The Only Red Velvet Cake Recipe You Need!

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This is the ONLY Red Velvet Cake Recipe You Need! I know I promised this for some time, but life happens! And having MS sucks! For weeks I’ve been experiencing blurry vision in my left eye, making life much more difficult. I couldn’t read texts and emails, and my balance was more off than usual. I’m still feeling some of these symptoms, but life goes on! And I can finally share one of my most popular recipes since I first started this little business of mine.

RED VELVET CAKE RECIPE INSPIRATION

This cake recipe is going to be a new family favourite that you’ll be making for years to come! It was inspired by the one and only Bobby Flay’s red velvet recipe, but I made it better (no offence Bobby!). I actually used this recipe to make red velvet cupcakes when I first started baking. This red velvet recipe is so easy to make, it’s almost as easy as a dump-and-go recipe! There’s no need for any special techniques, the only thing I’d suggest you have is a food scale and a sifter for the dry ingredients. It’s one of my all-time favourite cake and cupcake recipes!

WHAT IS RED VELVET CAKE?

Red velvet cake is a very light chocolate cake, with a slight tartness and tanginess from the hint of vinegar and buttermilk in the cake batter. This cake is often paired with cream cheese frosting, which balances well with the tartness of the cake. Add some cocoa powder and red food colouring and voila! You have a rich, decadent classic red velvet cake. I think the bright red colour of this cake is a great match for certain holidays, like Valentine’s Day or Christmas!

MAKING THE RED VELVET CAKE BATTER

First, I like to get all of my ingredients ready. I start by sifting together all of the dry ingredients. Set this aside for later.

In a large bowl, add the sugar, buttermilk and vegetable or canola oil. Mix on low speed until combined. Then add the eggs, one at a time.

While the wet ingredients are mixing, I combine the red food colouring, vanilla, and vinegar in a small bowl. With red food colouring, I’ve used a few different brands (but sometimes products get discontinued and you end up having to find another!). Lately, I’ve been using 2 of the Clubhouse Red Food Coloring bottles (28ml per bottle), which you may be able to find at your local grocery store or bulk foods store. This food colouring gives a nice, vibrant red colour once the cake/cupcakes are baked.

Now, I usually fill these bottles with water after I’ve emptied the food colouring and add this water to the batter (clean the bottles and measure out your water at the same time – killing 2 birds with one stone!). Wanna add a third bird? I add the water to the small bowl I used for the food colouring/vanilla/vinegar, then add it to the batter (it helps rinse out the red colour that’s leftover in the bowl).

Once the eggs, food colouring, vanilla and vinegar are incorporated, slowly add the sifted dry ingredients. You’ll have to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in well.

I find this recipe tends to bake brown around the edges (since the batter is so thin, it takes longer to bake – and the edges bake first, and longer). So it’s not ideal if you want a RED red velvet naked cake, but it doesn’t take away from the deliciousness of this cake! Cake strips can help, but you have to be careful and make sure the cake is baked properly. Also, bake it at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (instead of the usual 350). It’s essential in helping you avoid a brown velvet cake – it’ll still be yummy though!

This recipe is suitable for a 3-layer 8” cake, or 24 cupcakes. I’ve also included the recipe below for cream cheese frosting, and I highly suggest you freeze the frosting if you’re not making it the same day as the cake – I find cream cheese frosting tastes a little “off” if it sits out for a while.

Tried this recipe? Comment below and let me know how it turned out!

Happy baking and munching!

xo

Mich

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Yield: 8″ Cake or 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients

red velvet LAYER Cake

• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (330g)
• 1 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda (8g)
• 1 1/4 Tsp Salt (8g)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (12g)
• 1 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil (215g(
• 1 1/3 Cups Granulated Sugar (300g)
• 1 1/4 Cups Buttermilk (320g)
• 2 Large Eggs (100g)

cream cheese frosting

• 2 Cups Unsalted Butter (454g) – room temperature
• Cream Cheese (375g) – room temperature
• 2 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar (275g)
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract (10g)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 Degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 3 8″ pans with parchment paper and cooking spray.
2. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
3. In a Stand Mixer with a paddle attachment, mix oil, sugar and buttermilk until combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time. Add vinegar, vanilla, food colouring and water. Mix well.
5. On low speed, slowly add sifted dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until combined, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
6. Divide the batter between your cake pans, and bake for about 25-30 minutes – until the toothpick comes out clean.
7. When the cake is cooled completely, assemble your cake with the buttercream – creating a 3-layered cake.
8. Enjoy!

Making the Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter and cream cheese. Mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Slowly add the icing sugar, then the vanilla extract.
3. Continue to mix on medium to high speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, if desired.

Check out this post for tips on assembling a layer cake!

How To Assemble a Layer Cake

red velvet layer cake RECIPE NOTES

• This recipe was adapted from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/red-velvet-cupcakes-recipe-1953682
• Be careful not to overmix and overbake. Mix until combined and check the cake every few minutes after you’ve hit the 20-minute mark in the oven.
• I always recommend using cake strips when baking cakes. It really helps the layers bake more evenly.