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5 from 6 votes

Red Velvet Cake

By Britney
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Cooling Time: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
red velvet cake on a cake stand with a piece cut out showing the inner cake layers.
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Moist Red Velvet Cake topped with cream cheese frosting that is a delightfully indulgent dessert for any occasion!

Equipment

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Ingredients 

Red Velvet Cake

  • 3 cups (375 g) Cake Flour
  • 5 tbsps (28 g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder, (optional)
  • 1 tsp (4) Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp (6) Kosher Salt
  • 3/4 cup (168 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup (168 g) Vegetable Oil
  • 2 1/4 cups (450 g) Granulated Sugar
  • 4 Large (200 g) Eggs
  • 1 1/2 tbsps (20) Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tbsp (g) White Vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp (36) Butter Vanilla Emulsion, (or butter extract)
  • 3/4 cup (240 g) Buttermilk, (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup (60 g) Sour Cream, (room temperature)
  • 1 cup (256 g) Applesauce, (room temperature)
  • 2 tbsp (15 g) Red Gel Food Coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 1/2 cups (227 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
  • 5 cups (600 g) Powdered Sugar
  • 12 oz (340 g) Cream Cheese, (room temperature)
  • 1 tbsp (8) Meringue Powder, (optional)
  • 2 tbsp (g) Sour Cream
  • 1 tbsp (13 g) Vanilla Bean Paste , (or vanilla extract)
  • Pinch of Salt

Instructions 

Prepare the Cake Batter

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Whisk together and set aside. 3 cups Cake Flour 5 tbsps Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 1 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature butter, oil, and sugar. Cream everything together until smooth, about 2-3 minutes, then add eggs, one at a time, ensuring that each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next. Add in vanilla extract, butter vanilla emulsion, vinegar, buttermilk, and sour cream. Continue to mix until combined and smooth, then add in applesauce and red food dye. Mix until just combined and applesauce is fully incorporated and the red food coloring is evenly distributed. (If the batter breaks, this is totally normal, it'll come back together when the dry ingredients are added) 3/4 cup Salted Butter 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil 2 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar 4 Large Eggs 1 1/2 tbsps Vanilla Extract 1 1/2 tsp Butter Vanilla Emulsion 1 tbsp White Vinegar 3/4 cup Buttermilk 1/4 cup Sour Cream 1 cup Applesauce 2 tbsp Red Gel Food Coloring
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined, about 20-30 seconds.
  • Pour the batter evenly amongst the cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip over into a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting and Assemble and Ice the Cakes

  • While the cakes are cooling, begin making the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Then add in the powdered sugar, sour cream, and vanilla bean paste. Begin mixing on low, then gradually increase to medium speed once all ingredients are combined. 1 1/2 cups Salted Butter 5 cups Powdered Sugar 2 tbsp Sour Cream 1 tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for 2 minutes, then add cream cheese and meringue powder and a pinch of kosher salt. Continue to mix for 1-2 minutes on medium speed until smooth. 12 oz Cream Cheese 1 tbsp Meringue Powder
  • Place one of the cooled cakes onto a cake stand. Add a generous layer of frosting on top. Place the second layer on top and repeat. Place the third layer on top and add a thin coat of frosting to the outside of the cake then place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • Add the remainder of the frosting around the cake and serve.

Video

Notes

Substitutions and Variations
  • Buttermilk substitute: to make buttermilk, all you need are milk and lemon juice or vinegar. 1 cup of milk + 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar. Combine the two, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and you've got buttermilk. 
  • Dairy Free Option: use your favorite dairy free milk and add a tablespoon of vinegar to make a nondairy buttermilk. For the frosting, use your favorite non-dairy cream cheese.
  • Gluten Free Option: use a 1-to-1 gluten free flour in place of all purpose flour. Use the same quantities listed in the recipe card.
  • Vegan Option: follow the dairy free option and also use your favorite vegan butter as well as your favorite egg replacement. I recommend using flax eggs. For this recipe, that would be 4 tbsps of flaxseeds and 10 tbsps of water.
Pro Baking Tips
  • Accurate measurements: Use accurate measuring tools, such as measuring cups and spoons, to ensure precise measurements of both dry and liquid ingredients. Be particularly careful with flour, as too much can lead to a dense and dry cake.
  • Room temperature ingredients: Most cake recipes call for room temperature ingredients, such as butter, eggs, and milk. Bringing these ingredients to room temperature allows them to blend together more easily and helps create a smoother batter.
  • Avoid opening the oven door: During baking, try to avoid opening the oven door unnecessarily. Frequent temperature fluctuations can affect the cake's rise and texture.
  • Test for doneness: Use a toothpick or cake tester to check if the cake is done. Insert it into the center of the cake; if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, the cake is ready. If it comes out with wet batter, continue baking for a few more minutes and retest.
  • Cooling and frosting: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. This prevents the frosting from melting and sliding off the cake.
How to get equally sized cake layers 
This is my own hack for making sure all of my cake layers are the same size. Simply add a large mixing bowl on top of a kitchen scale and tare. Add the cake batter to the bowl and divide it by the number of cake layers you'll be making. (For this recipe, that would be three layers) i.e. 1200g of cake batter divided by 3 cake layers is 400g of cake batter per pan.
Remove the bowl from the scale and place a cake pan on top. Tare. Then add the amount of cake batter to each pan. Repeat with remaining cake pans.
It seems like a lot of extra work but it works every single time!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 785kcal, Carbohydrates: 88g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 47g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 141mg, Sodium: 519mg, Potassium: 140mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 69g, Vitamin A: 1206IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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