There’s something undeniably special about red velvet cake. With its striking color and uniquely rich flavor, this dessert has captured the hearts of cake lovers everywhere.
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What Exactly Is Red Velvet Cake? To put it simply, red velvet cake is a classic dessert with a slight tang, a touch of cocoa, and a tender crumb. While its vivid color grabs attention, the texture and taste are where it truly shines.
The secret to the softness lies in the combination of buttermilk and vinegar working their magic with baking soda to create a light, velvety cake. Contrary to common belief, the cocoa flavor isn’t dominant; instead, it’s subtle, giving the cake a hint of chocolate without overpowering the tangy-sweet balance.
While some may think making this cake at home is complicated, it’s actually quite simple with the right recipe and technique. In this guide, we’ll break down how to make the perfect red velvet cake from scratch.
- Type of recipe: Dessert
- Cooking method: Oven baking
- Skill level: Medium Skill level with lots of mixing
- Flavors & textures: The cake is moist and fluffy. The frosting is rich and creamy.
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredients You’ll Need for the Cake
- Cake Flour: Makes the cake light and airy. This is the cake flour I use.
- Shortening: Helps achieve that soft crumb and adds richness to the batter.
- Sugar: Balances out the acidic tang of buttermilk and vinegar.
- Salt: Brings out the flavors in the other ingredients.
- Eggs: Adds structure and richness.
- Buttermilk: Contributes to that tangy signature taste while also keeping the cake moist.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of all other ingredients. You can use homemade vanilla or buy a good-quality vanilla extract.
- White Vinegar: Aids in activating the baking soda and intensifying the cake’s texture.
- Baking Soda: Accounts for the rise of the cake, creating a light and fluffy texture.
- Red Food Coloring: Creates that classic, bold red color. I use liquid food coloring for this recipe.
Ingredients for the Frosting
- Milk and Flour: Cooked together to create a smooth base for the frosting.
- Butter: Adds creaminess.
- Sugar: Sweetens the frosting to complement the subtle tang of the cake.
How To Make Red Velvet Cake
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8″ pans with nonstick spray and parchment paper – I use square baking pans, but feel free to use 8″ round pans.
Step 2: Mix the cocoa powder and red food coloring together in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 3: In a large bowl, beat the shortening and sugar together until creamy, about 1 minute.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.
Step 5: Add the flour and buttermilk mixture to the bowl of shortening and sugar, alternating between the two. Mix well after each addition. Add the salt.
Step 6. Add the cocoa powder and food coloring mixture to the beaten batter. Mix in until completely mixed.
Step 7: Mix the vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl, then add this mixture to the red batter and mix until combined.
Step 8: Pour the batter between the two baking pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on racks before removing them from the pans.
How To Make Butter Roux Frosting
Step 9: In a heavy saucepan, whisk the flour and sugar together, then slowly whisk in the milk. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and thick, about 10 – 14 minutes.
Step 10: Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic over the mixture. Let the mixture cool completely, about 30 – 45 minutes in the fridge. This will be thick like pudding.
Step 11: Beat the butter and vanilla for about 5 minutes until fluffy.
Step 12: Add the cooled flour milk mixture in thirds, beating well after each addition until smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl and mix still smooth.
Step 13: Once the cake has fully cooled, place one layer on a cake plate with the bottom facing up to get a nice flat surface, then spoon or pipe the icing onto the middle of the cake. With a large icing knife, spread the icing to the sides of the cake.
Step 14: Top with the second layer of cake, again flip the cake over and spoon the icing onto the middle of the cake and spread to the sides.
Step 15. Add some colorful sprinkles to the top of the cake, then slice and enjoy!
Storage
- Store: This cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: If you want to prolong its shelf life, you can also freeze it for up to 2 months! Just make sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil before placing it in the freezer.
- To thaw: Leave it at room temperature for about an hour or two before serving. Alternatively, you can also microwave individual slices for a few seconds until they are soft and ready to eat.
Tips for Baking Success
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Eggs, buttermilk, and butter mix more evenly when they’re not cold. This results in a smoother batter, leading to a consistent texture in your cake.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Mix just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can lead to a dense cake instead of the lovely, soft crumb we’re aiming for.
- Bake Immediately After Mixing: Once the batter is ready, pop it into the oven right away. The reactions between vinegar and baking soda start working quickly, so you’ll want to make the most of those bubbles!
- Use Parchment Paper for Layered Cakes: Line your pans with parchment paper to prevent sticking and make transferring layers a breeze.
Cake FAQ’s
One possible reason your frosting turns out lumpy is that the butter or cream cheese (if you’re using any) isn’t softened to room temperature before mixing. Cold ingredients can create lumps that are difficult to smooth out. Make sure all your ingredients are properly softened and well-combined. Another tip is to sift your powdered sugar before adding it to avoid any clumps. This extra step ensures a smooth and creamy consistency every time!
Absolutely! Almond flour is a great alternative for those looking to make a gluten-free version of this cake. Just keep in mind that the texture may be slightly different, but the overall taste will still be delicious.
Be sure to thoroughly grease and flour your cake pans, or use parchment paper for extra ease. This little step saves a lot of hassle later!
More Red Velvet Recipes
This red velvet cake has been my family’s go-to for birthdays and Christmas celebrations—it was even my wedding cake! I made this cake for my daughter’s 16th birthday, and it made such a pretty presentation. I’ve included the piping buttercream frosting in the recipe card.
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Recipe
Red Velvet Cake with Butter Roux Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup solid shortening
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ounce liquid red food coloring can use 2 oz. for a brighter red color
Butter Roux Frosting
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ¼ cup flour
- 1½ cups butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Perfect Piping Buttercream
- 4 sticks butter unsalted, room temperature
- 2 ¼ pound powdered sugar sifted
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8″ pans with nonstick spray and parchment paper – I use square pans
- In a small bowl mix the cocoa powder and red food coloring together and set aside.
- In a large bowl beat the shortening and sugar together until creamy for one minute.
- In another bowl mix the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla,
- To the bowl of shortening and sugar, add the flour and buttermilk mixture alternating between the two. Mix well after each addition. Add the salt
- Pour the cocoa powder mixture into the bowl and mix until combined.
- In a small bowl mix the vinegar and baking soda, then mix into the batter until combined.
- Pour the batter between the two baking pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on racks for before removing from pans.
Butter Roux Frosting
- In a heavy saucepan whisk the flour and sugar together than slowly whisk in the milk. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and thick, about 10 – 14 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic over the mixture. Let the mixture cool completely, about 30 – 45 minutes in the fridge This will be thick like pudding.
- Beat the butter and vanilla for about 5 minutes until fluffy.
- Add the cooled flour milk mixture in thirds, beating well after each addition until smooth and creamy. Scrape the bowl and mix still smooth.
Frosting the cake
- Once the cake has fully cooled place one layer on a cake plate with the bottom facing up to get a nice flat surface then spoon the icing onto the middle of the cake. With a large icing knife spread the icing to the sides of the cake. Top with the second layer of cake, again flip the cake over and spoon the icing onto the middle of the cake and spread to the sides. To achieve the pretty scallops on the sides of the cake use a #1 icing tip to pipe rosettes around the edge of the cake.You can leave the side unfrosted if you like or frost the sides.
Perfect Piping Buttercream
- Mix the butter until smooth and fluffy, then add the cream, cornstarch, and salt.
- Scrape the bowl then add the sifted powdered sugar in batches. Beat to combine and scraping bowl occasionally.
- Add the almond extract.
- Adjust the consistency of the icing by adding more powdered sugar or more cream for your desired piping.
- Add food coloring.
- This is a crusting buttercream so keep a plastic wrap over the bowl.
This buttercream can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks or it can be frozen for six months.
Storing the cake
- This cake will keep for several days in an airtight container.
Notes
- Two – 8″ round cake pans
- One – 13″ x 9″ cake pan
- Make about 30 cupcakes
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Nutrition
Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog. Please leave a comment to say hello or tell me what you are baking; I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Do you have any questions or want to chat about the recipe? Please visit my About page for information, and I’ll be happy to help!
Hello there, I’m Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven® sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
This is one special cake, I grew up having red velvet cake for special occasions and decided to make this for my retirement party. I love that you made it square but I only had round pans, but I didn’t ice the sides like your show. I like that look.
My mother made me this cake when I was a little girl. It was my favorite. We make the roux frosting. One trick is to beat the butter and sugar for quite awhile. That will take care of the grainy texture. I do add a dash of salt. And I only use 1 Oz of red food coloring. I fill the bottle up with water for the 2nd ounce. I made this cake yesterday for my granddaughter’s. They love it. One said, “I want this cake for my wedding cake.” That must mean they love it too.
That is a great tip on using just one bottle of red food coloring and adding water to the bottle for the additional color. I am so doing that. Tell your granddaughter that I also had a red velvet cake at my wedding, and both of my daughter’s plan to have red velvet as well. It is such a tradition to bake this cake for all of our special occasions.
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will Share your Rrecipe with my friends. Hope they will love it too.
Should I use the dutch-pressed (alkalized) cocoa powder for this recipe? There are also unsweetened cocoa powders that aren’t dutch-pressed, so they have acidity. Not sure which one to pick!
Hi Jackie, you do not need to use dutch-processed cocoa powder. I usually use Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder. If you only have the dutch-processed that will work to considering the recipe uses a small amount.
Love the frosting. But we have always put pecans and coconut in it.
I love pecans and coconut, I’ll have to try that in the icing.
So true about the red cake tradition. My grandmother made this cake in the middle 60’s and for the following approximately 40 years I had red cake on my birthday. Getting older and watching weight, I stopped the red cake tradition, but still make it every once in a while on special occasions. I always need to look up the recipe every time. Yours is that recipe of my grandmother’s. The best cake ever. I actually cannot eat red cake made by anyone else using any other recipe. And that butter roux frosting is a must. I usually split the cake layers in half to get more layers and thus more frosting. My next trick is to make a white velvet cake, eliminating the food coloring, chocolate and egg yolks, and adding more egg whites. Thank you for your comments, so true.
Thank you for your kind comments. I love to hear about different families food traditions, I think they are so important. I so want to try your white velvet cake, it sounds amazing. I need to add this to the blog.
Cake was great, but the butter roux frosting didn’t do it for me. Just kind of tasted like eating a stick of butter.
Is it granular or powdered sugar for the roux frosting? I’ve use granulated and it’s still grainy.
Try this, mix the sugar in with the flour and milk mixture, or make sure to whip the frosting longer.
I’m making the butter roux frosting but it’s very grainy. The sugar has not dissolved. Ideas?
You answered all the questions I had about red velvet cake. I’ve never made a red velvet cake and have wondered if it is considered a chocolate cake and now I know the answer. Thanks for sharing one of your favorite traditions.
Glad you liked the post, hope you make a red velvet soon
This sounds just incredible! I am drooling over that butter roux frosting – yum! Can’t wait to try it!
I hesitated to mention how incredible the frosting is, it’s almost like candy.
I am a big red velvet fan and this looks super tasty. Thanks for sharing Jeré.
So delicious! Everyone needs a great red velvet cake recipe and this is definitely mine!
Thanks so much, this is a good recipe
I am so curious about that butter roux icing! I’ve not heard of it but it sounds incredible! Red Velvet cakes are THE BEST!
Not many people use butter roux, but it is so delicious.
I love red velvet cake and yours looks amazing!! I’m definitely going to try this out, thanks for sharing.
Thanks, I hope you do give it a try.