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.
Amazing! Super moist and delicious. I made it gluten free as my daughter is a coeliac so the only thing I changed was the flour and it was excellent. I won’t be using any other Red Velvet recipe from now on
This talks about vinegar in the chocolate mixture but there is no amount to add in the recipe list
Amazing! Super moist and delicious. A new family favourite 🙂
Can you use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar as a substitution for distilled?
Hi Tracie! We haven’t tested that in this recipe before, but both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar should work just fine. They serve the same purpose of reacting with the cocoa powder and buttermilk to enhance the texture of the cake. However, keep in mind that apple cider vinegar may impart a slightly different flavor to the cake compared to white vinegar. Feel free to experiment with this and let us know how it goes. Hope this helps!
How many days can it be refrigerated?
Hi Daysi! If you’re making the cake ahead, wrap the cooled, unfrosted layers in plastic wrap. Store them in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 2 months. If the cake is already made, use a cake keeper. It can stay at room temperature for up to 6 hours, then refrigerate for up to 3 days. Check the tip box above the recipe for more info. Hope this helps!
Hi there thanks for the great recipe! I’ve seen a lot of bakers use some sort of a simple syrup type of mixture between each cake layer to keep the cake moist if it’s not being consumed the day it is made! Have you experimented with this at all? From your experience, does this cake stay moist for a few days without needing that?
Hi Gillian! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Using a simple syrup between cake layers is a common technique to keep cakes moist, especially if they’re not being consumed right away. While we haven’t experimented with it for this cake, I’ve found that this recipe tends to stay moist for a few days if stored correctly without needing it. However, feel free to give it a try and let us know how it works for you! For more information on storing your cake and keeping it moist overnight, check out the Tip Box just above the recipe. Happy baking!
This cake was the so good! I made it for my sister-in-laws 70th birthday in a heart shaped pan. My family said it was the best red velvet cake thy had ever tasted.
Thanks for this lovely recipe – I too agree that this cake isn’t the most flavourful if you are looking for a chocolate cake taste. But Red Velvet cake was never meant to taste chocolate. In my opinion, Its more of a white flavoured cake with a bit of cocoa added for a distinct flavour with buttermilk and vinegar.
This is a lovely recipe.
I tried baking this cake today and it came out amazing! I tried it as a sheet cake though. Thank you for sharing so generously!
Great cake! Super moist and delicious. It is sweet but not overpowering.
Hi! Do you think that any adjustments would need to be made if I wanted to make this tiered? (one ten inch, one eight inch, one six inch)
Hi Jael! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! This recipe was written to make three layers of 8-inch cake, so large cake pans will need to be baked for less time to account for the thinner cake, and smaller cake pans will need more time to account for the smaller pan. You will likely need to double or even triple the recipe, to have a few layers for each size, to create a beautiful appearance (and don’t forget the cake dowels for support!) I hope that helps! Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂 Happy baking!
Can these be made into cupcakes?
Hi Madyson! We actually already have a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe! Check it out here 🙂
Hi This is a showstopper of a cake. I would like to make a larger version 10 inches, three stack, what would be the amount ingredients needed? Thank you
Hi Ganga! If making no adjustments to the ingredients but using 10-inch pans, you’ll need to bake the cakes for a shorter period of time as they’ll be much thinner. We haven’t tested this cake using 10-inch pans, so I can’t say for sure the adjustments required if you’d like to achieve the same thickness as in 8-inch pans. Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try. Good luck!
Thank you; I am making a celebration cake for a great milestone for over 40 people. So on reflection I am going to use three 12 inch tins for a three layered cake, and either scale up the ingredients by 1.5 or just make two batches of batter (as you prescribed for the 3 layer 8 inch cake to ensure the flavours don’t change) and any remaining batter I use to make cupcakes. Any advice gratefully received.