Red velvet cake is much more than vanilla cake tinted red. This recipe produces the best red velvet cake with superior buttery, vanilla, and cocoa flavors, as well as a delicious tang from buttermilk. My trick is to whip the egg whites, which guarantees a smooth velvet crumb.
This is my forever favorite red velvet cake recipe. I published it on my blog a few years ago and decided it’s time for clearer recipe instructions and a video tutorial. Many of you love this recipe too, so let’s roll up our sleeves and rev up our mixers!
Red velvet cake is the queen of all layer cakes. The “I can’t quite put my finger on the flavor” cake. It’s the sweet marriage of buttermilk and vanilla with a little cocoa for good measure. She’s tall, dramatic, and completely covered in silky cream cheese frosting. This is my best red velvet cake.
What Does Red Velvet Cake Taste Like?
I used to be unsure about red velvet. I don’t really trust a cake that has a mystery flavor. What is red velvet? Is it more like vanilla cake, chocolate cake, or just a butter cake tinted red? From red velvet brownies and red velvet cookies and red velvet cupcakes, I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know red velvet. Red velvet is:
- Mild cocoa flavor
- Tangy buttermilk
- Sweet vanilla
- Very buttery
These 4 flavors are essential to the perfect red velvet layer cake. Not only is the flavor outstanding, red velvet cake’s texture is worth writing home about. It’s dense and soft with a moist and velvety crumb. However, the absolute best part about red velvet cake is the cream cheese frosting. Slathered on thick, my cream cheese frosting recipe is delicately sweet and undeniably creamy.
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
I use specific ingredients, certain amounts, and unique mixing techniques to produce my best red velvet cake recipe. Begin by whisking the dry ingredients together, then beat together the wet ingredients. We’ll combine the two, add buttermilk and tint the batter red. More on food coloring below.
- Cake Flour: I highly recommend cake flour. Cake flour is much lighter than all-purpose and the perfect base for a light, soft-crumbed cake texture. Like I mention above, red velvet’s texture is important to the authenticity of the flavor. You will thank me for the recommendation after you taste how incredibly soft this cake is. It’s the texture you find at professional bakeries.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 2 Tablespoons is plenty for a little cocoa flavor without overpowering the vanilla and butter flavors.
- Butter & Oil: What sets red velvet cake apart from chocolate is its buttery flavor. With only butter, we risk a dry cake. With only oil, we lose the butter flavor and softness that comes with creaming butter & sugar together. So all that’s to say, use both butter and oil. Moist texture, soft and cakey texture, buttery flavor.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is tangy, creamy, and makes baked goods extremely moist. You can’t make delicious red velvet cake without it! Additionally, buttermilk helps activate the baking soda to leaven the cake. If you’re interested, I have plenty more on this topic in my Baking with Buttermilk post (including a DIY buttermilk substitute recipe). It’s also a key ingredient in these black velvet cupcakes!
What About the Food Coloring?
Red velvet cake wouldn’t be red without food coloring. I recommend gel food coloring because the color is concentrated, so you need less of it. For natural coloring, use beet powder. If you don’t want to use food coloring, leave it out! The cake will have the same flavor and be a lovely shade of cocoa.
My #1 Trick
I add one simple step to this red velvet cake recipe and it guarantees the BEST texture.
Whip the egg whites separately, then fold into the batter.
This cake recipe requires 4 large eggs. Separate the eggs before starting. Beat the egg yolks with the wet ingredients, then beat the egg whites into fluffy peaks and fold them in last. Beating the egg whites incorporates air and promises a velvet-rich texture.
You will never go back.
Red Velvet Cake Video Tutorial
Cream Cheese Frosting
In my opinion, cream cheese frosting pairs best with red velvet’s flavor and this frosting recipe is really simple. You need brick-style cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to offset the sweetness. It glides on seamlessly and is silky smooth. If you’re looking to pipe decoration with this cream cheese frosting, chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This guarantees the creamy frosting will hold its shape.
Of course, feel free to use traditional vanilla buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream here if you prefer. Or try white chocolate buttercream frosting!
This recipe converts red velvet skeptics. I should know because I used to be one!
Interested in turning this red velvet beauty into a tiered wedding cake? See my homemade wedding cake for details.
More Classic Cake Recipes
- Vanilla Cake
- Banana Cake
- Pumpkin Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Strawberry Cake
- Lemon Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Red velvet cake is much more than vanilla cake tinted red. This recipe produces the best red velvet cake with superior buttery, vanilla, and cocoa flavors, as well as a delicious tang from buttermilk. My trick is to whip the egg whites, which guarantees a smooth velvet crumb.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons (10g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature and separated
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- liquid or gel red food coloring
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups (600g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and vinegar and beat on high for 2 minutes. (Set the egg whites aside.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions alternating with the buttermilk. Beat in your desired amount of food coloring just until combined. I use 1-2 teaspoons gel food coloring.
- In a separate medium bowl, vigorously whisk or beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until fluffy peaks form as pictured above, about 3 minutes. Gently fold into cake batter. The batter will be silky and slightly thick.
- Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 30-32 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cakes need a little longer as determined by wet crumbs on the toothpick, bake for longer. However, careful not to overbake as the cakes may dry out. Remove cakes from the oven and cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until completely combined and creamy. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frosting should be soft, but not runny.
- Assemble and frost: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard or crumble over finished cake. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula and bench scraper for the frosting. I used Wilton piping tip #12 for decoration around the top.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days. Frosted cake or unfrosted cake layers can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before decorating/serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Likewise, the frosting can be prepared then covered and refrigerated overnight. Let the frosting sit at room temperature to slightly soften for 10 minutes before assembling and frosting.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Red Gel Food Coloring or Beet Powder | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Cake Stand, Serving Plate, or Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Bench Scraper | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton Piping Tip #12 | Cake Carrier (for storing cake)
- Cake Flour: For best texture and taste, I strongly recommend cake flour. You can find it in the baking aisle and I have many more recipes using it. If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, you can make a DIY cake flour substitute.
- Vinegar: The vinegar helps brighten the red color. Don’t get scared, a touch of vinegar is normal in red velvet desserts! You can’t taste it.
- Why is everything at room temperature? When everything is near the same temperature, they mix together easily, evenly, and produce a uniform texture. It’s important!
- Food Coloring: The amount of red food coloring is up to you. I tested with varying amounts. To get the dark red color you see here, use 2 teaspoons of gel food coloring. You could use liquid food coloring too, but gel food coloring is more potent. You’ll need at least 1 Tablespoon of liquid. Dye the batter until you are pleased with the color. Use beet powder for a natural alternative (mix 1/2 teaspoon beet powder with 2 teaspoons of water before adding) or leave the food coloring out completely.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is a key ingredient and flavor in this recipe. You can use low fat or full fat. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own buttermilk substitute. To do so, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough regular milk (whole milk is best) to make 1 cup. Stir the two together, then let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Sheet Cake: This batter fits nicely into a 9×13-inch cake pan or 12×17-inch sheet pan. Same oven temperature. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or 20-25 minutes, respectively. Keep your eye on the cake and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- 3 Layer Cake: Prepare 3 9-inch cake pans in step 1 and divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for about 22-25 minutes.
- Bundt Cake: This cake batter fits into a 10-cup or larger bundt pan. I’m unsure of the exact bake time (likely around an hour), but use a toothpick to test for doneness. Same oven temperature.
- Cupcakes: You can use this cake batter for 2-3 dozen cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 – 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-21 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Use my red velvet cupcakes recipe if you need fewer.
Recipe originally published on Sally’s Baking Recipes in 2015.
Need something smaller? Here are my red velvet cupcakes!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi sally, could I make this cake sugar free? Substituting the sugar with some sweetener?
Hi Oriana! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes or other sweeteners. Thank you!
Hi Sally,
How would I adjust the recipe to make cupcakes instead?
Thanks
Hi Christine! See recipe notes for cupcake baking instructions. Enjoy!
Hi, May I know why you using oil and butter together instead of butter ???
Hi Marie! Great question. With only butter, we risk a dry cake. With only oil, we lose the butter flavor and softness that comes with creaming butter & sugar together. Using both ensures a moist texture, soft and cakey texture, and buttery flavor — all key to that signature red velvet taste.
Lucia, Can you use Red Velvet Emulsion instead of food coloring and if so how much would you use? Excited to try this recipe, I have been looking for a red velvet recipe that isn’t dense and this will be the first time I beat my egg whites separately.
Hi Vickie, you can, but keep in mind that emulsions tend to have a very strong flavoring to them as well, which could significantly alter the taste of the cake. If you do decide to try, we’d start very small (perhaps 1/4 teaspoon or so, and then increase as desired). For best results, though, we’d recommend sticking with food coloring so as not to alter the taste. Let us know what you try!
Hi! I love this cake – just made it for myself for my birthday! I just have one question – I used white vinegar and put in many drops of red food coloring, but mine still turned out brown. How do you make it red?
Thanks -Lucia
Hi Lucia, were you using liquid or gel food coloring? For the most vibrant results, we recommend using gel food coloring (we use two full teaspoons to get the red color seen in the photos). We hope you enjoy the birthday cake — happy birthday to you!
Hi, I absolutely love your recipes! I have a question about decorating this cake. Is the frosting sturdy enough to pipe and decorate similar to your 6 Inch Birthday Cake with Easy Buttercream Flowers design? For a birthday, I was thinking of doing a pink velvet cake and piping flowers like you with the Easy Buttercream Flowers. Also, will I need to scale up the frosting for that?
Hi Sabrina! You can pipe with cream cheese frosting, but for designs as intricate as yours, we recommend using traditional vanilla buttercream instead — you can use the proportions from our favorite white cake to ensure you have enough to fill and cover the cake, and then 1.5x or 2x it to ensure you have enough for all the piping. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally
This was an absolute hit at my place! Everyone raved about it! However it’s quite a big cake for a small party!
Can I halve this recipe and bake in one 8 inch pan? And then perhaps cut it into two layers? How much of a height would that give me roughly?
Also, what if I was to split the halved cake batter into two pans of 8″? How much do I reduce the baking time by?
Hi Suzy, that should work to halve this recipe and use an 8 inch pan. The bake time may be slightly longer, because your cake will be thicker. It may be difficult to cut the cake into two layers, so you could do two very thin separate layers (bake time will be shorter). Or, you can use our red velvet cupcakes recipe which yields less batter (the perfect amount for 3, 6 inch cake layers). Our cake pan sizes and conversions guide may also be helpful to you, too!
Hi Sally! I’m making this cake for my son’s first birthday. Could I use melted coconut oil instead of vegetable/canola? For health reasons. Thank you and LOVE your blog!
Hi Cristina, you can, but the taste may be slightly different. Hope the cake is a hit!
Hi Sally, without any white vinegar will it really affect the cake? Please let me know at your earliest convenience.
I would say that it would effect your cake, simply because the vinegar causes a reaction with the baking soda that you won’t achieve if it’s not in there!
Hi do you think I could make this cake eggless for someone with an egg allergy?
Hi Sally!
I want to make and decorate this cake for a birthday party on Saturday. The cake will be 6 layers and I wondered if I could make the cake a couple of days ahead and if I should freeze the layers until i am ready to assemble and decorate.
Hi Jill! Yes, that’s the best way to make cake layers ahead of time. Here’s our guide to freezing cake layers!
Hi sally!
I alredy baked this cake 10 times
And it keep sinking in the midle i use your sustitute cake flour recipe
Any suggestions?!
Hi Luza! A little sinking is normal, but it’s possible the cake needs an extra minute or so in the oven to bake through. Do you use a toothpick to test for doneness?
Hi Sally, I’m interested in making a blue velvet cake. Could I use this recipe and simply swap out the red gel food coloring for blue? Thanks!
Hi Marguerite, you sure can. Many readers have had success making green, blue, and purple versions of this cake. See recipe notes for details on the best kinds / amounts of food coloring to use. Have fun!
Hi Sally!
I only have a 8 inch round pan, how would you recommend to adjust or should I just get a 9 inch pan instead?
Hi Baun, you can use your 8 inch pan to make three layers of this cake. (If you only have one pan, no worries — simply bake one at a time and leave the leftover batter covered at room temperature). Bake for about 22-25 minutes. Happy baking!
Around how many grams of batter per 8” round pan if using 3 pans? I only have 2 pans, i want to make sure I can put same amount batter each
Hi, is it possible to do this recipe without chocolate? Kind of like making a vanilla red velvet cake?
Hi Delores, a mild cocoa flavor is a key element in red velvet’s signature flavor, so we don’t recommend leaving it out. You could however make a vanilla cake and use gel food coloring to tint the batter red as desired.
Hi Sally, can I use this red velvet cake recipe with fondant? Appreciate your reply. Thank you.
Hi Mitch, absolutely! You can cover this cake in fondant — no problem there. For best taste and texture, we wouldn’t cover it for longer than 1 day prior to serving.
I made this cake today, and I accidentally used a cup of butter instead of 1/2 cup. Did I royally mess it up? And, how much red food coloring should be used? Mine is kinda brown, and I used quite a bit coloring. Did the overload of butter cause this? Still in the oven! Fingers crossed!
Hi Denise, the cake may taste dense and oily with the additional butter, but it’s hard to know until it’s baked. Did you use gel food coloring? We find it gives the best color. See recipe notes for details on how much to use. Let us know how it goes!
Hi! How would I adjust the quantities if I wanted to make a 3 layer 8 inch cake?
Hi Simone, See the recipe note for a 3 layer cake. Yours may take an extra minute in 8 inch pans as they will be slightly thicker, but use a toothpick to test for doneness.
The cake came out perfect. I however didn’t mix the egg white separately because I was lazy but it still came out really good. I measured the flour instead of using the cup measurement. Love the recipe.
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. It was absolutely outstanding! I filled it with chocolate ganache ( because my grandchildren don’t like cream cheese frosting) and covered it in Italian meringue buttercream . I followed Sally’s directions to a T. The first time I made this cake the flavour was delicious, but the texture was a little dense. In retrospect, I think that’s because I hadn’t creamed the butter quite enough or it was a little cooler than room temperature. The second time I was a little more careful and the results were amazing. I find I’m coming to this website more and more for all my baking needs because the quality of the recipes are so superior. Thank you,Sally!
I made this cake exactly as the recipe says and followed all of the tips, it came out so perfect. It’s beautiful after piping a border of frosting around the top and bottom of the cake. My husband said “it looks like a cake maker made it”
Hi Sally! Could I make this into a 3 or 4 layer cake? Will it stack up okay for a bit of a taller birthday cake?
Hi Shannen, yes, many readers have stacked this cake into 3 or 4 layers. Be sure to make the batches separately (rather than doubling) for best results. For extra support, you might even consider using cake dowels to support the added layers. Hope this helps!
Hi
Is it 177 degrees with a fan oven for a 10 in cake?
I made this red velvet cake for my husband’s birthday. I had the same issue others mentioned in these comments, with the cake not baking evenly. The edges were definitely overdone, and even got hard. The cake passed the toothpick test in the middle, but it fell a LOT in the middle while cooling. The flavor was kind of meh, but I’m blaming the cheap baking chocolate I used. All in all, I will try a different recipe next time.
This is a very delicious cake. My family love it.
Though I made my easy version of mixing the batter but Im glad it came out very good.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.❤❤❤.
The recipe says 2 tablespoons of cocoa (10g). 10g equal 2 teaspoons not tablespoons right ?
Hi El, cocoa powder is very light. The weight measurement is accurate for 2 Tablespoons. (About 10-11 grams.)
Hey sally, I wanted to know if you measured the cake after baking and how much did it weigh?
Hi Gin, we didn’t weigh the cake after baking or after assembling.
Really good recipe, but I would recommend to use 3 or 4 cake pans instead.
Hi Sally
I just want to say that I have made the Red Velvet Cake a number of times. The first
time was a big hit. The second and third time I couldn’t seem to find the red food
coloring that gave it that beautiful color. To make a long story short I just made another
Red Velvet for my Husbands 69th Birthday and the color is amazing.
I love your receipts. My sister found the perfect food coloring it’s call RED (No- Taste)
by Wilton and its from Walmart!
Thanks for all your amazing receipts
lm
Amazing! I followed this recipe to the letter and it was perfect! It honestly was like a professional cake! I made it for my husband’s birthday and he thought I bought it from a cake maker. Thanks so much Sally!
Wow! I tried this recipe today, it was GREAT!! The mixing method made a significant difference in the final product. The cake was moist, the texture was excellent and the cake tasted great. My next step is finding the right food coloring product. Thank you.