Red Velvet Sheet Cake
This red velvet sheet cake is soft, velvety, and topped with silky cream cheese frosting. An easy, crowd-pleasing dessert for any occasion.
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- 9x13 inch Baking Pan (ceramic or metal - do not use a glass baking dish!)
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 g) All Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp (12 g) Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
- 2 tbsp (12 g) Milk Powder
- 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder, (optional)
- 1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 10 tbsp (140 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (140 g) Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) Sugar
- 3/4 cup (165 g) Brown Sugar
- 4 large (200 g) Eggs
- 1 (18 g) Egg Yolk
- 1 1/2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Red Gel Food Coloring
- 1 1/4 cups (300 g) Buttermilk, (whole fat), room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80 g) Sour Cream
- 1/3 cup (80 g) Coffee, (Hot)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (224 g) Cream Cheese, (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup (113 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 4 cups (500 g) Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp (12 g) Milk Powder
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Buttermilk, (whole fat), room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper so that there's about 2 inch overhang - or spray with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, cocoa powder, milk powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside. 3 cups All Purpose Flour 2 tbsp Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder 2 tbsp Milk Powder 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder 1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- In a separate large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), combine room temperature butter, vegetable oil, sugar, and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer to cream together on medium speed until combined and pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. 10 tbsp Salted Butter 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1 1/4 cups Sugar 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- Begin adding eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next. Then add vanilla extract, vinegar, and red food coloring. Continue to mix until combined (the batter may split a bit, this is normal. It'll come back together once the dry ingredients are added) 4 large Eggs 1 Egg Yolk 1 1/2 tbsp Vanilla Extract 1 1/2 tbsp Vinegar 1 tbsp Red Gel Food Coloring
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix until smooth, about 20 seconds, then add the buttermilk and sour cream. Continue to mix until smooth, about 10-15 seconds, then add the remainder of the dry ingredients and continue to mix until a smooth batter forms, about another 20-30 seconds. Pour hot coffee into the bowl and whisk until just combined. 1 1/4 cups Buttermilk 1/3 cup Sour Cream 1/3 cup Coffee
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 38-42 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan, the remove onto a wire rack or serving plate to frost.
- Now make the cream cheese frosting. Add cream cheese and butter to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to mix together on medium speed for about 1 minute, until combined and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until combined in between each addition. Then add milk powder, vanilla extract, and buttermilk and mix until smooth, about 10-20 seconds. 8 oz Cream Cheese 1/2 cup Salted Butter 4 cups Powdered Sugar 2 tbsp Milk Powder 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 tbsp Buttermilk
- Add the cream cheese frosting on top of the cooled cake.
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 606kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 480mg, Potassium: 155mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 58g, Vitamin A: 751IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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