Name: Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1⅓ cups cake flour; 1 tbsp cocoa powder; ½ tsp baking soda; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ cup unsalted butter; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg; ½ cup vegetable oil; ½ tsp white vinegar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ½ cup Greek yogurt; 2 tbsp red food coloring; 7 oz cream cheese; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1½ cups powdered sugar; ¼ cup unsalted butter; 1 tbsp candy

Photos of Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe

The beautiful red tint and thick cream cheese frosting are the iconic features that give this red velvet cake its wonderful appearance, flavor, and depth. This classic red cake is a dessert that’s visually stunning and heavenly to eat. Pair it with a fruity cold treat like a raspberry sorbet to balance the richness from the cake or have a slice with a simple and delicious drink like hot chocolate.

Tips for Making Red Velvet Cake

This homemade cake recipe requires simple preparation and has a baking process that’s quick and uncomplicated, ideal for first-time bakers planning for a birthday or Valentine’s day surprise. Here are some insightful baking tips for you to easily create the best red velvet cake recipe:

Choose gel food coloring over the liquid version. Gel food coloring has a better concentration of red and will really give you that signature look for this dessert. If you’d like to use all-natural ingredients, then you can add beet powder to your cake batter to achieve the same red color. You’ll get a beautiful red cake either way.

Use both butter and oil. It may seem daunting using two types of fat but this combination will give you a desirable buttery flavor along with an incredibly moist texture.

Refrigerate your cream cheese frosting. Before frosting your cake, chill the frosting for about 20 minutes so it doesn’t get runny at room temperature.

Beat the icing well. It should be light and fluffy and a bit pale in color. If it’s too runny, you can add more powdered sugar as needed.

How To Make Best Red Velvet Cake

This simple red velvet cake recipe certainly won’t disappoint. Nothing beats a classic red velvet cake from scratch. It’s a wonderfully rich and moist treat with a decadent cream cheese frosting that you won’t be able to get enough of.

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 50 mins

Serves:

Ingredients

For Red Velvet Cake:

1⅓ cups cake flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
½ tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup Greek yogurt, plain, at room temperature
2 tbsp red food coloring

For Frosting:

7 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups powdered sugar, add more as needed
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

To Serve:

1 tbsp candy, heart-shaped, for decoration

Instructions

Red Velvet Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch round pan.
Bake the cake first. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine together butter and sugar. Cream for roughly 6 to 8 minutes until butter turns pale and doubles in volume and sugar has dissolved.
Add the oil, vanilla extract, vinegar, yoghurt, food coloring, and egg. Continue creaming.
Fold the sifted flour mixture into your wet mixture until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Transfer to the oven and bake for roughly 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, then cool down completely on wire racks.

Frosting:

Combine all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Beat for roughly 6 to 8 minutes until all are incorporated and turn pale, light and fluffy. Should the icing be runny, adjust with more powdered sugar. Set aside.
To assemble this cake, transfer your cooled cake onto your working area. Set aside any cake crumbs. Slice the cake in half.
With the bottom half facing you, spread roughly 1 cup of the frosting evenly. Top with the other half and press down lightly to adhere.
Spread the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Sprinkle the top with the cake crumbs. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Top it with heart-shaped candies or any of your preferred cake decorations. Portion accordingly and serve.

Nutrition

Sugar: 50g
:
Calcium: 49mg
Calories: 590kcal
Carbohydrates: 66g
Cholesterol: 79mg
Fat: 35g
Fiber: 1g
Iron: 1mg
Monounsaturated Fat: 7g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
Potassium: 96mg
Protein: 6g
Saturated Fat: 23g
Sodium: 236mg
Trans Fat: 1g
Vitamin A: 718IU

Nutrition Disclaimer

Want to share your experience with this red velvet cake recipe or have any tips to make it even better? Join the discussion in the Baking and Desserts forum section and let's talk about all things red velvet!

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Commonly Asked Questions

Is red velvet cake just a chocolate cake?

Red velvet cake is different from chocolate cake. Although both have a chocolate sponge cake, red velvet contains less cocoa powder so it has a milder chocolate flavor. Another difference between the two cakes is the use of additional ingredients like vinegar or Greek yoghurt, which we used in this recipe, giving it an extra rich and flavorful taste. Of course we can’t forget the red food coloring which gives this dessert its iconic red color. It’s an essential ingredient that separates it from the rest.

Why does my red velvet cake turn brown?

The reason it turns brownish is because of the chemical reactions when you mix vinegar, cocoa powder and baking soda. However, this can be easily avoided by adding enough food coloring, which is properly blended into the mixture. Add about 2 more drops of red food coloring if you feel your mixture isn’t as bright red as you’d like.

Can I make this cake in advance?

Yes, you can. However, note that the cream cheese frosting lasts only for 3 days in the fridge. Before serving and slicing, make sure that it’s at room temperature for about half an hour.

Conclusion

You can never go wrong with serving this creamy and luscious easy red velvet cake recipe. Its velvety softness and tangy cream cheese frosting will make anyone’s mouth water. Grab your aprons and let’s get baking!