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!
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, or any time the red velvet flavor craving strikes.
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
What is Red Velvet Cake?
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.
Best Red Velvet Cake Baking 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. 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 of how to make Red Velvet Cake:
Make the red velvet cake batter:
- Prepare three 8-inch 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 mixing bowl the dry ingredients of 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 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 batter 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 cooling racks. 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, 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 sugar on low speed and beat until the buttercream frosting is fluffy.
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 cake pan 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 instead.
Favorite Tools for Layer Cakes:
Can I Make Red Velvet Cupcakes Instead?
Although this recipe was developed for cake layers, you can turn it into cupcakes in a pinch. Divide the batter among about 24 cupcake cavities, filling each 3/4 full, and bake for 17 to 20 minutes.
How to Make Cake Ahead of Time:
You can wrap unfrosted un-cut cooled cake layers completely in several layers of plastic wrap. Place inside a freezer bag. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge (do not defrost at room temperature or you will end up with mushy cake).
How to Store Homemade Red Velvet Cake Recipe:
Cover with a cake keeper and store at room temperature for up to 6 hours, then refrigerate for up to 3 days.
This recipe was the February 2022 selection for our monthly baking challenge! Every month you can join the challenge by baking the recipe and snapping a photo for a chance to win prizes! Full challenge details here. Check out everyone’s cakes (and cupcakes!):
The cake and the frosting came out amazing!!
Amazing! So moist and tender. Just delicious.
This red velvet cake is THE BEST. It’s so tender and moist, exactly what I’ve been looking for. I will be using this recipe from now on.
Yay! So happy you loved this recipe! 🙂
Moist cake, I made it into cupcakes. Not being a true southerner, I don’t fully appreciate red velvet cakes. I hesitate to add so much food coloring and the chocolate flavor is subtle. I hear that’s the way its supposed to be. But I got no complaints from the people who sampled them!
What is the best cinnamon to use for this. I used Vietnamese cinnamon. I know some varieties are more forward than others.
Hi Trish! While any cinnamon will do, I used King Arthur Baking’s Vietnamese Cinnamon in this recipe as well, it’s my go-to for baking! Feel free to use what you have 🙂
Love the ease of this recipe…I think it’s delicious. Thanks!
Super great results from using this recipe!! Love it!
Great!
This was my first red velvet cake. Great flavor, light texture. I used the recommended red gel food coloring and the color is perfect. Definitely a keeper.
Can I use instant expresso powder instead of coffee? If so, how much? Thank you
Hi there! While we haven’t tried espresso powder, other readers have! They used 1-2 teaspoons and added it to the 1/2 cup of hot water. You can also omit the coffee completely and just use hot water if you’d prefer 🙂
I just made the cake into mini cupcakes. This is a fantastic recipe. The cake part is light, moist and full of flavor. The frosting is smooth and creamy. I’m throwing out all of my other red velvet cupcake recipe because this is my one and only red velvet cake recipe, just like it is with Tessa’s chocolate cake/ cupcake recipe.
I’m so glad you loved them! 🙂
Have used Espresso powder each time I made this, myself. My jar of espresso powder says to add 3/4 tsp to 6oz water. Since this recipe is a half cup of coffee, I just go to 1/2 tsp in 4 oz and it has worked great!
Such a delicious cake! My family loved the cream cheese frosting and how it reminded them of carrot cake. This was the first red velvet cake I made form scratch, and I’m so glad I used this recipe.
I’ve never been a big fan of red velvet but I really enjoyed this cake. Just the right amount of chocolatey richness and tangy brightness from the cream cheese frosting.
It was quick to put together (I did it all in one morning), had great flavour, and the recipe was super clear and easy to follow. Would definitely recommend making this cake even if you aren’t a huge red velvet fan, it’s scrumptious!
So happy to hear that, Emma!
I only have 9″ pans. Should I decrease cooking time or increase ingredients?
Hi Sam! Check out the pink tip box above the recipe for more details 🙂
It was so moist and tasty! Thanks for a great recipe.
This is the first from-scratch red velvet recipe I’ve tried and I love it! The cake is perfectly moist and delicious!
Yay! So happy to hear how much you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for trying our recipe!
Hi there!
I made this red velvet cake and it tastes divine! I did however notice that my cake came out of the oven with small holes all over it. Is it because I didn’t whisk enough or I didn’t tap the pan more times against onto the counter?
Could the recipe be made with a hand or stand mixer rather than a hand whisk? Thank you for your help 🙂
Hi Leah! Are you baking at high altitude? I don’t live at high altitude, but when testing this recipe, my first cake had small holes all over the top, though it didn’t affect the taste or texture at all. Our photographer living in Colorado at high altitude experienced the same. We ended up reducing the baking powder to what is shown in the recipe, which helped. You could try reducing the baking soda to 1/2 tsp as well to see if that helps, but only if you bake at high altitude. If that’s not the case, I’d just make sure that you’re distributing the leavener/flour mixture evenly, but also not overmixing the flour mixture when added. You want to mix until just combined. Tapping the pan on the counter just a few times should be enough, though if you see more bubbles, feel free to tap a bit more 🙂
As for the mixer, this recipe’s leavening doesn’t require the amount of air bubbles that an electric mixer would help to create in the batter. I’d stick with a hand mixer. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions.
This was a great cake but the icing was next level!
This was the best red velvet cake I’ve ever eaten!
I did not even want to share it with anyone. Thanks Tessa 🙂
haha YAY!! So happy you loved this recipe!
The best red velvet cake I have ever tried! So good.
Beautiful moist cake, fluffy and delish! Made into mini cupcakes wuth the cream cheese frosting, sublime
After adding the buttermilk and food coloring, it seemed like the batter needed a whole lot more “whisking” than necessary in order to dissolve and distribute the coloring. Would this have a negative effect on the batter, like whipping in too much air? Should, or could, the food coloring be dissolved first, like stirring it into the coffee, before adding it to the batter?
Hi Michael! No, you’ll want to add the buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring in and whisk until completely combined. The most important step in a cake if you’re worried about overmixing is when dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients. We haven’t tried tried dissolving the food coloring first, but you’re welcome to experiment! Let us know how it goes it you do.
Easy to make. It comes out moist and yummy. There is enough batter for all tree layers but I chose to make cupcakes so that I could freeze some. I made a second batch with King Arthur gluten free flour and they were awesome too! The frosting is soft when just made but a few minutes in the fridge stiffens it nicely. Would make again.
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that your substitution worked perfectly!
This is delicious, and looks impressive when complete! My layers collapsed in the oven though, and I’m thinking I should have made my usual altitude adjustments: Add flour and liquid, reduce sugar and leavening (which seems counter-intuitive).
Interesting! Our photographer who lives in Colorado experienced issues when making this cake, and we adjusted this recipe based on her feedback as neither Tessa or I bake at high altitude. Feel free to reduce the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon to see if that helps. Let us know how it goes if you give this recipe another try!
This was amazing, I made the cake and frosting, but made it into a red velvet banana pudding (like from magnolia bakery) and it turned out tasting amazing, the red velvet cake was the perfect flavor, though I only added 3 cups to the powdered sugar.
Oooo great idea! That sounds incredible!
Oh my goodness! This is an amazing cake! So moist and tender. I really love the addition of the cinnamon!
Such a moist cake. As always great directions..
This recipe makes delicious cupcakes!
This was my first time making a red velvet cake. As always, the recipe was easy to follow. I made cupcakes and mini cupcakes instead of a cake and they turned out so moist.
Not my favorite red velvet cake. I like a richer, sweeter flavor.
Good recipe. It comes together quickly. It is a more dense cake because being made with AP flour. I’ll try my hand with cake flour to get a more light crumb. So, I’ll need to adjust other ingredients.
Thanks for your feedback, Julie! This cake should actually have a very light, almost sponge-like texture to it. It should not be dense at all. Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients?
Yes I did use a digital scale to weigh ingredients. I also weighed each cake pan to make sure all had equal amounts of batter. Maybe it’s because I used King Arthur AP flour and not Gold?
hmmm…I normally use King Arthur AP flour when testing our recipes before they’re published; however, my local grocery store was sold out, so I tested using Gold Medal unbleached AP, which is what Tessa always uses. I’ve personally not had issues in the past using King Arthur flour in cakes. I’d make sure all of your ingredients are completely at room temperature, that you’re not overmixing your ingredients, and also make sure that your leaveners are still fresh (more details HERE). I’d also start checking your cake a bit sooner in the oven, around 20 minutes, just to make sure your caking isn’t overbaking. Please let me know if you give this recipe another try, I really hope it was just a small error that’s fixed in your next bake!
I’ll definitely make cake again, it has a great flavor!! I will also make my go to recipe and compare the two. I do make sure ingredients are all at room temp and careful not to overmix, but perhaps I did when adding flour in 3 additions. I homeschool my kids so baking is science, math and home ec, so teaching right method is key.
Hello mam.. I tried ur chocolate cake… It’s so classy…
Will try this red velvet very soon…. Can i make this recipe in half… By dividing the ingredients by half… Pls suggest
Hi there! While we haven’t tried it, other readers have successfully halved the recipe by dividing the ingredients in half. To measure half of an egg yolk, use 1 tablespoon or 1/2 ounce. I hope that helps!
This recipe is perfect. The red velvet cake is super moist, delicately sweet and just simply delicious.
Yay! So happy to hear how much you loved this recipe 🙂
This is the best red velvet ever! It’s so moist and good. The hint of cinnamon adds a nice touch.
LOVE this recipe! It’s so easy to follow and everyone loved the outcome. Will definitely make again especially when everyone is requesting it! Thank you 🙂
So happy your cake was such a hit! Thanks so much for the comment!
So delicious. The perfect cake texture and flavor. Huge hit with my family and neighbors.
Hi! I was wondering if this recipe can be made in cupcake form?
Yes! We include details on how to make these as cupcakes in the pink tip box above the recipe 🙂 Let us know what you think when you give them a try!
Super yummy and moist! I made as jumbo cupcakes and omitted the cinnamon. They are definitely a hit in the house!
Sounds delicious, Ashlee!
Love it thanks…
Love red velvet cake! This recipe is great.
I am not a big Red Velvet fan but this cake was amazing. Not to complicated to make and per usual Tessa’s recipe was easy to follow. Will definitely make again!
This cake is so moist and has the perfect texture! Will definitely make again.
This recipe was the first Red Velvet Cake I’ve ever made. It was so easy and the directions were simple to follow. The cake is so moist. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness!! I’m so glad I tried ! It will for sure be my go to recipe from now on.!
That’s so great to hear, Shea! Yay!
Delicious
What a beautiful cake! The cream cheese frosting is amazing! Best red velvet cake I’ve ever had! Thank you for the detailed instructions and photos.
So happy you loved it!
LOVED this recipe! This was my first time making a cake from scratch! Super easy to use recipe, moist cake, I was pleased!
I just wish the ads didn’t make me lose my spot every 1-2 minutes.
I’m so glad you loved this recipe and that it was easy to follow! I’m very sorry that you had issues with the ads, thanks for your feedback, it’s something we’re working on! Was there a specific area of the recipe or recipe page you noticed that was worse for you in regards to the ads?
I have this issue as well. In fact, the whole page is so resource-intensive that I usually get MANY halts from the browser asking if I should wait or quit! I’m sure it is the continuously changing ads, like a digital billboard.
The worst are the ones where the aspect ratio of the ad frame also changes, which rearranges the entire page. This is probably what Kassi is finding.
When this does become a significant problem for me, I click the Print Recipe button – if there is one. This reformats the recipe without ads, and it is not necessary to actually send it to the printer.
Thanks for your feedback, Michael!
So moist and tender and delicious! The BEST!!!
Easy recipe! Tastiest red velvet cake I’ve had and was a crowd pleaser at dinner with friends. I will definitely be making again!!
Delicious and moist! The cake was pretty easy to assemble and you can’t go wrong with cream cheese frosting!
Made this today and my cake was really wet. Impossible to frost had to throw it out. Any suggestions..follow recipe to the T.
I’m sorry to hear you experienced issues when making your cake, Nan! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Or did you substitute any ingredients? It sounds like either too much or too little of an ingredient was added. How long did you bake your cake for?
Made this tonight and it is delicious!
Can I half thos recepie? If so can I expect the same results? And also If I do which pans should I use?
Hi Sai! We haven’t testing halving this recipe, but it should be fine! Another reader halved the recipe and baked hers as 2 6-inch cakes. She then halved the cake layers, using one half for crumbles (to top the frosted cake with), and the other three layers to make a 3 layer 6-inch cake. I hope that makes sense! Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
I have never been a fan of red velvet cake but this recipe definitely changed my mind. It is so moist, perfect amount of chocolate flavor and pairs wonderfully with the cream cheese frosting.
Wonderful! So happy to hear this 🙂
I have to admit, I usually hate red velvet, but I decided to try this since it was the monthly baking challenge. I made it into cupcakes and added extra powdered sugar to make the frosting easier to swirl on top. This recipe is sooo good and convinced me and my husband to love red velvet. Definitely follow Tessa’s tips on the food coloring type/brand so you have a delicious result and not the typical gross aftertaste from red dye. I’ll never eat any other red velvet and will continue using the recommended red gel in the future.
So great to hear this, Rae! I was never a fan either until I tried this recipe! Glad Tessa’s tips helped 🙂
first time ever making a red velvet cake and it was so good!
can I make my our buttermilk?
Hi Olivia! Tessa actually talks about this in the pink tip box above the recipe 🙂
I have found two different versions of this cake on the website. One has 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1/2 cup melted butter and one has 1 cup of vegetable oil. Which one are we supposed to be using?
Hi Denise! Our Red Velvet Cake recipe was just updated this past month with improvements to the recipe, which is why you noticed a change in the ingredients and instructions. I’d recommend reading through the text above this recipe to see why Tessa changed what she did, and I would suggest making the updated recipe instead of the previous recipe. I hope that helps!
Excellent! I used the red velvet cake and made heart shapes to put inside vanilla cupcakes
What a cute idea!
Super easy to make and so delicious!
HTH is my go-to for all things baking, So in honor of the Dawgs winning the National Championship, I knew exactly what I wanted to make and this didn’t disappoint. Even my boyfriend who isn’t a big fan of cream cheese icing loves the buttercream version of it.
Wonderful! So happy to hear it was such a hit, glad you were able to try with the buttercream frosting!
So amazing!! The texture is that beautiful crumble you want in a cake and you can’t go wrong with the cream cheese frosting! Can’t wait to make again!
So glad you loved this recipe, Amanda!
Love this cake