Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet but not overly so with that tang from the cream cheese.
Texture: This is definitely the (and I hate to use this word) most MOIST red velvet cake I’ve ever tasted.
Ease: You are going to dirty dishes and spend a couple of hours to get this cake made but it is definitely worth it, especially if you or your family are red velvet lovers.
Appearance: This is what red velvet cake is all about. I’ve experimented and only red gel food coloring gives that intensely red hue.
Pros: Super moist cake with an unbelievable frosting. My go-to recipe for red velvet now.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes, especially for birthdays.
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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!
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!
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.
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 (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 instead.
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 Recipe:
Cover with a cake keeper and store at room temperature for up to 6 hours, then refrigerate for up to 3 days.
More Red Velvet Recipes:
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches
Red Velvet Cake
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.
February Baking Challenge
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! Learn more about my monthly baking challenges here. Check out some of the cakes (and cupcakes!) baked by you guys:
Hi can I make this red velvet cake eggless? What would you use instead of eggs? Thanks so much!
Anne
We don’t bake with egg substitutes, so I can’t say for sure!
HI, Tessa! I made this last night to freeze ahead for Christmas. I used 2- 9 inch pans. I greased and floured the heck out of the pans and used parchment. The layers took about 36 minutes. They were thin and spongy. I turned them onto racks after about 10 min. and running a knife along the edge, and some chunks stuck to both pans. I was so bummed. I notice the crumb is very large and delicate, though, so I’m excited to try it! I did use 2 Tab liquid food coloring. Can you tell me what went wrong? Also I did use a kitchen scale to measure my Ingredients for accuracy. Thank you!
Hi Jackie! Without having baked alongside you, it’s so tough to determine exactly what happened. These cakes aren’t super thick, and especially when using a larger pan, they are bound to be fairly thin cake layers. Unfortunately, the liquid food coloring is not recommended as you need so much of it – and adding so much excess liquid to a recipe will alter its chemistry and impact its ability to rise, its texture, flavor and more. Regarding your sticking issue, I recommend checking out Tessa’s article How to Prevent Bundt Cake from Sticking – it’s specific to bundt cakes, but many of the tips will translate to regular cakes, too. I hope your cake is still delicious, Jackie! Happy holidays 🙂
Thanks so much, Kiersten! I bet the liquid food coloring was the culprit. As I noted, the cake came out with a beautiful fluffy crumb, and I can’t wait to try it with my family on Christmas!
Have a wonderful holiday!!
Hi, Kiersten! I meant to write sooner after the holiday, but things got crazy in Jan! But I wanted to let you know that even though my layers stuck just a bit to the sides of the pan in a couple of spots, this was, hands down, the best red velvet cake I’ve tasted. I’ve made at least 3 different versions before (even one from a famous newspaper!). Even my daughter, who looks forward to the red velvet tradition at Christmas, and is skeptical when I switch recipes, absolutely loved this one. Your cream cheese frosting is perfect, not too sweet, and beautifully complements the cake. The cake was fluffy, moist, and delicate, and the flavor was sublime! Hopefully, I’ll find the correct gel food coloring next time which will prevent the cake from sticking. This will be my go-to red velvet from now on. Thank you so much!
Woohoo! So thrilled to hear that, Jackie! Glad this was such a hit with your family 🙂
Hello my dear… I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for such an amazing recipe… I tried this and I am never going to stop using this recipe. This is by far the most beautiful and delicious red velvet recipe I have ever tried or tasted.
So delicious! I used a red beet powder as sub for the dye, so it wasn’t really red ~ but was amazing anyway ~ both cake and frosting were a hit!
Hello, I’m new to baking and saw your recipe, I would really love to try this! But my oven can only fit one pan at a time, would something happen to the batter while I let the first pan to bake? Also, do I have to change the temperature and baking time if I can only bake one? Thank you so much!
Hi Kim! It’s always recommended to bake cake batter right after making it, because the leavening agents (baking soda especially) start to lose their ‘power’ as they sit, meaning that your second and third cake layers may not rise quite as much, and may not be quite as fluffy. Learn more about Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda here. That being said, if it’s your only option, I’d still give it a try and see how it goes, because this cake is delicious!! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Hey, I managed to squeeze in two and baked it for 40 minutes, but the third one I tried to steam and it took a few more minutes, say 45-55 minutes. It still came out perfectly and the steamed cake don’t differ much except for the exterior look, the taste and texture is pretty much the same! And the cake, mwah! Tastes so good. This is actually my first time trying a red velvet cake and your instructions were easy to follow, thus, resulting to such a good cake! My family loved it! I am so happy to have found your recipe. I have been scrolling through google, YouTube, and Pinterest looking for a good rv cake recipe.
Glad to hear you enjoyed your cake, Kim! 🙂
I have used several different versions of Red Velvet over the years. This one is the tastiest by far, and made it to my favorites. I did not have any white vinegar on hand so I substituted the acid for lemon juice and it turned out great.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I was curious about how thin the batter is supposed to be, and how thick/thin the layers bake. I made this tonight. The batter was very liquidy. It baked just fine, but the layers are thinner than I expected, or maybe thinner than what I’m used to. Maybe about an inch thick. Is that correct? Thank you!
Hi Alana! We hope you enjoyed this cake! This cake batter is definitely on the thinner side, and the layers are not super tall, but once you layer all three with the cream cheese frosting, it should make for a nice-looking layered cake. Check out our video for the cake, so you can compare your cake to Tessa’s! If your layers are thinner, I would recommend checking that your leavening agents are fresh (baking soda and baking powder can lose their effectiveness before their expiration dates – learn more about that here). Also, if you did not use real buttermilk, I would definitely recommend using it next time, for the best flavor, texture, and height. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I’ve made this cake twice and both times they were hits! Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe. The cake is very moist and tastes very comforting. For a taller cake, can I use 3-6 inch tins? Evenly dividing the batter amongst the tins?
Hi Amanda! We haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not! Just know that you’ll either need to reduce or increase the baking time (depending on how thick you make each layer and if you use all of the batter). Let us know how it goes!
Thanks for your response. I divided the batter evenly between 3 six inch tins, baked for 50 mins and it was perfect. Just as moist and delicious as the 2 eight inch tins. Everyone loved it. Thank you again for sharing this delicious recipe.
Moist, delicious, perfect red velvet color. Followed recipe exactly. The only way I will make red velvet cake from now on.
It looks so yummy! I want to try this, too, however, can I use a single pan to bake the cake and then just cut it later on or do I really have to use three pans? Thanks!
Hi Joanna! We haven’t tried that, and I would worry that the greatly extended bake time one pan would require might dry out the top, bottom and sides of the cake before the middle has a chance to cook through. Let us know how it goes if you give that a try, though!
Would love for you to try the traditional red velvet ermine frosting with your cake. Once you do you WILL never go back !
Can you pipe with this frosting?
Hi Nicole! This cream cheese frosting is designed to be silky-smooth and creamy without being too sweet. It will pipe simple designs, but it won’t hold up to intricate designs. If you need to pipe something, you can add an additional 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency – just note that this will result in a sweeter frosting. You can also chill the frosting until it firms up a little more, and then pipe as needed. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I almost gave up on making Red Velvet cakes until trying this recipe….perfectly delicious! Moist, exciting flavor…Ive always found Red Velvet to be a bit underwhelming but the flavor on this was stellar! I used a full small bottle of McCormics liquid food coloring because thats what I had on hand and baked in 2 9” pans for about 45 minutes. Used about 5 cups of powdered sugar to thicken the frosting but that was my only tweak. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.