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Have you ever had really great Red Velvet Cake? If you have, you probably remember the delicious tang from the buttermilk, the hints of cocoa and the moist, light crumb. And let’s not forget the best cream cheese icing on this earth!
Real deal Red Velvet Cake always has vinegar and buttermilk in the mix. Occasionally you might find Red Velvet cake recipes that include red food color but not the vinegar and buttermilk. They may be called Red Velvet, but they won’t taste the same. The history of Red Velvet cake is interesting and thought to have been developed during the Victorian Era. The cake we enjoy today, with red food coloring, probably came about during the depression when a Texas company starting selling red food dye. You can make your own red food dye by using beets, but for this cake we used a one-ounce bottle of liquid red food coloring.
Okay. I have a story. About an infamous Red Velvet Cake.
While growing up, Red Velvet cake was my favorite and the one I asked for each year on my birthday. My mom made great cakes and I always loved her Red Velvet Cake, until I tried to make it.
It was around the time my husband and I got engaged.
I was trying to impress him with my baking abilities and it was his birthday so I decided to make my favorite cake in the whole world, Red Velvet. Generally, I don’t make great cakes, I make great pies – BIG difference. Anyway – always up for a challenge, I made the homemade cake and was pleased that it looked so pretty! Three layers with cream cheese, pecans and candles. We did the birthday song and presents but much to my dismay, the cake was really, really dry. I overcooked it a bit, I think.
Sometimes those handwritten recipes don’t include ALL the pertinent information. Such as reduce the cooking time if you make three layers instead of two. Duhhh. Oh well, it didn’t taste terrible, it was just very dry. I thought the cream cheese frosting covered any flaws the cake might have had, at least a little. It was edible … I think, but I may not be remembering it clearly because it was over 33 years ago.
Being the supportive fiancé he was, he ate a few bites of cake each time I pulled it out of the fridge over the next few days.
A couple of days after his birthday we went on a weekend camping trip and I slipped the leftover cake in the cooler. I was determined not to waste it because after all, it was homemade and wasn’t that bad! Finally Ed had to tell the truth. “Trish, this cake is not very good and I just can’t eat anymore.” OK, you’re off the hook. I agree it is a little dry. I pitched the giant hunk of leftover cake in the blazing fire thinking it would dissolve quickly. We watched as the cake started to glow, not really burn, but glow, like a piece of coal or …. oh my gosh, it glowed like a Duraflame Log! It burned/glowed for hours like the piece of coal it was!
We laughed and laughed and from then on it was called the Duraflame cake. Our children have never wanted to try Red Velvet cake and who can blame them! But come on guys, it has been over 33 years! Let it go already!
25 years later, I made another Red Velvet cake when I first started blogging in 2010.
It was pretty good, and not as dry as the Duraflame cake, but I still wasn’t thrilled. So being the stubborn girl that I am, I recently ‘forewarned’ my husband that I was going to try making another Red Velvet Cake with a holiday theme. His response was … “Oh good a Yule Log.” I’ll never live that down. Never. Ever.
I’m a much better cake maker now than I used to be, so I fixed mom’s recipe and reworked it into this amazingly moist and delicious cake you see here! Mom’s recipe called for vegetable shortening, like Crisco. I felt like the shortening was making the cake dry, and tough, so I switched it out for unsalted butter. Then I added more butter and used full-fat buttermilk. Now we’re talking!
This is the Red Velvet Cake I dream about!
Moist and tender, with a lovely tang that I would recognize if I ate it blindfolded. The flavor may remind you of a chocolate cake, but with terrific flair! It took me a long time but Mom’s cake is now a keeper. I think she would approve of my changes, especially after she tried it. This is a great cake to make all year long. To give it a holiday theme, use fresh Rosemary sprigs and a batch of our Sugared Cranberries to create a wreath.
After 33 years of trying to live it down, I’ve finally achieved red velvet cake redemption!
My husband said, and I quote, “it’s perfect and I would marry you all over again!” Thank heavens!
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Red Velvet Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ounce red liquid food color (not icing gel food color)
- 2 tablespoons natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
- 2 ¼ cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
For the icing:
- 12 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 24 ounces powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
To prepare the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing just until the yolk disappears.
- In a small bowl whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, salt and vanilla until blended. Add the cocoa mixture to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Blend on medium-low until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add ⅓ of the buttermilk and blend on low until incorporated. Next add ⅓ of the flour and mix on low. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat by adding ½ of the remaining buttermilk and then ½ of the remaining cake flour taking care not to over-beat after each addition. Blend on low just until incorporated. Repeat until all the buttermilk and flour are incorporated.
- In a small cup stir together the vinegar and baking soda, until completely dissolved. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the vinegar mixture into the cake batter. Do not beat!
- Divide the batter equally into the three prepared 8-inch cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (moist crumbs are okay - no wet batter) about 18 to 20 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out and cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare the icing:
- Combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until blended. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. And the vanilla and mix on low until smooth and creamy.
- I use about 2 cups of icing in between the cake layers but you can probably use more. There is enough to frost this cake without leaving the layers showing through (naked). Frost the cake as desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cake keeps well up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
Red Liquid Food Color
I recommend using liquid food color like this easy to find McCormick’s brand. The thick, gel-like small plastic containers of food color are typically used for icing, and are labeled that way. The thicker gel food color may not work as well in this cake. To make things even more confusing, some liquid food color is marked as gel-liquid. Purchase a culinary grade food color that is more liquid than gel, and mix well into the batter. I always buy this McCormick brand because it’s the exact amount I need for this cake, it blends very well, it’s readily available in most grocery stores and has a beautiful bright red color. Click on the photo for more information or to purchase from Amazon.
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Here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:
Cranberry Almond Breakfast Cake
Cranberry Orange Bread
How to make sugared cranberries
Marcela says
Hi Tricia, I was wondering if I could use cranberry juice (fresh cranberries reduced with water on the stove then strained to make juice) in place of red food coloring? Thanks a lot Tricia!
Tricia Buice says
Hi Marcela. I have not tried this method of food coloring. However, I would love to know if it works out for you. A lot of people use beet juice as food color, too. Make sure you don’t exceed the amount of liquid called for in the recipe. Since cranberries have a strong tart flavor, I’m not sure how this will affect the overall flavor of the cake. It sounds like a good idea, just not sure it will work. I would just leave out the food color all together, but of course the cake will not be red.
Jennie says
Finally made this red velvet cake. Although it was good, my layers were very thin. I followed directions explicitly. I used three 8” cake pans and baked 20 minutes. The only thing I can think of that may have been my issue was when I added the vinegar to the baking soda, it fizzled well , then stopped all fizzing when I stirred it. As I poured it in batter, I noticed some soda was not completely incorporated in the vinegar. I did make sure all of Mixture was folded into batter. I have such success with your recipes and I would love to try this recipe again. Do you have an idea of what could cause thin layers? The cake was tender and moist but extremely fragile. Thank you for any assistance before I try again
Tricia Buice says
Hi Jeannie. Sorry you had trouble with this recipe. I think you’re right about the vinegar baking soda mixture. This is what gives the cake a little lift. Two things. Be sure you are using fresh baking soda. It will stop fizzing, but make sure the baking soda is completely dissolved. Also, good buttermilk is key to great flavor and texture. The vinegar/baking soda mixture reacts again to the buttermilk. Double check your measurements, shake your buttermilk very well before measuring, and use fresh baking soda. Good luck! So happy you’re going to try again and I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Rickadia says
Good afternoon I was wondering what brand buttermilk you use and what cake flour you use?
Tricia Buice says
I use King Arthur’s brand of unbleached cake flour and Upstate Farms whole fat buttermilk. Enjoy!
Michelle says
Made this cake…. followed recipe accurately..used two 9” cake pans….. baked 28 mins… tested done .. cake was very dry….. and not very red….. disappointed….. threw it away after we had for dessert on Christmas Day…… will not make again……. it
Looked pretty with sugared cranberries….. but was way too dry
Tricia Buice says
Hi Michelle. Sounds like you over baked the cake. Not sure where you got 28 minutes for the baking time but that was probably 5 minutes too long. As noted in several places on this post, dried out red velvet cake is horrible. Thus the story about my first experience with red velvet cake. No doubt your cake was not what you had hoped. Glad it looked nice, however. Maybe you will try again one day.
Michelle says
How long would you have baked 9” cake pans? They were still raw after 20 mins….. I tested twice… tester came out clean at 28 mins…. your recipe called for 3- 8” cake pans… I baked 2 – 9” pans ….Would have Also preferred layers to be red …..my oven is only a year old… I’ve not had trouble baking cakes before.
Tricia Buice says
Hi Michelle. I’m sure your new oven is baking fine, but each oven bakes differently. Dark pans bake more quickly than light colored pans, etc. I recommend that you always trust your instincts when it comes to baking. Two or three extra minutes in the oven can mean the cake could be dry. A toothpick inserted in the center of this cake should come out clean so I would probably check at 23 to 25 minutes. As for the cake not being red, I have not tested this cake with every red food color product available. Some may react differently. For this cake you should use the red liquid gel kind of food color that comes in a bottle, not the small plastic jar that is used for icing. Hope these tips help. Again I am very sorry it didn’t turn out as you had hoped.
Therese Betar says
Oh my goodness! This is an amazing recipe! So good. I made 1 layer 7 cakes for our neighbors. A lot of work but yummy! Can’t wait to surprise them for the holidays!
Tricia Buice says
That’s great Therese! What a wonderful neighbor you are. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Have a blessed holiday!
Ellen says
Hello, thank you so much for an amazing idea! I just made this cake for a Christmas party. Everyone was so impressed!
One moment: I used muuuuch less sugar for icing. And have added a spoon of milk to make it creamy.
My cake took twice more cream ))
Thank you and Happy holidays!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Ellen! So happy you enjoyed the cake. Thank you and happy holidays!
Ransrini says
Hi! Love how this looks! I have a small concern, I am not able to find buttermilk here, what can I substitute it with? Thanks in advance.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Ransrini! To make your own buttermilk put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a 1 cup measure. Fill the measuring cup with regular milk and stir. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes then it’s ready to use!
Mike says
Question for you, I’ve never seen vinegar in a cake. Can you help me understand the purpose there?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Mike. Vinegar combined with baking soda creates a chemical reaction which helps provide lift, and a good rise in your cake. Anything acidic combined with vinegar will do the trick. Although Red Velvet Cake contains buttermilk, which reacts the same way as vinegar when mixed with baking soda, the additional vinegar ensures the cake will turn out beautifully. It’s an effective leavening agent for sure. True red velvet cakes have always contained vinegar, not just red food color. Hope that helps!
Trudy says
Hi there! Love this cake! Do you think the recipe will work for a 9×13 pan? Should I increase at all? Thanks for the advice!
Tricia Buice says
Hi Trudy. I love this cake too and think it will be fine in a 9×13-inch pan. I don’t know how long to bake so you’ll have to watch it carefully. Good luck and enjoy!
Jennie says
Can’t wait to make your beautiful red velvet cake. Can you clarify cake pan size? At the beginning of instructions for this recipe, it calls for using 3 (8”) pans, yet further down in instructions, it refers to prepared 6” pans. However; In recipe notes, it states you used 3(6”) pans but can use two 9” or two 8” pans. Which size pan and how many pans match recipe cooking time? Thank you.
Tricia Buice says
Hi Jennie. Thanks so much for calling these errors to my attention. I don’t know why I had it in my mind that I used smaller cake pans. For this recipe I used 3 (8-inch) cake pans. You can also use 2 (9-inch) cake pans if you prefer. The baking time is for the three (8-inch) pans. Good luck – this is a wonderful recipe and delicious cake!
Jan says
I would like to make this for a friend. It’s her favorite. However, she has become allergic to red dye. Any suggestions for a replacement?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Jan. I’ve heard that you can use beet juice as a substitute for red food dye. Not sure how much you would have to use but even a little might do the trick. Here’s a good article on making a Natural Red Velvet Cake. Good luck!
Tess says
This cake is so beautiful! I made it last weekend and it turned out fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe Tricia. I do have a question, I didn’t decorate the cake with the fresh rosemary because I was worried that the rosemary flavour would transfer to the icing, does it ?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Tess! Thanks so much for trying our cake and I’m thrilled that you liked it. I could not taste any rosemary on the icing, however I didn’t try each piece – haha. I refrigerated the cake overnight before decorating so I think that helps harden the icing and the rosemary just sat on top. Hope that helps! Thanks again for trying our recipe and we truly appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Tess says
That sounds like a great idea, I will do that the next time I make it. Thank you so much for the tip!
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Tess!
Monique says
I mentioned on IG how stupendous this was and I Pinned it I am sure.I forget where I have commented..just don’t want NEW YEAR to slip by without my wishing you the very best..to you and yours..
Tricia Buice says
Thank you sweet lady! Happy New Year to you and yours!
Susan says
That is a good story, Tricia! You certainly made amends with this one 🙂 It looks moist and delicious and oh, so pretty! You know, I’ve never had a red velvet cake?! Would love to taste yours 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Susan – hope you get to try it sometime!
Lakshmy says
Hi Tricia! Would love to try your red velvet cake! Can I use all purpose flour instead of the cake flour mentioned in your recipe?
Regards-Lakshmy
Tricia Buice says
Hi Lakshmy – yes you can substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour, with a little adjustment. Check out this link – How to Make Cake Flour with All-Purpose Flour
handmade by amalia says
Wow. Way too pretty to eat. Hope you’re enjoying the season, dear Tricia.
Amalia
xo
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Amalia – I hope you have a very happy New Year!
Diana says
The cake looks awesome..and I want to try it for new year..would you be able to share the measurement in grams?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Diana – You can look the conversions up on Google, but I have found it doesn’t always work as well as you want it to. I have not calculated these ingredients in grams. Sorry!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
What a stunning cake! I had to laugh at your story about the Duraflame cake…that is so funny. I hope Christmas was everything you wanted it to be.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Karen! Our Christmas was lovely and hope yours was too. Have a wonderful New Year!
Renee says
I saw this on Facebook. I love Red Velvet Cake but the recipe I tried in the past was just too oily. This is so pretty. I have the ingredients and am making this tomorrow to take to my daughter’s house. I even bought the rosemary and cranberries for the top of the cake 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Hi Renee! I hope you got the chance to try this cake. And I hope you loved it as much as we do! Enjoy 🙂
Monica says
Gorgeous cake! It is absolute red velvet cake perfection..and I adore the beautiful decoration on top. It is redemption and then some. Just wanted to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. Happy everything!
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Monica – so great to hear from you! Hope you are doing well and that you have a blessed Christmas holiday!
Liz says
Oh, my gosh, I LOVE how you garnished your cake! Makes it super festive for the holidays. And the story of your first attempt is priceless. I’ll never live down the first stroganoff recipe I made for Bill, it was BAD! Merry Christmas!! xo
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Liz! Bad recipes seem to be more memorable than the great ones – oh well! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef says
What a nice husband you have . Your velvet cake looks divine, I don’t think I ever have had anything like it. It looks so beautiful Tricia. Have a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Tricia Buice says
Merry Christmas to you too Gerlinde. Enjoy your company!
Larry says
I can’y remember my last red velvet cake, yours looks delicious. I especially like your Christmas wreath on top.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Larry. Merry Christmas to you and Bev!
Chris Scheuer says
Such a gorgeous cake should be on the cover of a magazine! There’s something magical to me about anything red velvet and this cake definitely looks magical. And delicious!
Tricia Buice says
Thank you so much Chris! It’s a great cake, and a personal favorite 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Stunning! And so beautifully decorated for the season. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, Tricia 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Jennifer! Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas too.
Julie G says
Absolutely gorgeous! That cake does look moist! I love how beautifully you decorated it…perfect for the holiday. I may give this one a try next week Tricia. My daughter is getting married tomorrow and we have a holiday full of excitement. I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and wonderfully Happy New Year! And, I’m excited about what you have in store for us in 2019!!
Tricia Buice says
Oh Julie congratulations!!!! I bet you are so excited. A Christmas wedding is amazing. My husband and I were married on December 14th, a long time ago, but we’ve always loved celebrating during this festive and special time of year. You are the sweetest and I’m so happy for you all. Merry Christmas to you and yours. I know you are busy, so take care and enjoy the ride! XOXOX
angiesrecipes says
This looks stunning! The cranberry and rosemary decorations are brilliant, Tricia.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Angie – so easy and fun. LOVE this cake!