If I'm being honest....
I've never been a super fan of Red Velvet cake. Is it chocolate? Is it vanilla dyed red? Who knows. Well, since I'm writing this recipe- I suppose I do. And I'm here to tell you .
What Makes Red Velvet Cake Special?
- There's just enough cocoa powder added to give red velvet cake some depth.
- "Good Vanilla"- As Ina Garten would say.
- There is a TON of vinegar which adds extra moisture and keeps the crumbs super soft and delicate, like velvet.
- Buttermilk keeps things super moist and light.
- Cake Flour- I was this for ALMOST all of my cakes. It's much softer and rises higher than All Purpose Flour.
- And then obviously- red food coloring.
- Fun Fact- Traditionally for red velvet cake, the red coloring is made from boiling beets and then straining the liquid to produce a water based dye- but we'll stick to liquid food coloring this time.
Cream Cheese Frosting
The highlight of Red Velvet is the frosting, ALWAYS cream cheese. It's a super complimentary flavor, and I recommend it on any cake. There are a ton of ways to make cream cheese frosting, but for mine I prefer a higher ratio of butter and sugar to the cream cheese itself. This keeps the frosting, moist, and fluffy, but not wet. The higher amount of powdered sugar will also keep this frosting safe at room temperature, so your cake will not need to be refrigerated.
Give It a Try
I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! It's a perfective festive option for Christmas or The 4th of July. This color will be something that impresses all of your friends and family. If you're feeling extra festive, try using this recipe to make our Red Velvet Cake Balls !
And while you are gathering, remember. Never let what someone else brings to the table be the only thing you have to eat.
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
- 2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbs Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Salt
- ½ Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 ½ Cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Red Food Color Gel or Liquid
- 4 Eggs
- tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 ⅓ Cup Buttermilk
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ Cup Butter Softened
- 6 Ounces Cream Cheese Room temperature
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° and line 3 9" cake pans with parchment and nonstick spray.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.
- In a separate bowl, combine the oil, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and vinegar.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the wet ingredients.
- Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl, making sure all dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Turn the mixer to medium high speed and mix for 4 minutes.
- Evenly distribute the batter into 3 9" cake pans, and then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back when touched.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy. There should be NO lumps at all.
- Once the butter is fluffy, add the cream cheese vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, on low speed so as to not make a mess! Cream all the ingredients until smooth and combined.
Cake Assembly
- When the Cake is cooled, level the tops of each layer.
- Place one layer on a cake board or plate, and then cover with a layer of cream cheese frosting. Repeat until all layers are complete. Cover the cake with the remaining frosting.
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