Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course: Baked Desserts, Cakes, Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine: American, Canadian, European, North American

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 30

Cooling time: 1

Total Time: 2 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 678kcal

Author: Dini Kodippili

Easy to follow, foolproof recipe for the best Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! Incredibly moist, soft, melt-in-your-mouth delicious cake with a velvety crumb, lovely buttermilk flavor, and a creamy, tangy frosting.

EASY - This recipe is super easy to make, with perfect results, every time. A tried and true, popular recipe.

US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.

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Ingredients

Red velvet cake

350 g AP flour 2.8 cups (spooned and leveled)
15 g natural cocoa powder 2 tbsp
1 tsp baking soda
150 g unsalted butter 10.5 tbsp / 1 ⅓ sticks / ⅔ cup (melted)
140 g vegetable oil ⅔ cup
½ tsp sea salt
400 g white sugar 2 cups
240 g buttermilk 1 cup / 240 mL
4 large eggs
1 tsp vinegar 5 mL
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp gel food coloring see recipe notes for liquid food coloring substitution
2 tbsp hot water

(Not too sweet) cream cheese frosting

300 g unsalted butter 14 tbsp / 2 ⅔ sticks
½ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp cream cheese powder or milk powder
2 tbsp instant vanilla pudding powder optional
450 g Confectioner's sugar 1 lb / 4 cups (spooned and leveled)
450 g cream cheese 2 blocks / 1 lb (cool - around 60°F).
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Red velvet cake

Grease two 9 inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper, and dust the sides with flour. Set aside. Preheat the oven 325°F / 163°C.
Place a sieve over a bowl, and then place the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda in the sieve. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl and whisk to evenly combine. Set aside.
350 g AP flour, 15 g natural cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda
In a large bowl, place the melted butter, oil, salt, white sugar, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk to evenly combine all the ingredients.
150 g unsalted butter, 140 g vegetable oil, ½ tsp sea salt, 400 g white sugar, 240 g buttermilk, 4 large eggs, 1 tsp vinegar, 2 tsp vanilla
In a small bowl, mix the red food coloring and hot water (if using gel food coloring). If using liquid red food coloring, then you can skip this.
1 tsp gel food coloring, 2 tbsp hot water
Add the dissolved red food coloring into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
Next, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 2 - 3 additions. Use a whisk to fold in the dry ingredients to combine. Be careful not to whisk the mixture too fast or for too long to prevent gluten development.
When the batter is ready, divide it between the two cake pans. Use a scoop or measuring cup to evenly portion the dough, OR use a kitchen scale to weigh the batter equally between the cake pans.
Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the batter inside the pan. Knock the pans on your kitchen counter a few times to evenly spread out the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 - 35 minutes, or until the cake is baked through. The cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the cake pans from the oven and let them cool down slightly for a few minutes. Once the pans are cooled down enough to be safely touched (while still warm), turn out the cake onto a wire rack to cool down completely.
Once cooled down to room temperature, wrap the cake layers individually in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.

Cream cheese frosting

While the cake is chilling, make the cream cheese frosting.
Follow my easy cream cheese frosting recipe to make the frosting.
300 g unsalted butter, ½ tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp cream cheese powder or milk powder, 2 tbsp instant vanilla pudding powder, 450 g Confectioner's sugar, 450 g cream cheese, 2 tsp vanilla extract
Use immediately.

Assembly

If needed, use a serrated knife to slice off any domed tops from your cake layers to make them nice and even. This step is optional.
Place one cake layer on a cake turntable or flat serving plate, with the bottom facing down.
Spread a layer of frosting on top of this layer, making sure to keep it as even as possible.
Place the second cake layer on top, with the bottom of the cake layer now facing up.
Spread frosting on the sides, making sure to fill any gaps between the cake layers. Spread a thin layer of frosting to ensure that the sides are straight and to trap any cake crumbs. Repeat with the top of the cake. This is the crumb coating.
Allow the crumb coating to set in the fridge for about 20 - 30 minutes until the frosting is fairly firm.
Spread the remaining frosting as a second layer on top of the cake (to the thickness you prefer). In the pictures here, I kept the sides as a crumb coating, while only spreading extra frosting on top.
Optional - decorate the cake with extra frosting, or chopped nuts or even cake crumbs.
Chill in the fridge until needed.

Notes

Note about the red food coloring

If you're using liquid red food coloring, then use between 20 - 30 mL of liquid red food coloring.

Only add water if you're using less than 30 mL of food coloring. Both the food coloring and water should add up to 30 mL / 2 tbsp.

Serving the cake

Use a sharp, warm knife to slice through the cake cleanly.

I use a jug of very hot water, and dip the knife in the water and wipe it clean between each cut. This ensures nice, neat and clean cuts and cake slices.

Nutrition