Video
Red Velvet Cake
My easy recipe for classic Red Velvet Cake is so soft and moist with a tender crumb that melts in your mouth. It has a delectable tangy vanilla flavor with hints of cocoa and a light whipped cream cheese frosting, then topped with more cake crumbs.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake Batter
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsp (300g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon (18g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ cup (60ml) plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring (or 2 teaspoon liquid food coloring)
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) white vinegar
- ⅓ cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10ml) pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup (237ml) whole milk, warmed slightly
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 8 oz (227g) brick cream cheese
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
- 1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy 35% whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans, dust lightly with flour and line the base with rounds of parchment paper.
- Make the cake batter. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt and whisk well to blend evenly.
- Combine yogurt, red food coloring and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add melted butter, oil, eggs and vanilla and whisk to blend well until very smooth.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients in the other large bowl and pour in the wet mixture. Begin to mix on low speed with an electric handheld mixer until most of the flour is absorbed – it will still look dry at this point. Begin pouring in the warm milk in 3 additions. Slowly pour in one third of the milk while mixing on low. Stop to scrape down the bowl. You can also mix it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed or mix by hand using a wire whisk starting in the center and slowly dragging the dry ingredients in from the sides to combine evenly with the wet ingredients.
- Continue to pour in the rest of the milk while mixing and stop to scrape down the bowl one more time. Once all of the milk is incorporated, stop mixing and just fold by hand to ensure there are no lumps, but do not over-mix this batter or it can cause tunnelling in the cake crumb.
- Divide the batter evenly between the pans, tap the pan on the counter 3 times to burst any large air pockets and bake for 23-26 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove the pans from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Run a small offset spatula around the edges of the pans, then carefully flip the cakes out and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cakes are cooled, level the top of the slightly domed cake layers with a serrated knife and reserve the crumbs for decorating later.
- Make the frosting. Combine soft cream cheese with 40g (about ⅓ cup) powdered sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste in a large bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer until very smooth and there are no lumps remaining. In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (20g) powdered sugar and whip on high until firm peaks form. Add one third of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and mix on low speed until combined (you’ll add the cream in 3 parts so the frosting is light and fluffy). Add half of the remaining whipped cream and fold it in evenly. Finally fold in the last of the whipped cream until well blended.
- Assemble the cake. Place one of the trimmed cake layers on a serving plate or a turn table and add about1 ½ cups of frosting, then spread it out to the edges leaving about ½ inch border using a large offset spatula. Place the other cake layer on top and cover the cake with the remaining frosting. Crumble the trimmings of the cake that you have reserved over the top of the cake to cover the circumference. Let the cake chill for 30 minutes before serving and enjoy!
