the full sugar version of this cake so can’t be sure how mine would compare to it, but the cake was so delicious and a crowd pleaser so not too interested in finding out the difference. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
If I were to split this cake into three layers, what sizes of cake pan would I use/how long would I cook it for? Or should I double it? Or plus 50%? I love your recipes, they never fail! I wanted to make the cake layers into my friend’s three favourite colours for when he comes to visit, I can’t wait for him to see!
Hi Primavera, you can use our red velvet cupcakes batter instead. It makes the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake.
I loved this Recipe So Much!
I used this recipe for a wedding this weekend and it was delightful! Thank you!
Hi! I was wondering how much batter this recipe makes? I want to incorporate it into your checkerboard cake and didn’t know if I should have the recipe or use 2/3rds of it? Thank you!
Hi Dani, This cake recipe yields roughly 8-9 cups of batter.
I love all your cakes Sally! I am making the red velvet cake for my son’s cake cutting for his wedding. Can
this be cooked in 2 – 8” round pans. What would the cook time be? I’ve always made this cake in 9” pans. On my practice run, it sunk slightly and did not turn red. Many thanks for the wonderful recipes!!
Hi Heather, We recommend 2 9-inch cake pans OR 3 8-inch cake pans. The cakes will be very thick using two 8 inch cake pans and may not bake evenly– or may even overflow.
The best red velvet cake recipe ever! For the first time, I am reading about the what goes into red velvet cake to create that unique flavor and it makes so much sense! The importance of the key ingredients and the key steps are driven home with such lucidity and clarity. I baked this cake for my daughter’s 21st birthday and it was a screaming hit.
I made this recipe late last night, and after letting it cool realized the middles completely sank. 🙁 My toothpick came out clean, so I thought the cakes were good to go…I was wrong. I tried to see what I could do with them this morning and I ended up being able to still use one layer, and I crumbled up some of the other and put it on top to fill in the look of the sunk middle. Even though it didn’t come out as planned, the cake itself was unbelievable. Like no other cake I’ve made before. The texture was crumby, but it was a bit chewy on the outside and incredibly moist. I’ll be making this again for sure with a few considerations. I live in Denver so I may have needed to adjust the recipe for high altitude, but I’ll try leaving it for an extra few minutes before I try to tweak anything. It is also possible that I over beat the egg whites… Either way, everything ended up alright in the end and it was SO DELICIOUS that I didn’t care about it not being perfect!
Is the frosting recipe supposed to say 600 grams? For example your vanilla buttercream recipe says 4-5 cups or 480-600g, meaning 120g per cup, so 5 cups is 600g, not 500g. Is that just a typo? A little disturbing to me because I always weigh my ingredients and that’s quite a bit off!
Hi Rey, yes, that’s a typo, thank you for pointing it out!
Hi Sally, I absolutely love this recipe (even though I miserably failed at baking it properly due to oven issues, but the sides baked really nicely and it was super tender and silk-like!)
I have a general question, which measurements are more accurate on your recipes? Grams/ml or cups/spoons?
2tbsp of cocoa powder is most definitely measuring way more than 10g, more around 16-18g.
I would very much appreciate if you could clarify that.
Thank you!
Hi Alice! Weight measurements will always be the most accurate. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients if you’re interested!
Hi, just a tip for anyone not able to get block cream cheese ( we don’t have it in Ireland either). Use Philadelphia full fat tub cream cheese, but beat the butter and powdered sugar together first for about five minutes, whip the cheese separately and then whip together. It will combine beautifully together and you can use as instructed in the recipe here. It’s stable in the fridge for a few days as well,enjoy!
I’m so sorry to leave a bad review!! But the recipe is pretty labor intensive, and the end result is a dry cake. I followed instructions carefully. I think the problem is that the recipe needs less butter and more oil.
If I make this and frost the night before, should I refrigerate it or leave it at room temp? Thanks
Hi Christina, we’d pop it in the refrigerator to be safe!
It is great!
Love the blog! Need some advice. This is the second recipe I’ve made that calls for the egg whites to be separated and whipped and then folded in (the other one was your strawberry cupcakes!) and with both of them I’ve had the same problem where the whites don’t seem to incorporate into the rest of the batter and I’m left with sponges speckled with egg whites; it looks almost like curdled batter but they’re cooked sponges. I whipped/beat until the whites were giving me stiff peaks, I folded them in until I thought it was well incorporated but I was worried about deflating all of that air being added by the separately whipped whites. All of my ingredients were at room temp. What am I doing wrong? The strawberry cupcakes were still delicious and a big hit for my son’s first birthday party and I’m sure this red velvet will also be delicious but just curious why the egg whites are acting like this.
Hi Rebecca, I missed your question last month! It was hiding under several others, my apologies. You may be over-whipping the egg whites. Whisk/beat until they’re fluffy and have volume, they don’t really need to hold stiff peaks. They’ll be easier to fold this way.
can I use the same amount of ingredients to make a 6in cake or should I half the receipe – looking for only 2 layers
Hi Marion, you can use our red velvet cupcakes batter instead. It makes the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake. You can fill your pans half way for 2 layers, and then use the leftover batter for a few cupcakes on the side.
When making this for your tiered wedding cake do I need to do anything different to keep the frosting from bulging out the sides?
Using the 9” recipe for the base as well.
Hi Rey, this cake would work well for our homemade wedding cake. Be sure to support the cake with dowels and cake rounds as outlined in that post. Hope it’s a hit!
Love this cake, but it turned out so big! It was so fluffy that it ballooned up over my 9-inch cake pan rim while baking and now has a kind of crispy lip around the sides. Any recommendations? Leave out some of the batter? Bigger pans? I’m going to trim the layers down for this go round, but what can I do differently next time?
Hi Kira, was the batter divided evenly between the two pans? Be sure they’re not filled more than half way, otherwise the batter can rise up and overflow. For next time, you can divide them up evenly among three pans for thinner layers. Hope you enjoy the cake!
What can I substitute the oil for? Thank you!
Hi Holly, we don’t recommend any substitutions for the oil. The combination of oil and butter helps create a supremely moist cake. Using all butter would make it quite dry. Hope you enjoy this cake!
You should be able to use no-sugar-added apple sauce to replace the oil!
Hello ..I made the Red Velvet cake recipe and I must say that the cake was super moist and delicious. But unfortunately the ream cheese frosting came very runny and I could not dry it up.
Any suggestions what I did wrong please?
Hi Miriam, Any chance you are outside of the US? For cream cheese frosting you need full fat block style cream cheese which we have heard from other readers is different than the cream cheese spread sold outside of the states. Some non US readers have used mascarpone in its place.
Hi Sally! I have a bottle of LorAnn’s Red Velvet Emulsion. Would using this work for your recipe? Thanks!
Hi Jessica! We don’t have any experience baking with that particular ingredient, but don’t see why you couldn’t use it instead of red food coloring. Let us know if you try it!
What is the best brand of cake flour to use? I have tried Swans and was not impressed with it. Love all your recipes.
Hi Mary, we like to use Swans Down or King Arthur brands.
Delicious but not what I was expecting. I prefer a rich, moist and dense red velvet cake. This recipe I feel is much more light and subtle in flavor. The frosting is perfect but I would prefer a red velvet cake that is much more moist and dense in flavor. A bakery near us makes a red velvet cake that is my favorite and it has mini chocolate chips in it!
Hi Sally I just realized I’m out of vegetable oil and I’m wondering if I can use coconut oil instead? Thanks!
Hi Leah, melted coconut oil should work in a pinch—the taste will obviously be a bit different. Enjoy!
This cake is delicious. It came out moist and flavorful. The frosting was amazing too.
My stepson requests a red velvet cake every year for his birthday and I always attempt to make one, but it usually is dry and not worth serving so I toss and bake from a box ( ) It’s been a big family joke around here. (all in fun of course) BUT this recipe, I followed closely and read all the tips and finally got it right! It was amazing in appearance and taste! Thanks for all the extra tips. I’m not a red velvet fan, but this cake is good! My husband even said he may like it better than my German Chocolate!
This recipe is amazing, the cake a tender and fluffy and not greasy which is what I find with some red velvet recipies. The cake isn’t overly sweet and the icing is the perfect to pair with this cake. I am a experieced baker and this is a well balanced recipe
Is single cream a good alternative to buttermilk?
Hi Hasina! You need something with acidity, like buttermilk. See recipe notes for details on making your own if none is available. Happy baking!
Hi, Sally, this is my ‘go to’ recipe for red velvet cake but I like to make two or three cakes at a time and freeze until I need them. Can you advise me about doubling / tripling the ingredients? The last time I did this the cake seemed to be a bit more oily than usual.
Many thanks, Sue
Hi Sue, for best results, we always recommend making separate batches for cakes rather than doubling, tripling, etc. The added volume can make it easier to over or under mix the batter, leading to different results. So glad this recipe is a favorite for you!