How Do You Make Red Velvet Cake From Scratch

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How To Make This Recipe

How to make a REAL Red Velvet Cake from scratch
  • Preheat your oven to 350°F and prep your cake pans by lining them with circles of parchment paper in the bottoms, then spray bottoms and sides with cooking spray.
  • Whisk all the dry ingredients together first – flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt – and set them aside.
  • Beat butter and sugar together until light and creamy – about 3-4 minutes using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Then add the oil and beat again, scraping down the sides of the bowl. The mixture will look a little curdled, but there’s nothing to worry about.
  • Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition, and vanilla. Then mix in the vinegar and food coloring.

    Alternately add of the dry ingredients with of the buttermilk, mixing just until combined after each addition and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, repeating until everything has been added.

    Pour the batter evenly between the two cake pans, then bake for 30-35 minutes or 38-43 minutes , or until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs. Be sure not to overbake.

    For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl using a handheld mixer until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and cream or milk and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and salt and beat again.

    Cool completely before leveling off the tops of each cake layer, if needed. Frost with cream cheese or ermine frosting.

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    Prepare The Cake Base

    Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt this is particularly worth doing with this cake, because its what gives it that characteristic soft, fine texture and set aside.

    Beat the butter and sugar in large bowl or food mixer until really light and fluffy, periodically scraping down the sides of bowl: this will take about five minutes with electric beaters, longer with a wooden spoon.

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    What Is The Difference Between Red Velvet And Chocolate Cake Is This Just A Chocolate Cake

    This cake is much lighter than chocolate cake with a tangy note from the cream cheese frosting. Some people have stopped adding chocolate to the batter as it interferes with the desired bright red color. Originally the cakes had a dusty maroon hue from the acid reacting with cocoa powder, but as time went on, that became a bright red color with the addition of red dye to the batter. Unlike chocolate cake, red velvet cake has vinegar, which makes a huge difference as the acid reacts with the leavening agents to give you a fluffier cake.

    Red Velvet Cake Details

    Red Velvet Cake
    • Taste The cake layers are a subtle mix of vanilla and chocolate. The cake is coated in tangy cream cheese frosting.
    • Texture Moist and velvety.
    • Ease This is a simple cake to make. It utilized the creaming method to bring the batter together.
    • Time The cook time is only 20-25 minutes. The process utilizes the creaming method and comes together in a matter of minutes.

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    Treat Yourself To The Best Homemade Red Velvet Cake

    This glorious red velvet layer cake has a moist, tender texture and just the right amount of tang to keep you coming back for more. The cream cheese frosting is spread between each layer as well as on top to give you the perfect ratio of cake to buttercream in every bite! The sides of the cake are covered in your favorite sprinkles to complete the look.

    My original recipe for this cake was oil-based, but Ive since changed it to a butter-based cake, as not everyone loves using lots of oil. Plus, when working on new recipes, I arrived at this version by chance and fell in love with it. Its light and lovely and I know youll love it too. Even people who dont love red velvet will want to sneak seconds of this cake. I nearly devoured the whole thing on my own last time I made it!

    Why This Recipe Works

    • Super moist! We use a combination of butter and oil for the best flavor and texture.
    • Hint of cocoa. This red velvet cake recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder which is double or triple the amount in most other versions. It helps those cocoa notes come through a little bit more. Even with that slight adjustment, this still doesn’t taste like a chocolate cake to me.
    • Perfectly red. The chemical reactions of buttermilk, cocoa powder, baking soda and vinegar give this cake it’s flavor and subtle red tint, which is enhanced with some red food coloring.
    • Holiday favorite. Red velvet cake is perfect for almost any occasion, but the bold red and white colors make this the perfect cake for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July or Memorial Day.

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    What Youll Need For This Recipe

    As promised, you can easily make your own buttermilk using just two basic ingredients. Heres what well be using:

    Lemon juice or vinegar: You can use either freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar in this recipe. Any type of vinegar will work, so long as its fairly neutral in flavor . However, I prefer using white vinegar when possible.

    Milk: You can use any kind of milk that you prefer for this recipe. Skim, 2%, whole, or even almond milk all work great!

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    How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting

    How to Make a Red Velvet Cake from Scratch | CHELSWEETS

    To make this homemade cream cheese frosting, youll start by adding your softened cream cheese to a mixing bowl and mixing it until its smooth. Then, add the softened butter and mix until the cream cheese and butter are fully combined.

    Next, youll add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until everything is well combined and the frosting is smooth and creamy. I recommend stopping to scrape down the sides of your bowl once or twice and mixing again to ensure that everything is thoroughly mixed together.

    Once the frosting is ready, you can use it on top of just about any dessert or refrigerate it until youre ready to use it.

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    How To Make Red Velvet Cake From Scratch

    I know some people are intimidated by layer cakes, but this cake is surprisingly easy to make. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, mix together sugar and vegetable oil. Add eggs and mix well. Mix in gel food coloring and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to batter alternating with buttermilk. Finally, combine white vinegar and baking soda. Immediately add to the batter and stir. Pour the batter into the cake pan of your choice and bake.

    Cool the cake slightly in the pan and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Mix together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Frost the cake and enjoy!

    Tips For The Best Red Velvet Cake

    • Bake time: Every oven is different! Check for doneness a few minutes early so you dont accidentally overbake the cake. Aim for a few moist crumbs on a toothpick.
    • Cocoa powder: Dutch-processed cocoa powder will not work with this recipe. Use all-natural unsweetened cocoa.
    • Bake even strips: For even layers, try using bake-even strips. They promote even baking so the layers dont cake come out domed.

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    Does This Cake Freeze Well

    The red velvet cake layers on their own freeze well. To freeze your cake layers, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them out in the fridge before building the cake.

    If youd like, you can find the original Red Velvet Cake Recipe here.

    • Prep Time:1 hour 30 minutes
    • Cook Time:20 minutes
    • Total Time:1 hour 50 minutes

    Easy Red Velvet Cake Recipe From Scratch

    Red Velvet Cake

    If youre looking for the best ever red velvet cake recipe, look no further: what youre about to reading is the easy red velvet cake recipe from scratch you can prepare at home anytime, and of course for Valentines Day.

    To be totally honest with you, this is not a quick and simple recipe, but it is a recipe that, once prepared, becomes a classic and you wont stop baking it.

    Most of its charming is given by the colors: the red is mixed with the white, and this give the cake a magnificent look, especially if you decide to prepare it by using different layers.

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    Can You Make This Recipe Into Cupcakes

    Yes you can! It should make about 36 cupcakes. Fill the liners 2/3 of the way full and bake them at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

    When you cut this red velvet cake, youll going to be so happy. This cake just does that to your heart! Its outrageously soft, moist, and has the perfect crumb.

    Baking Tips For Red Velvet Cake

    • Be sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature before getting starting.
    • Make sure to sift the dry ingredients to remove any lumps of cocoa powder. This will also help to keep the cake soft and light.
    • I suggest creaming the butter and sugar together for about 4-5 minutes. Creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy incorporates more air into your cake batter creating a softer, lighter cake.
    • Alternate mixing the dry ingredients in three additions with the buttermilk, this will help to prevent over mixing the cake batter.

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    How To Make The Best Red Velvet Cake

  • Be sure to generously grease your pans and give them a light dusting of flour. This will ensure that the cake doesnt stick to the pan.
  • Use plain prepared coffee. Yep just brew up a cup of coffee. No need to add sugar or cream. I normally use a light or medium roast Alternatively, you can use hot water butcoffee is so much better.
  • Why Is Red Velvet Cake Such A Popular Flavor

    HOW TO MAKE A RED VELVET CHEESECAKE CAKE!

    I personally think that red velvet cake is popular due to two factors. Some people have had a TRUE red velvet cake recipe and love it! I dont blame them, it really is delicious. The other factor is that its a very controversial cake flavor. If you havent had a really good red velvet cake and you associate the cake with just a bland red cake then you wont see what the big deal is.

    Whenever there is a controversy between is something good or not, it always becomes more popular. There is a saying in art, if its good then people will either love it or hate it. If everyone just feels ok about it, then its just meh. Same with cake, people seem to either love or hate red velvet cake.

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    Red Velvet Cake Ingredients

    There are so many versions of red velvet cake, but to get to make the best version I referred back to these authentic ingredients that always make this classic cake a success.

    Buttermilk: This is a key ingredient to achieving the tender velvety texture of this cake. The lactic acid breaks down the long strands of gluten, and it thickens the buttermilk, giving it a creamy quality. I recommend using real cultured buttermilk for this cake to give it that distinct velvet flavor. If you dont have any buttermilk on hand, learn how to make it with my buttermilk substitute recipe.

    White Vinegar: It sounds like a strange ingredient in a cake, but it is essential for helping the baking soda leaven the cake. Originally red velvet cake was colored with beet juice, however, when it is baked it can turn blue, so the acid from the vinegar would keep the beet juice a vibrant red color. You can use a different vinegar or acid, like lemon juice and it will achieve the same chemical reaction.

    Cocoa Powder: The purpose of cocoa powder in this recipe might not be what you think it is! The natural cocoa powder works alongside the buttermilk and vinegar to tenderize the flour and create a softer, finer, velvety crumb.

    Red Velvet Cream Cheese Frosting

    The frosting is one of the most important things for this cake: I use a classic red velvet cream cheese frosting but you can also go for a classic American butter cream or totally change the frosting, by using mascarpone cream , whipped cream or even custard cream. It goes without saying that the original version is made with cream cheese frosting that give the cake its traditional acidic taste.

    What can I use instead of buttermilk?Buttermilk is essential to the success of this recipe but you can replace it with a homemade substitute for buttermilk. Just put lemon drops in some milk, let it rest for a few minutes and then use it for your cake.

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    Why Do You Eat Red Velvet Cake On Juneteenth

    Juneteenth, now a federal holiday in the United States, is an occasion to honor Black American culture and history. Red Velvet Cake and other red foods are a tradition because the color red is a reminder of the bloodshed and lives lost, from our enslaved ancestors to present day. In addition to desserts like this mini red velvet cake, you may also see red drinks made with strawberry or hibiscus flavors, watermelon, or hot link sausages.

    Red Velvet Cake Recipe Tried And Tested Favourite

    Red Velvet Cake

    This Red Velvet Cake has been taste tested and given a big thumbs up by many people because its a rather large cake and Ive made it 5 times in the last two weeks.

    FIVE TIMES??!!, I hear you exclaim . Youre MAD!!

    If getting this cake exactly to my taste, as close as I can get it to the cakes you get from posh bakeries, and ensuring it works using both US and metric measures means that Im a mad baker, Ill take that title.

    Besides, Im really enjoying baking at the moment. There is something so satisfying about making something as pretty as Red Velvet Cake.

    To tell you the honest truth, the reason I made it so many times in recent weeks is because my original recipe got a so-so response from the two toughest taste-testers I know: my mother and brother.

    The sponge is zara-zara, my mother declared on first bite.

    What the.?? Zara-zara? What on earth does that mean??

    Zara-zara means rough in Japanese. The Japanese language has a handful of words which sound like what it means. Zara-zara being a perfect example. Usually it cracks me up. Not that day.

    I gasped, indignant, and grabbed a spoon to shovel a bite into my mouth, ready to argue. And I realised she was right. It was not as velvety as it could be. As it should be.

    NOT HAPPY.

    So I improved it.

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    Can I Make This Ahead Of Time

    If youd like to make the cake ahead and store it in the fridge, swap the butter for the same amount of vegetable oil! Simply mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour the wet into the dry and mix until combined. Bake as directed. The vegetable oil wont firm up in the fridge like butter does, making a cold cake feel more moist and tender.

    You can also bake the cake layers, and once cooled, wrap them in plastic before freezing them for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake layers and make the frosting when ready to assemble.

    The Best Red Velvet Cake

    onJump to Recipe

    This is my favorite Red Velvet Cake recipe! This cake is incredibly soft, moist, buttery, and topped with an easy cream cheese frosting.

    Over the last few months, Ive shared my favorite chocolate cake and white cake recipes with you. And today I have one more thats perfect for Valentines Day this homemade red velvet cake recipe!

    Red velvet is such a unique cake because it has a vanilla flavor but also a hint of chocolate. It can also be hard to get just right because it should be buttery, yet stay moist. This recipe delivers all of that and its incredibly delicious too!

    Im also sharing everything you need to know on how to perfect this cake. Including how to make a 9×13 cake or cupcakes and some step-by-step pictures to help you along the way!

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    The Best Food Coloring

    We highly recommend using gel food coloring rather than a liquid one. We purchased the 12-color starter kit which is great for any baking project.

    • Gel is more concentrated so you need less of it. This cake calls for just 1/2 teaspoon of super red #120 gel color and you could get away with using 1/4 tsp and still maintain a nice color.
    • Gel is thicker which means its less likely to water down your batter or frosting.

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