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
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This post was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2022 with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
This turned out perfect. I did cut the cinnamon in half but otherwise followed exactly as directed. It is a little bit of labor but at the end is so worth it. Thank you so much for the tips, they help tremendously for someone like me who doesn’t do much baking.
Hi! Can i use alkalized cocoa powder for this recipe? thanks!
Hi Chris! We recommend using natural cocoa powder for this recipe as Dutch-process cocoa powder doesn’t react to baking soda. Learn more about the difference between the two cocoa powders here. I hope that helps! Can’t wait for you to give this recipe a try, it’s a favorite of mine! 🙂
I rarely leave comments on recipes and when I do, they are usually the best stuff I have tried. And this… oh my lordd. The cake is so..so..SOOOO MOIST! Oh my god. I have tried many red velvet recipes and this one takes the cake (no pun intented) seriously i have given up looking for the best red velvet recipe until i found yours. Thank you so much!! Xx
I didn’t have unsalted butter on hand so i used salted butter compound and still added the salt (i used iodized salt) followed the recipe to a T and didn’t have any issues.
Thrilled to hear this, Chris!!
For the food coloring, can you use Lorann brand? Thank you.
Hi Kristina! We haven’t tried this cake using that brand of food coloring, but just check your bottles to ensure they’re gel food coloring, and not liquid. The liquid style isn’t as concentrated and you’ll need a lot more to color your cake, which will alter the consistency of the cake. Check out more info on this (as well as links to Tessa’s recommended brands) in the pink tip box, above the recipe 🙂
when making the coffee, is it just a tsp of coffee granules and hot water added or more coffee?
Hi Crystal! The answer to your question will depend on the type of instant coffee or espresso you’re using – the package should direct you on this. You can just make the coffee as you normally would to drink and just use 1/2 cup total for the recipe. The hot coffee and cocoa powder will be mixed and allowed to sit to bloom for 5 minutes, before continuing with the recipe. Be sure to read the directions for the recipe before starting, and check out the pink tip box above the recipe for more info! Happy baking 🙂
I made this cake and converted another batch into 35 cupcakes for my son’s birthday party. This recipe is perfect! The cream cheese frosting is delicious with the right sweetness, and the cake sponge is soft and light. Wonderful! This will always be my go-to recipe for red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting! Highly recommend!
Could I make this in a regular cake pan?
Hi Ann! I’m not sure what you mean exactly by ‘regular cake pan’ – do you mean a sheet pan? Other readers have successfully made this recipe in a 9×13-inch pan, but we have not tested this ourselves. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try!
I should have been more specific. Yes a 9 x 13 pan. I made this cake for our daughter-in-law’s birthday and it was spectacular. Tender and delicious. Everyone loved it. Yours is the only recipe I will use for red velvet cake from now on!
So glad to hear that, Ann! 🙂
Has anyone tried making this as a Bundt cake?
Hi Will! Perhaps one of our other readers has tried this, but we have not tested this recipe in a bundt pan, so we cannot say for sure how that would work. Let us know if you give this a try 🙂
The cake was delicious! thank you for sharing this but I have a question why my cake layers aren’t that thick like what I’ve seen in the pictures, I used the same and exact measurements and 8 inch pan but it turns out into thin layers.
Hi there! I’m glad to hear that your cake was delicious! Thin cake layers are likely either due to something being mismeasured or substituted, or inactive leavening agent. How old are your leavening agents? If your baking soda/powder are not fresh, they won’t do their jobs and your baked goods can not rise properly, fall after baking, and much more. Tessa talks about the science behind leavening agents, and how to test for leavener freshness, in this article here! I hope this helps! Happy baking!
hi, i’ve nvr asked Q’s on cooking pages like this. hopefully you can help me & others. I’m making this for a friend for his birthday with cheesecake layers. I only have 2x 9in round pans. how long do you recommend baking? I’ve had it cooking for 30mins and they’re still very very wet in middle I honestly worry about over cooking the whole thing. oof
Hi Allicia! We list instructions on how to make this cake in 9-inch pans in the pink tip box above the recipe, I hope you noticed that before your cakes were finished baking! You’ll need to increase the baking time by about 5-10 minutes, so about 40 minutes in total, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. How did your cake turn out?
Delicious, moist cake perfectly complimented by the cream cheese frosting. Most recently we made this as cupcakes following the guidance in the blog post, worked out beautifully. Will definitely make this recipe again (many times I suspect)!
I have someone that has requested a red velvet sheet cake, I was wondering if I can cook this in a 9×13 pan?
Thanks
Shea
Hi Shea! Other readers have successfully made this recipe in a 9×13-inch pan, but as we have not tested this ourselves, we cannot say exactly how long this will take to bake. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try 🙂
delisioso!!! 5 Star for sure. Followed to a T, and turned out perfect. Thanks for your recipe!
Hi, can the recipe be converted to cupcakes as well? If so, at waht temperature and time shod they be baked? Thanks!
Hi Lou! Yes, these can be made into cupcakes! Check out the the pink tip box, above the recipe, for all the info 🙂