Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet but not overly so with that tang from the cream cheese.
Texture: This is definitely the most MOIST red velvet cake I’ve ever tasted.
Ease: You are going to dirty dishes to get this cake made, but it is definitely worth it – especially if you or your family are red velvet lovers.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Super moist cake with an unbelievable frosting. My go-to recipe for red velvet cake.
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I’m very excited to share this recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting with you today, but first, I have something to say that may shock you…
I’m not a huge fan of red velvet.
I know it’s tremendously popular. But most red velvet type desserts that I’ve tasted have always been bland, dry, or sickeningly sweet. Plus, there can never be enough chocolate in my book so the tease of cocoa in red velvet cake kind of angers me if I’m being honest!
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I’m happy to say I created a fabulous recipe that even I enjoy eating. This doesn’t mean I plan on giving up my chocolate cake anytime soon, but now I have a go-to red velvet cake recipe.
This cake is absolutely perfect for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, Christmas, or any time the red velvet flavor craving strikes. I wanted to make this recipe super easy, so you don’t need any cake flour!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
What is Red Velvet Cake? Is Red Velvet Cake Just a Chocolate Cake with Red Food Coloring?
Red Velvet Cake is a popular dish in the Southern United States. Although traditional recipes vary from modern ones, it’s now typically made with a small amount of cocoa powder, buttermilk, vinegar, and red food coloring as staple ingredients. Its name references both its color as well as its soft, velvety smooth texture. It’s not really a chocolate cake, but simply has a hint of chocolate flavor.
Tessa’s Tip: Use Room Temperature Ingredients!
With the exception of the hot coffee / hot water, you really want to make sure your eggs and buttermilk are brought completely to room temperature. This will help to form a uniform and cohesive batter and cake.
Why Use Hot Coffee or Hot Water in a Cake Recipe?
Just like in my Best Chocolate Cake recipe, this Red Velvet Cake uses hot coffee as a staple ingredient. If you don’t have coffee, you can just use hot water. The coffee does help to enhance that hint of chocolate flavor, and the heat of the liquid helps to ‘bloom’ the cocoa, bringing out its full flavor.
What if I Don’t Have Buttermilk?
Buttermilk works best in this recipe to provide a rich and tender cake. It is traditional (along with the vinegar too!). You can learn more about the science of buttermilk in my Buttermilk 101 article here. I would not recommend using a buttermilk substitute. If you must, use whole milk instead but note the cake’s final taste and texture will be different.
What Kind of Food Coloring is Best for Red Velvet Cake?
I would highly recommend using gel food coloring for red velvet cake and not liquid or ‘natural’ food coloring (I did a whole experiment with natural food coloring – check it out here!). You’ll need at least 3 teaspoons, possibly more depending on the brand, so don’t buy just one small bottle (0.75 oz). Opt for a larger bottle or buy two smaller ones. I like Americolor or Chefmaster gel food coloring.
Overview Instructions of How to Make Red Velvet Cake:
Make the Red Velvet Cake Batter:
- Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment rounds, spraying parchment and sides of pans generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the hot coffee and cocoa powder, setting aside for 5 minutes. Whisk in a separate medium bowl the dry ingredients of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, and melted butter. Add in eggs and egg yolk, whisking until well combined. Add buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring, and whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the vinegar and coffee mixture. Sift the flour mixture in thirds into the wet ingredients, folding until incorporated.
- Pour the batter evenly between your prepared pans. Tap the bottoms against the counter several times.
- Bake at 325°F for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Place the cake pans on a cooling rack. Once cool to the touch, run a thin knife around the edges to loosen the cake, and invert onto the cooling racks. Cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Icing:
- Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light, creamy, and smooth.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure no clumps remain.
- Add vanilla and beat until combined.
- Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar on low speed and beat until the buttercream frosting is fluffy.
Assemble:
- Lay one of the cake layers flat-side up on a cake plate or pedestal.
- Use about a third of the frosting to fill the bottom cake layer, then top with the second cake layer and repeat. Place the final cake layer flat-side up. Use the rest of the frosting to ice the sides and top of the cake, using an offset spatula to smooth the icing.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve!
What Kind of Baking Pans to Use for Red Velvet Cake?
Use three 8-inch cake pans for this recipe. My favorite brand of cake pan is Fat Daddio’s, they bake evenly and wash up easily. Don’t use darkly coated nonstick cake pans or you may end up with dry or overbaked cake edges.
Can I Use 9-inch Cake Pans Instead?
Although this recipe was specifically designed for 8-inch cake pans, you may be able to bake in two 9-inch cake pans. Fill each 3/4 full and increase the baking time by about 5 to 10 minutes because there will be more batter in each pan.
How to Prevent Red Velvet Cake from Sticking
Be sure to line each cake pan with parchment rounds. I like these ones which have tabs to easily pull out the baked cake layers. Spray the sides of the pans and the parchment generously with nonstick cooking spray.
What Kind of Frosting is Best with Red Velvet Cake?
Cream Cheese Frosting is the classic choice for red velvet cake! Its tangy flavor complements the sweetness of the cake layers. If you’d prefer something more sturdy or want to make special cake decorations, opt for my Best Buttercream Frosting instead.
Tessa’s Favorite Tools for Layer Cakes:
Can I Make Red Velvet Cupcakes Instead?
I actually have a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe here! It’s the same base recipe as this Red Velvet Cake, but with a few tiny tweaks to result in perfect cupcakes.
How to Make Cake Ahead of Time & How to Freeze Red Velvet Cake
You can wrap unfrosted un-cut cooled cake layers completely in several layers of plastic wrap. Place inside a freezer bag or airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge (do not thaw at room temperature or you will end up with mushy cake).
How to Store Homemade Red Velvet Cake
Cover with a cake keeper and store at room temperature for up to 6 hours, then refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Red Velvet Cake
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup of plain hot coffee or boiling water
- 1/4 cup (21 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 cups (279 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (109 grams) fresh vegetable oil
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons red gel food coloring, plus more if needed*
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 16 ounces (454 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups (500 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds and spray parchment and sides of pans generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk the hot coffee and cocoa powder. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, and melted butter. Add in the eggs and yolk and whisk for twenty seconds, or until very well combined. Add in the buttermilk, vanilla and food coloring and whisk to combine. Whisk in the vinegar and coffee mixture. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour mixture into the batter in three additions, whisking until each addition is incorporated.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans. Tap the bottoms of the pans against the counter several times to release any air bubbles.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. It’s normal for the cake to look slightly spongy on top. Place the cake pans on cooling racks. When the pans are cool enough to touch, run a thin knife around the edges of the pans to loosen the cakes. Invert onto the wire racks. Let cool completely.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure no clumps remain. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined. On low speed, gradually add in the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add a splash of milk or cream. If it’s too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar.
To assemble:
- Lay one cake layer flat-side up on a cake plate or pedestal. Tuck in strips of baking paper under the cake edges to keep the plate clean.
- Use about a third of the frosting to fill the bottom cake layer, then top with the second cake layer and repeat. Place the final cake layer flat-side up. Use the rest of the frosting to ice the whole cake. Serve.
- The cake can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2022 with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hi, I’m planning to bake this cake for my partner’s birthday but I wont have time to make it on the day of. So I was planning to make all the things the night before to save time. I was wondering how I should store the cake and if I should store is separately from the frosting or with?
Thank you.
Hi Nicole! You can definitely prep ahead, and there are two great options.
First, if you’d prefer to frost the cake on the day of your partner’s birthday, you can bake the cake layers up to 4 days in advance and store them at room temperature in an airtight container or freezer bag. You can also make the cream cheese frosting ahead of time—just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, then let it come to room temperature and rewhip before using.
The second option is to fully assemble the cake the day before. This cake actually tastes even better after resting! It keeps beautifully for up to 3 days in the fridge. Just be sure to store it in a cake keeper or airtight container. You can serve it chilled (if you enjoy that texture) or let it come to room temperature before serving.
I hope your partner has the happiest birthday and loves the cake! Let us know how it goes 🙂
hi, this looks like a lovely recipe. I’ve been asked to make. a cake for 30 people and was wondering whether you think it would be safe to use this recipe- if it was stackable. if so, how tall are these cakes so I can work out how much batter I need to make. Thank you
Hi Thea! I’d absolutely recommend this cake recipe—it’s been a huge hit with our readers! Each cake layer is a little over 1 inch thick (not including the frosting). The cake layers are light and moist, so while they hold up well to the cream cheese frosting, I wouldn’t recommend stacking more than three layers like the recipe suggests. To serve more people, I’d recommend making two separate cakes instead. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions, and let us know how your cakes turns out!
This cake is one of my most requested. Perfect every time. It is a tender cake. I would not go bigger than 3 layers. Make 2 cakes and cut the cakes like you would a cake at a wedding. It will serve lots of people and they will not be disappointed!
Thank you for the reply, I highly doubt all the people I am baking this for will eat it so will probably just stick with one three layer version. But, reading the comments people are saying the layers turn out quite thin- do you think it’s safe to maybe double or x1.5 the recipe and then divide into three layers, just so they are thicker? I hope this makes sense, and thanks again!
Honestly, we think the balance between the thinner cake layers and frosting—just as written—is absolute perfection! That said, you’re welcome to try scaling the recipe to 1.5x, but we wouldn’t recommend doubling it unless you plan to bake two separate cakes. If it helps, check out the video just above the Recipe Notes section to get a better view of the layer thickness.
So I messed up on this cake a lot, totally my fault. All 3 cakes got stuck to the cake pans even though I sprayed the cake pans with olive oil they still stuck. So like half or most of the cake layers survived where like the bottoms of it stuck to the pans. I forgot to do what I did before is putting parchment paper on them in the shape of the cake pans. I used cream cheese frosting from the store to cover it in frosting. I originally was going to make buttercream frosting. This was supposed to be a Resurrection Cake for Easter but that’s not going to happen. I might try this recipe another time or I’ll use another one to make a nicer cake. I did try the crumbs of the cake it is very moist and it is good.
Hello dear Tessa,
Thank you very much for the recipe!
Just made it for my son and it is as you promised the most delicious cake I have ever tried of this kind.
Have a lovely Easter and wishing you every success!
Kindest regards,
Elena.
awesome i’m not able to bake but it did help for something :]
This recipe is great!! My cake was moist and flavorful. I recently had red velvet cake from an upscale chain store. I have to say- thanks to this amazing recipe- my cake was better than the one I bought. I reduced the amount of sugar in the frosting- I think I let the butter and cream cheese get too soft. My frosting tasted great but my layers were sliding around. I’m making it again today. I’m going to try having the butter and cream cheese a bit firmer. I am also going to try mixing the sugar and butter first, then add the cream cheese. My first attempt with this recipe was a few weeks ago. The taste of the entire cake was great! It just wasn’t my prettiest cake. Luckily my family said they don’t care what it looks like as long as it tasted good. Im hoping for a delicious and pretty cake this time!!!
27/03/2025 I got asked to make a red velvet cake for my friends birthday and I was like OMG I’ve never tasted one let alone made one before. So looked up some recipes on Pinterest the were some different ways and ingredients in them but then I found this one and oh my goodness I’m so glad I did. I did have a problem with the cream cheese frosting being too runny but I think that was my fault over mixing but in he end it all came out good. I took it to my friend and he was over the moon and said that’s how a red velvet cake should taste it was absolutely delicious supper moist with a slight crumb and the frosting was to die for. I’ll definitely be making this again it’s a keeper thank you for sharing yours recipe
how much sugar can I remove without ruining the consistency of this cake? excited to make this!