This is my favorite Red Velvet Cake recipe! This cake is incredibly soft, moist, buttery, and topped with an easy cream cheese frosting.
Over the last few months, I’ve shared my favorite chocolate cake and white cake recipes with you. And today I have one more that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day – this homemade red velvet cake recipe!
Red velvet is such a unique cake because it has a vanilla flavor but also a hint of chocolate. It can also be hard to get just right because it should be buttery, yet stay moist. This recipe delivers all of that and it’s incredibly delicious too!
I’m also sharing everything you need to know on how to perfect this cake. Including how to make a 9×13 cake or cupcakes and some step-by-step pictures to help you along the way!
How To Make This Red Velvet Cake
To make this red velvet cake, you’ll start by whisking together your dry ingredients: cake flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. I suggest using cake flour because it has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour which creates a softer, lighter cake. When it comes to cake flour, two of my favorite brands are Pillsbury Softasilk and Swans Down.
There’s also 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder in this cake so the cake isn’t super chocolatey, but it has a hint of chocolate that is expected in red velvet cakes. Once you’ve whisked together the dry ingredients I suggest sifting them as well to remove any lumps of cocoa powder and help keep the cake light.
Then, mix up the wet ingredients starting with some unsalted butter and granulated sugar. I suggest creaming the butter and sugar together for about 4-5 minutes. Why? Creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy incorporates more air into your cake batter creating a softer, lighter cake.
Once the butter and sugar are creamed together, you’ll beat in two eggs until well combined. Then mix in the rest of the wet ingredients: some oil, red food coloring, vanilla extract, and distilled white vinegar. The oil helps to keep the cake incredibly moist, so I use a combination of butter and oil in this cake.
Once you’ve mixed up the wet ingredients, you’ll alternate mixing the dry ingredients in three additions with some buttermilk. Alternating the dry ingredients with the buttermilk helps to prevent overmixing the cake batter which can lead to a denser cake. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can make your own using my homemade buttermilk substitute.
Once the cake batter is mixed up it will be a beautiful bright red color like the picture above. Then, just divide the batter between two 9-inch cake pans and bake them for about 30 minutes. If you want to make it easier to get the cake layers out of your pans I suggest using parchment paper. I use these parchment liners from Wilton and LOVE them, they’re perfect for this recipe too!
Once the cake layers are baked and cooled, you’ll mix up the frosting. I used my favorite cream cheese frosting for this cake and increased the amount to have enough to frost it. If you want to try another frosting my vanilla buttercream frosting would be delicious too!
Then, just level your cakes and frost it however you like. I used the Wilton 1M piping tip for the swirls on top of this cake.
Baking Tips For Red Velvet Cake
- Be sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature before getting starting.
- Make sure to sift the dry ingredients to remove any lumps of cocoa powder. This will also help to keep the cake soft and light.
- I suggest creaming the butter and sugar together for about 4-5 minutes. Creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy incorporates more air into your cake batter creating a softer, lighter cake.
- Alternate mixing the dry ingredients in three additions with the buttermilk, this will help to prevent over mixing the cake batter.
Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
For the red velvet cake:
- 2 and 2/3 cups (295 grams) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (22 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 (1-ounce) bottle liquid red food color
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320 ml) buttermilk room temperature
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 12 ounces brick-style cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup (175 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the red velvet cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray two 9-inch cake pans well with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Then sift the dry ingredients to remove any lumps of cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until fully combined, then mix in the oil, red food color, vanilla extract, and vinegar stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix each addition until just combined and be careful not to over mix the batter.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and spread the batter around into one even layer. Tap the pans on the counter 2-3 times to remove any air bubbles from the cakes.
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Carefully remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool in the pans for 15-20 minutes. Then, carefully remove the cakes from the cake pans and place on the wire rack to cool completely.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and mix for about 30 seconds-1 minute until well combined and smooth.
- Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
To assemble the cake:
- Level the tops of each cake with a knife or cake leveler. Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand or plate, top with a layer of frosting, and smooth it out into one even layer. Place the second layer on top, then use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.
Wow! This cake is by far better than the kind in a box! The texture was so rich and put the velvet in red velvet! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!☺
Hi. i made this recipe and used 2 8in round pans. They only rose to the top of the pan. I am not sure what happened. I cannot get cake flower here so I had to used regular flour. Could that be the problem? I haven’t put the icing on it yet. It feels heavy.
Hi, Wendy! All-purpose flour has a higher protein content than cake flour, so the cakes won’t rise quite as tall if you only use regular flour. If you’re not able to find cake flour, you can use my cake flour substitute here.
I normally substitute applesauce for oil in cake recipes. Is there any reason to do so, other than reduce fat load in cake, is there any difference at all.
I haven’t tried it, so it’s hard to say. It will likely change the texture of the cake a bit though.
Measure 22/3 c all purpose flour
Subtract 5 TBS
ADD 5 TBS cornstarch
Cake Flour Sub
is it okay if i use this recipe for 2 8 inch pans?
As long as they are deep enough that would be fine, you will just need to increase the baking time.
Hi Danielle,
I would like to make a blue velvet cake, can I use this same recipe? If so, what changes would I need to make?
Yes, absolutely! You can just swap out the red food coloring for blue food coloring. You may need to adjust the amount of food coloring though, I would start with 1 to 2 teaspoons then add more if you prefer a brighter color.
Hi, i would like to use 6 inch pans for this, and the rest ill use.for cupcakes. Do you have suggestions on the bake times for three 6 inch cake pans.
This looks so yummy!
I’d guess the baking time to be around 30 to 35 minutes, but it will really depend on how much batter you use in each one.
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Yes, I have notes in the recipe for how to bake these as cupcakes. It will make about 30 to 32.
Hi Danielle, I really love this cake, it’s delicious.
I would like to have the recipe for a one layer 20 cm thin cake please.
Thank you
I would cut the recipe in half and use any extra batter to make a few cupcakes.
Just made this and it looks amazing! Great directions. How would you suggest I store the cakes for freezing?
So happy to hear that, Sarah! You can wrap the cake layers tightly with plastic wrap and store them in a large freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Hi , i would like to use this receipe for my little ones birthday. How long and what temperature would i use for three 6 inch pans? Any left over batter i will use for cupcakes. Thanks so much for this beautiful recipe!
I would guess around 30 to 35 minutes at 350°F, but it really depends on how much batter you add to each pan.
The Best red velvet cake I’ve baked! So moist!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made this for the birthday of a colleague and friend and we celebrated at the office. She loved it, and my coworkers who have lived or are originally from the US appreciated it so much and thought it would be impossible to bake one in Europe.
I used a slightly larger pan (24 cm/~9.5 inches), which made me worry, but it came out so good! Can’t wait to try it for cupcakes. 🙌
Hello 🙂 I would like to make 3 layers of 8″ round pan? Should I increase the recipe? any advice please.
Thank you 🙂
Hi there! If you’re using 8-inch round pans, you can just divide the batter between the three pans and bake for about 25 minutes. If you’re wanting taller layers, then you may want to increase the recipe by half. For a three layer cake, I’d also increase the amount of frosting. You can double my cream cheese frosting recipe here. I hope that helps!
It’s a great recipe however I feel like it needed less food colouring and more chocolate , it had this weird after taste and was slightly chalky not sure what cause that but other than that great .
Hi, can I replace this oil with something else? In Germany, what’s called canola oil has a very strong taste and color – the batter tunrs greensih and tastes funny! Would coconut oil work? Or sunflower oil? Or more butter? Thanks!
You can use melted coconut oil! Just make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.
Delicious! After they cool before you frost them, do you have to store them in the refrigerator or can you leave them covered on the counter? Thanks!
Either way is fine! It is a little easier to frost the cake layers when they’re cold though.
Hi, So excited to try this recipe. Will be my first time doing a red velvet cake. My question is can I use this recipe in a bundt cake pan? And will my cooking time change? Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you, Sonja Downs
Yes, that would be fine! I’m not sure on baking time but I would guess 45 to 65 minutes.
Hi Danielle, I used this recipe on two separate occasions and both the times it was a super hit. I baked both cake and cup cakes, and all of them turned out very beautiful, moist and super tasty. I, however did a buttercream frosting instead of cream cheese. Loved it ! Thanks for this amazing recipe.
Quick question: Which brand of food color did you use in your recipe? Is it okay if I use gel food coloring? Please let me know, I plan to bake red velvet cakes again soon. Thank you.
Hi, Jess! I use McCormick food coloring. It would be fine to use gel food coloring, but you will probably want to use less (maybe 1 to 2 teaspoons).
I made this red velvet cake for Thanksgiving because it’s my son-in-laws favorite and some don’t like pumpkin pie. It was a huge hit! My mother-in-law said it was the best she’s ever had and she’s 76, so she’s had a a few red velvet cake in her time. Thank you so sharing this recipe. The color was lovely, the cake moist and the frosting super easy to spread and was delicious.
I love the taste of red velvet but would like to try this recipe with just a slight tint of pink to avoid so much food coloring. Do you think omitting most of the liquid food coloring would alter the batter too much, maybe make it too dry? Any suggestions on how to make this change?
Thanks so much!
It would be fine to reduce the food coloring, but the cake may look more brown than pink if you do.
We made this as cupcakes and although the flavour is good they did not rise well. There is a large hollow in the top of each cupcake which it will be impossible to hide.
I would like to make this for my daughter’s birthday but in purple. Can I just simply use purple food coloring instead of red?
I haven’t tried it. You probably can but you may need to adjust the amount of food coloring.
If I add pecans does that affect the bake time and batter consistency?
You may need to increase the baking time just slightly, but it shouldn’t affect it much.
Hi, I bake this cake today. It really taste soft and mosit. However, the top of my cake rise with a small peak and crack. After I levelled the cake, there are many big holes. Not sure where i have gone wrong in the steps that developed these issues. Can help to advise please. Many thanks
Hi, Rosa! Have you checked your oven temperature to make sure it’s correct? If your oven is too hot or has hot spots, it could cause the cake to crack. Also, if there were quite a bit of holes in your cake it’s possible that you may have over mixed the dry ingredients. I recommend only mixing them in until just combined.
Hi Danielle, many thanks for your reply. It could be i placed the pan at side of oven as i have little left over which i made into 2 cupcakes and placed more center of oven 😅. As for the over mixing, you mean when adding in dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk onto the wet batter? For this step, is it better to use spatula to mix instead of hand mixer? Thanks
Yes, I mean when you’re mixing in the dry ingredients and buttermilk. You can use a spatula or hand mixer for this step, just be sure to only mix in each addition until just combined.
What is granulated sugar
It’s white sugar, some people refer to it as table sugar or regular sugar sometimes too.
Hi I’m planning to make this but only have a 20cm extra deep cake pan, will this be possible to use or should I invest in the correct pans as mentioned? Thanks
It really depends on how deep your pan is, but it may be too much batter for a pan that size. I’d really recommend using at least two pans.
Is this enough batter for a Bundt cake ?
Yes, it would be enough for a bundt pan. I’m not sure on baking time, I would guess 50 to 65 minutes.
Hi Danielle, tried the recipe and it turned out great, yummy too. Can I put fondant on it?
I haven’t tried it, but I think that would be fine!
I made this for Christmas and it turned out exceptionally well. I did use all purpose flour instead of cake flour because that’s all I had but in my area you can find White Lilly flour which I highly recommend for this cake if you do not have cake flour. I added toasted coconut and pecans to the cream cheese frosting and it really was delicious. A very tender cake.
Amazing! I made it for the first time on Christmas Eve. Everyone loved it. The cake was so moist. I just decreased the amount of sugar. But, I ended up not having enough frosting to make the nice decorations. It was not pretty but good which is all that matters.
Hi! Tried many Red Velvet recipe already and wanted to try out this one too. But i would like to ask first, what are your recommendations in storing this cake as I observed the cake are not soft when place into fridge and i think it is because of the butter, so do you think it should be place in room temperature first before serving?
Since the frosting has cream cheese in it, you do want to store it in the fridge. If you prefer it to be softer, you can set it out on the counter an hour or two ahead of time so that it can come to room temperature.
Hi Danielle
What would you recommend I use to substitute the unsweetened cocoa powder? I can’t seem to find it in the store
Hi, Katherine! There’s not really a good substitute for the cocoa powder in this recipe. Are you able to find Hershey’s or Toll House unsweetened cocoa powder? Those two tend to be easier to find. If not, I’d recommend making a recipe like my vanilla cake instead.
I baked this cake for Daughter’s Birthday. This was a delicious recipe! Very light and moist cake. I used natural food color and the cake wasn’t red enough. Do we need to use more red dye when using natural dyes?? Thank you, Neena
Hi, Neena! Yes, if you’re using a natural food color you will probably need to use more than 1 ounce (2 tablespoons).
Today is my daughters birthday and she wanted red velvet cake. I followed the directions to the T, but the flavor did not taste like red velvet unfortunately. It was very moist and it looked great, but the flavor was off. I even bought most new ingredients so nothing was expired. The frosting was delicious, just the cake wasn’t what I was hoping.