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Tangy buttermilk Red Velvet Cake recipe

Have you ever had really great Red Velvet Cake?
If you’ve had great Red Velvet Cake you probably remember the delicious tang from the buttermilk, the hints of cocoa, gorgeous red color and the moist, light crumb. And let’s not forget the best cream cheese icing on this earth!
What is Red Velvet Cake?
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 it won’t taste the same or have that wonderful texture.
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. This made Red Velvet Cake climb in popularity to the iconic showstopper we know and love today.
You can make your own red food dye by using beet juice but for this cake we used a one-ounce bottle of liquid red food coloring.
Overview: Ingredients
For the cake batter:
- unsalted butter at room temperature
- granulated or white sugar
- eggs at room temperature
- red liquid food coloring (not gel food coloring)
- cocoa powder
- salt
- vanilla extract
- buttermilk, full fat, well shaken
- cake flour
- white vinegar
- baking soda
For the cream cheese icing:
- cream cheese at room temperature
- unsalted butter at room temperature
- powdered sugar
- pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
Okay. I have a story about an infamous Red Velvet Cake.
While growing up Red Velvet cake was my favorite and always 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 complete with candles.
We did the birthday song and presents but much to my dismay, the cake was really, really dry. I over-baked 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 30+ years ago.
Being the supportive fiancé he was, he ate a few bites of cake each time I pulled it out of the fridge.
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’s a little dry.
I pitched the giant hunk of leftover cake in the blazing fire thinking it would quickly dissolve. 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 tried again.
The cake I made in 2010 was pretty good and not as dry as the Duraflame cake, but I still wasn’t thrilled.
Being the stubborn girl that I am, I ‘forewarned’ my husband that I was going to make another Red Velvet Cake this time with a holiday theme. His response was … “Oh good, a Yule Log.” I’ll never live this down. Not ever.
Thank goodness I’m a much better cake maker than I used to be. And this time I fixed mom’s recipe by reworking it into this amazingly moist and delicious chocolate cake you see here!
Mom’s original 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 about the perfect Red Velvet Cake!
This is the Red Velvet Cake I dream about!
Our new and improved Red Velvet Cake is moist and tender, with a lovely tang that I’d recognize if I ate it blindfolded. The flavor might remind you of chocolate devil’s food cake, but with terrific flair!
It took me a long time, actually decades, but Mom’s cake is now a keeper. I think she would approve of my changes, especially after she tried it.
Even though we decorated this cake for the holidays, it’s great 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!
Overview: how to make the BEST Red Velvet Cake
Prepare the cake batter:
- Preheat the oven. Grease and flour three 8 inch pans.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
- In a small bowl combine the red food coloring with the cocoa, salt and vanilla. Add to the creamed butter mixture.
- Alternate adding the buttermilk and flour on low speed until incorporated.
- In a small bowl stir the vinegar with the baking soda until dissolved. Gently fold the mixture into the batter.
- Divide the dough between the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out with no wet batter. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Prepare the icing:
- Combine the cream cheese and butter until blended. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Frost the cake and decorate as desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Thanks for PINNING!
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 cocoa powder natural, unsweetened
- 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
- pinch of salt
- 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 salt and 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
- Decorate the top of the cake with fresh rosemary twigs and sugared cranberries if desired. Click HERE to get recipe for the sugared cranberries.
- I used three 8-inch cake pans. You can also make this cake into two 9-inch layers. Watch the baking time – dried out Red Velvet cake is not good!
- Recipe adapted from my Mom’s archives.
Kathy Thomas
Found your site. I I want to make your red velvet cake.Why not gel food coloring?My gel says will not thin the batter. .Hard to find liquid.
Thank you
Kathy Thomas
Tricia Buice
Hi Kathy. You can try gel if you want but I’m not sure how the color does when baked. Let is know if you still get a true red color.
Shari Gorden
Your videos don’t work…they don’t play all the way through without skipping to another recipe.
Tricia Buice
Hi Shari. There is a button that pops up halfway through the video asking if you want to stay or see the next video. You can click STAY to watch all the way through. Sorry if that was confusing.
Alicia Callie Ezell
My birthday is Christmas Day so I made this as a bday cake and the decor was beautiful. I only had all purpose flour (and no cornstarch) so I cannot wait to try it with the cake flour next time but I loved it so much. I know it’ll be even more airy with the correct flour. But honestly it still turned out so yummy. A true red velvet experience. I made my own buttermilk (stores were out) with lemon and whole milk and that was just fine. Thanks so much for sharing and happy holidays!
Tricia Buice
Happy birthday to you Alicia! So happy you enjoyed this cake. Bravo and happy holidays!
Megan Sullivan
I’m confused on the first few steps. Wen do the bowls with the creamed eggs and butter get mixed with the cocoa? Which one does the flour get mixed into?
Tricia Buice
Hi Megan. In STEP 2 beat the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs. STEP 3 – In a separate small bowl blend together the food color, cocoa, salt and vanilla. Add the cocoa mixture to the butter and eggs mixture. STEP 4 add 1/3 of the measured buttermilk, then add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Continue alternating until add ingredients are blended. Hope you enjoy this delicious cake!
Mary Stacey
Excited to make this for Christmas.I have never made a cake with only 2 eggs and was wondering why so little eggs. Also I only have 2 – 8″ pans ,so can the batter sit to cook it later. If I use two 9″ pans can I cut the each cake in half so I have 4 layer cake?
Tricia Buice
Hi Mary. No the batter will not do well sitting for a long period of time. Yes you can slice the 9-inch layers in half to make 4 total. Enjoy!
Pamela
Have you ever used buttermilk powder instead of fresh buttermilk?
Tricia Buice
Hi Pamela. I haven’t tried buttermilk powder in this recipe but love it in many bread recipes. However, in this recipe I would be afraid to try it as the chemical reaction that happens when you combine the buttermilk with baking soda may be lost. That may affect the leavening and texture of the cake. Happy baking!
Amanda
How much in advance can I make and assemble this cake? How about the sugared cranberries?
Tricia Buice
Hi Amanda. You can make this cake and the cranberries the day before serving. However, I would not add the cranberries to the cake until the day you plan to serve. If using, store the glazed unsugared cranberries on a parchment paper lined plate so they won’t stick together. Store all cranberries in the refrigerator.
Karina
Hi there, this looks delicious! I’m wondering whether you have to use buttermilk? Is there an appropriate substitute? Thanks!
Tricia Buice
I Karina. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a great substitute at home. Pour 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup. Add whole milk to fill, then stir. Set aside for 5 minutes then add to your cake. Instant buttermilk!
Luke
Hi, tried this recipe! Cake was great! We’ll be trying this recipe again! Do you think a vanilla buttercream would go well with recipe, instead of cream cheese frosting (just a thought)?
Tricia Buice
Hi Luke. Thanks for the feedback. Yes I think vanilla buttercream will be great on this cake. Enjoy!
Christie
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I made this for my husband’s birthday today. It came out so moist. We loved it!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Christie! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it. It’s always scary trying a new recipe for a special occasion, so thanks for believing in ours!
Jessica
For Christmas dessert I decided to give this recipe a try since the photo was stunning and seemed easy enough to bake. I was so disappointed in the way it turned out. The sponge was so dense and lacked flavour. The two cups of cake flour was not enough for 8 people as the recipe suggested. The cream cheese frosting tasted like feet. Will not be making this again.
Tricia Buice
Hi Jessica. This comment makes me sad for several reasons. One, the cake is very light and usually has plenty of flavor with the vinegar and cocoa adding to the mix. Next, to say that the frosting tasted like feet is a bit over the top. I always want our readers to have a great recipe experience and love the dish as much as we do. This cake recipe is terrific and the cream cheese frosting is wonderful. If it didn’t turn out for you I feel something must have gone wrong. Perhaps your cream cheese was out of date and no longer good. Maybe your baking soda was old and no longer provided the lift this cake needs. Either way, we are sorry you didn’t enjoy it.
Jessica
You’re right – I didn’t mean to be a troll. It was probably just the poor ingredients I used. Sorry to be the only negative comment on this page. With all that’s going on in the world, we don’t need any more negativity. I’ll give it another try.
Thanks for putting it up for others to try.
Samantha
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! It was simple to make and look and taste fabulous. I couldn’t get fresh cranberries here in Hong Kong so used fresh raspberries instead. Just gorgeous!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Samantha! I bet the raspberries were very pretty. Happy New Year!
Willow
Great recipe! Do you have conversions and baking times for 6 in cake tins?
Tricia Buice
Hi Willow! Not sure if you are using two or three 6-inch cake pans. If using two, you can easily divide the recipe in half. Not sure of the baking time as I have not tested the recipe using smaller pans. I love smaller cakes, too! When you go to print out the recipe you can adjust the serving size and the recipe will automatically adjust. If you cut the recipe in half (5-servings) it may be the easiest way to go. You can divide the batter between two or three 6-inch cake pans and check the baking time frequently, especially if the layers are very thin. Hope this helps!
Mayra Marin
Try to bake a cake so dilshes to eat
CJ Weller
This recipe’s very similar to my Dad’s but to bring out the flavor of the cocoa, he added two heaping tablespoons of instant coffee. He would serve it on the dessert bar at the restaurant where he was the Executive Chef. People would come in just for his desserts.
Tricia Buice
I love this idea CJ – and will have to give it a try. You must be a great chef yourself having grown up around amazing food and baked goods. Thanks so much!
Mary B
I love your red velvet recipe! I added a middle cheesecake layer that I prepared the day before because my daughter loves both! It was divine! I will be using this recipe again! Wish I could send you a picture!
Tricia Buice
Oh wow that sounds terrific Mary! So glad you enjoyed it. My email is listed under the contact information so feel free to send me a photo! Bravo 🙂
Marcela
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
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
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
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
Good afternoon I was wondering what brand buttermilk you use and what cake flour you use?
Tricia Buice
I use King Arthur’s brand of unbleached cake flour and Upstate Farms whole fat buttermilk. Enjoy!
Michelle
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
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
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
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
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
That’s great Therese! What a wonderful neighbor you are. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Have a blessed holiday!