Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Make this classic moist red velvet cake for your next celebration! So eye-catching and delicious, with a subtle cocoa and creamy buttermilk flavor. Made with less than half the food coloring of other recipes. Plus, it’s the easiest cake you could ever bake from scratch!

By Allie, Baking A Moment.

It’s so moist, and the subtle cocoa and buttermilk flavors are so old-fashioned and comforting! I’ve heard a lot of people say that red velvet cake just tastes like plain cake tinted red, but that is not the case with this recipe at all. This red velvet cake tastes so rich! The cocoa flavor really shines, and there’s a subtle tang from the buttermilk. The cream cheese frosting plays off of that and adds sweetness. It compliments all the flavors in the cake in the most delicious way!

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THE ORIGIN OF RED VELVET CAKE

Red velvet cake has been around for a long time. Southern bakers have been making it since the 1800’s. The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York claims to have invented it, but since that time it has become hugely popular in the US and around the world.

It’s perfect for any occasion, but I especially love to serve it for birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and patriotic holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. That bright red color is such a show-stopper!

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WHAT IS RED VELVET CAKE MADE FROM?

Red velvet is an oil-based cake that gets its unique flavor from buttermilk, a touch of cocoa, and vinegar. It may sound like a crazy combination, but it’s surprisingly delicious!

The buttermilk gives this layer cake a soft, creamy quality, and it’s amazing how much chocolate flavor just two tablespoons of cocoa powder can bring. Vinegar enhances the subtle tanginess of the buttermilk, but it also reacts with the baking soda to help the cake to rise tall and fluffy.

It’s also thought that at one time the natural alkyds in the cocoa powder would chemically react with the natural acids in the buttermilk and vinegar to create the red color. But nowadays, we just use a splash food coloring.


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WHY IS THIS RED VELVET LAYER CAKE SO SPECIAL?

This recipe bakes up incredibly moist and delicate, but unlike many other recipes, it’s not the slightest bit oily. There’s enough oil to keep it moist, and plenty of buttermilk for richness.

It also contains about a third of the food coloring of most other red velvet recipes. I just can’t imagine why anything would need more than a tablespoon of red dye. A little bit goes a long way, and this cake looks vibrantly red, with less than half the artificial color.

Plus, red velvet cake is one of the easiest things you’ll ever bake from scratch. It comes together almost like a quick bread: stir the dry ingredients together, stir the liquid ingredients together, combine them, and bake. So simple, quick, and easy!

Make this classic moist red velvet cake for your next celebration! So eye-catching and delicious, with a subtle cocoa and creamy buttermilk flavor. Made with less than half the food coloring of other recipes. Plus, it's the easiest cake you could ever bake from scratch!


Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Serves 8 to 10   

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Ingredients

For the red velvet cake layers

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
• 1 cup oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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For the cream cheese frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese (brick)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

The red velvet cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, mist three 6-inch diameter cake pans** with non-stick spray, and line with circles cut from parchment paper.
• Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
• Place the buttermilk, oil, egg whites, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in a large measuring cup, and stir together.
• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, and stir together until smooth (about 90 seconds to 2 minutes).
• Divide the batter equally between the three prepared pans.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Cool completely, then fill and frost with cream cheese frosting.

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The cream cheese frosting:

• Place the butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl, and beat until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar, and mix until incorporated.
• Stir in the vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, then turn the mixer up to medium high speed and whip until fluffy.

Recipe Notes

*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute by stirring 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 1/2 cups of regular milk. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes, or until thickened and slightly curdled.

**This layer cake can also be baked in two 8-inch or 9-inch diameter cake pans. The cake layers may bake up slightly thinner, and the bake times may need to be adjusted.