Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Uniquely balanced with a gentle cocoa backdrop, a hint of tang from the buttermilk and vinegar, and a smooth, buttery sweetness.
Texture: Moist and melt-in-your-mouth soft, with just enough structure to withstand generous layers of frosting.
Ease: The batter comes together in no time!!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: It’s a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser. The red color makes it a great option for holidays like Valentine’s Day, the Fourth of July, or Christmas.
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There’s something utterly irresistible about a classic Red Velvet Cake. It feels celebratory but familiar — decadent but never heavy. The combination of cocoa, vinegar, and buttermilk gives it a truly unique flavor.
This recipe in particular makes a soft, buttery, and moist cake (the trifecta 😉). If you’ve never made red velvet before, this is the perfect place to start. The batter comes together easily, bakes up beautifully, and stays incredibly soft even after frosting!
Do you want to make cupcakes instead of a cake? Check out our Red Velvet Cupcake recipe.
Great recipe, stays moist and delicious, even stood up to me messing up the way its combined. 🙂
I baked this cake for my daughter’s birthday and it was delicious!!!!
Recipe Ingredients
While the ingredient list is on the longer side, don’t let it intimidate you. It’s all easy! Each item plays an important role in creating the cake’s signature flavor and texture. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cream cheese and unsalted butter: Used in the cake and frosting for richness and structure. Make sure both are at room temperature for smooth mixing.
- Dry ingredients: This kitchen-tested combination of flour and leavening agents gives the cake lift and balance. Measure carefully (preferably with a scale) to avoid a dense crumb.
- Sugars: Granulated sugar sweetens and moistens the cake, while powdered sugar helps make the smooth, stable frosting.
- Egg and egg yolk: Adds richness and helps create a tender crumb.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps the cake moist even after chilling (butter is not a good substitute).
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Just enough to give classic red velvet depth without turning it into a chocolate cake.
- Hot coffee (or boiling water): Hot liquid blooms the cocoa, bringing out its full flavor. Water works as a substitute if needed, but coffee is preferred.
- My Best Chocolate Cake is another delicious coffee-infused cake!
- Buttermilk: This helps create the tenderness and flavor. I don’t recommend substituting it, but whole milk can work in a pinch with slightly different results.
- Distilled white vinegar and vanilla extract: This recipe uses small amounts to balance the sweetness and activate the leavening process.
- Red gel food coloring: I recommend using gel food coloring over natural or liquid options. I use the Americolor or Chefmaster brands!
- Ground cinnamon (optional): This adds a subtle warmth and enhances the cocoa without being overpowering.
The Perfect Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting is the go-to for red velvet cake because its tangy flavor complements the cake’s sweetness so well. This is the same frosting I use on my Red Velvet Cookies, and it works just as beautifully on layered cakes.
For something more sturdy or to add more detailed cake decorations, try my Best Buttercream Frosting instead.
Storing & Freezing
- Storing: The cream cheese frosting for this cake will spoil if left out for extended periods. Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 6 hours, then refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: For longer storage, freeze the cake for up to 2 months. Chill until the frosting is firm, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. If freezing the cake whole, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Thaw individual slices in the fridge or at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Make-ahead: To prepare in advance, wrap the uncut, cooled cake layers tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Store cake layers at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Note: A fully frozen, well-sealed cake is still safe to eat after extended freezing (like for an anniversary bite), but some quality loss is normal. Over time, moisture migrates out of the cake, resulting in a drier, slightly spongy texture. The frosting may become grainy or weepy once thawed, and freezer odors may develop.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more tried-and-true cakes? Browse some of my favorite cake recipes below, perfect for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions.
FAQs
Red velvet cake is buttery, moist, and plush, with a soft, airy crumb. It has a mild chocolate flavor and subtle tang that gives it more depth than a standard vanilla cake.
Not at all — it’s got a personality all its own! Unlike chocolate cake, red velvet cake uses only a small amount of unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s just enough to add color and depth, but let the other flavors shine through. The tangy ingredients help balance the sweetness and truly set it apart.
For a red velvet recipe that’s on the more chocolatey side, try my Chocolate-Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes!
Vinegar enhances the subtle tangy flavor that makes red velvet cake distinct, while also playing an important role in the cake’s texture. It reacts with the baking soda, alongside the buttermilk and cocoa powder, to help create soft, tender layers.
A few key elements work together to create that perfectly moist and fluffy crumb. Oil keeps the cake moist even after chilling or refrigeration, and the tiny bit of cocoa ensures it doesn’t dry out.
Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can prevent the crumb from turning out tender and light.
You can, but for the best results, I recommend using my Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe! It uses the same base flavors as this cake, with a few small adjustments to ensure the cupcakes bake evenly.
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ cup of plain hot coffee or boiling water
- ¼ cup (21 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 ¼ cups (279 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ 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:
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 4 cups (500 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 16 ounces (454 grams) brick-style cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment rounds.
- Spray parchment and sides of pans generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk the hot coffee and cocoa powder together, then 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 egg yolk and whisk for around twenty seconds (or until very well combined). Add in the buttermilk, vanilla, and red 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, then 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 inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake pans on cooling racks, and when they’re cool enough to touch, run a thin knife around the edges of the pans to loosen the cakes. Invert onto the wire racks and let cool completely.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sifted powdered sugar on low. Gradually increase to medium-high to prevent a sugar cloud.
- Beat for 3 minutes until the mixture is pale, light, thick, but smooth. It may look dry or crumbly at first, but keep beating until it holds together.
- Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and paddle, then add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high for 1 minute until fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and salt and beat for 30 seconds until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again as needed.
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 and use the remaining frosting to ice the whole cake.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2022 with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I love making this cake and it is a hit at every event i bring it to! The only thing is, is that my cake turns out brown and not red! I only have access to the Betty Crocker gel food coloring, maybe thats it? Regardless its tasty and I’ll always make this recipe!
Hi Emily! So glad to hear that this cake is always a hit for you! We haven’t tried Betty Crocker brand food coloring, but we highly recommend Americolor gel food coloring – it’s available online here! I hope that helps!
It’s most likely the coffee coco mixture that’s making it brown. I used half coffee and hot water and made sure I didn’t pack the measuring cup with coco powder.
OMGoodness this cake was amazing! I made it for my daughter’s 20th birthday. She loves red velvet and I usually order her one from a local bakery every year however this year she asked if I could make her one. And I looked at several recipes and really liked yours! My daughter says we are no longer ordering her cakes I have to make them using this recipe. Everyone loved it! Thank you
I saw your red velvet on Pintrest. I love the red velvet. Thank you for sharing.
Hello, I’m reading the instructions and see vinegar coffee mixture in step 4. I have read the ingredients up and down and have not seen vinegar. Is it missed in the ingredients list or a typo in the instructions?
Hi Dee! The 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar is the final ingredient listed in the cake ingredients, just under the red gel food coloring.
Hi do you think it would work if I replaced the regular flour with gluten free flour mix 1:1?
Hi Doris! We can’t say for sure, as we haven’t tried that. Feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes 🙂
Looks yummy! How would I modify the baking instructions if I am to make this in 3 layers in a 6 in pan?
Hi Emmanuelle! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! Follow the sensory indicators in the recipe (bake “until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean”) and let us know how it goes 🙂
This was a total hit – will be making it again. A few people asked for this recipe after trying it.
Two people said it was one of the best red velvet cakes they’d ever had and it was my first time ever making one.
I made this recipe today, for my 7yo son. I have to tell you, it was the best cake I’ve ever eaten. Full stop. Follow the directions to the letter. Gel food coloring is 100 percent necessary. This is now going to be a staple cake in my rotation. I agree that it was an absolute blast to make. So much fun!
So thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this cake so much, Sarah! Thanks so much for the comment! 🙂
The flavor is great although Ive ran into a problem. I’ve made it twice and my cakes consistently have white lumps on the surface. What am I doing incorrectly?
Hi Nyomi! I’m glad to hear that you enjoy the flavor of this cake, but the white lumps you describe are super odd! Do you live somewhere quite humid? If you live somewhere humid, there’s more of a chance of those dry ingredients clumping, so perhaps sifting all your dry ingredients (particularly flour, baking powder, and baking soda) through a fine mesh sieve a couple of times before using them will fix the issue you’re having. Try also sifting your sugar, or blitzing it very briefly in a food processor, as overly-compacted or clumping sugar could also account for these strange lumps, as it may not dissolve enough before it hits the oven. I would also recommend allowing your hot coffee/cocoa mixture to cool a bit more before adding into the mixture – if it’s too hot, it could be cooking bits of your egg whites, creating small flecks of cooked egg whites through your batter which rise to the top in the oven. I hope something here helps to solve this issue so you can enjoy this delicious Red Velvet Cake! Happy baking 🙂
THIS is the best and most detailed recipe I found for this cake. I had a blast baking this, and it tastes so delicious!
This cake turned out amazing! I am definitely not a baker and this was my first time baking a red velvet cake but I followed this recipe exactly and the cake turned out delicious and frosting was perfect. Highly recommend!!
I know the word moist is controversial, but it has to be said how moist this cake is. It’s incredible. The cream cheese frosting balances it out perfectly. Vanilla bean paste also makes a huge difference in the frosting compared to extract due to the alcohol, so I strongly recommend paste. It looks gorgeous too!
So glad you enjoyed this cake, Kate!