Red Velvet Sheet Cake

You know how you have the designated mac and cheese person in every family? Well that person is me. And when I bought this red velvet sheet cake to my cousin’s baby shower, I have now ALSO become the designated red velvet cake baker now too. And let me break down why! 

This red velvet sheet cake is THAT cake. It’s soft, plush, and just chocolatey enough with that little tang that makes you close your eyes after the first bite. I love a sheet cake because it’s low-maintenance but still feels special, like “yes I baked this from scratch” but without the stress of a layer cake.

Slice it big, pass it around, and watch it disappear faster than my mac and cheese at a Sunday dinner.

Key Ingredients and Substitutes 

(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)

We’re making this moist red velvet sheet cake from scratch so leave that box cake mix on the shelf! Here’s what you’ll need: 

• All Purpose flour – I know, I know, I usually tell you to bake with cake flour in my cake recipes, but because this batter has a high moisture load, we’re sticking with good ol all purpose flour. Save the cake flour for my sour cream pound cake.
• Buttermilk and Sour Cream come together to give you that subtle tang that red velvet is known for. They also provide extra moisture, too. If you don’t have any buttermilk, you can make your own homemade buttermilk with just whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
• Milk powder brings extra richness and a subtle creaminess, boosts tenderness, and helps create a softer, finer crumb.
• Hot Coffee blooms the cocoa powder and plays up the subtle hint of cocoa.
• Unsweetened/Natural Cocoa Powder – the type of cocoa you use is important! We want natural cocoa powder because it’s acidic and reacts with baking soda, buttermilk, and a little vinegar to help the cake rise, but most importantly, these acidic ingredients bring that classic red velvet flavor! 
• Vegetable oil is what keeps this cake super moist! You can use any neutral oil here including avocado oil, canola oil, and refined coconut oil (this is my favorite to use in a pinch for added subtle yet sweet flavor).
• White Vinegar adds subtle tang but also enhances the red food coloring so that you get that vibrant red color as opposed to a dull burgundy or borderline pink. You can also use lemon juice. I do this with my red velvet cookies too! 

How To Make Red Velvet Sheet Cake 

(full recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post)

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl – flour, milk powder, espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt. Whisk together and set aside. 

Step 2: Cream together room temperature butter, oil, and sugars until smooth, then add eggs, vanilla extract, vinegar, buttermilk, and sour cream. Mix until combined, then add dry ingredients.

Step 3: Pour the hot coffee on top and stir until a smooth batter forms. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper (or use nonstick baking spray). Pour batter and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, then turn onto a wire rack to frost.

Step 4: Make the tangy cream cheese frosting by mixing together cream cheese, buttermilk, powdered sugar, milk powder, and vanilla extract until smooth. Smear on top of the cooled cake and enjoy! 

Foolproof Baking Tips 

• Sift your cocoa powder if it looks lumpy! Cocoa powder is notorious for clumping, so to prevent a lumpy,uneven batter, sift sift sift! 
• Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients by weight for consistent texture (no scooping directly from the bag). Trust me on this, it’s worth the extra step! 
• Cool completely before frosting to prevent melting and sliding.
• Don’t overbake! Start checking 5 minutes early. Sheet pans bake faster than layers.
• Tap the pan before baking to release air bubbles for an even crumb.
• Line with parchment with a little overhang for easy lift and clean edges.