Red Velvet Cake!
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This striking classic red velvet cake features a wonderfully light, cocoa-kissed sponge layer perfectly balanced by a thick, velvety cream cheese frosting. Requiring 20 minutes of active prep, 30 minutes of baking time, and a 3.5-hour chill, this recipe creates a beautiful 12-slice showstopper that masters the perfect red velvet crumb.
Notes from The Patisserie
The vibrant crimson of a modern red velvet cake is a beautiful marvel of baking chemistry. Historically, the reddish tint came from a natural reaction between the cocoa powder and acidic ingredients like buttermilk and vinegar, which activates the red in the cocoa.
Today’s cocoa powders are heavily alkalised to reduce acidity, which neutralises this reaction and leaves the cake a dark brown. To achieve that signature, show stopping bright red, you must rely on high-quality gel colourings rather than standard liquid supermarket bottles, which contain too much water and fade under oven heat.
The red velvet texture
The word “velvet” isn’t just a marketing term; it describes the incredibly fine, tight, and soft crumb structure of the cake. This unique texture is triggered by a quick-acting chemical reaction between the ingredients:
- Butter – I use unsalted butter at room temperature
- Sugar – caster sugar provides a finer granule of sugar to create that fine crumb
- Eggs – as usual I use medium eggs unless stated otherwise
- Cocoa powder – high quality cocoa powder is the difference in flavour and texture
- Red colouring – I use high quality food gel, a little goes a long way!
- Vanilla – I use vanilla extract for that classic flavour profile
- Buttermilk – the acidic profile works with the akalines creating bubbles in the batter
- Flour – plain flour works well here as we are creating a rising reaction elsewhere
- Bicarbonate of soda – this is the main akaline being utilised to react with the buttermilk
- Vinegar – I use white wine vinegar to act as another acid to work with the bicarb
When the acidic buttermilk and white wine vinegar hit the alkaline bicarbonate of soda, they instantly react to release carbon dioxide bubbles. This reaction causes the batter to expand rapidly in the oven, lifting the heavy flour and creating a crumb that is light, brilliantly tender, and uniquely melt-in-the-mouth.
Delicious cream cheese frosting
The cake has a delicious mix of the flavours of chocolate and vanilla, which is utter heaven to me. The cream cheese frosting on top is sweet, delicious, and marries with the cake perfectly – but cream cheese frosting can always be a liiiittle bit runny in comparison to others, thats its nature, however, as long as you don’t over beat it too much, it’ll be lovely and delicious.
I love this cake so so so much, so I really hope you guys do too. For the cream cheese frosting, you have to make sure that your cream cheese has no extra excess liquid, and try not to over mix the mixture. Also, room temperature butter is important so there is no lumps. Take a look at this blog post for a whole post dedicated to cream cheese frosting.
FAQs
No, liquid colourings contain too much water and will alter the chemistry of the batter, resulting in a dull, brownish cake with an unpleasantly bitter taste.
Alternating between the dry flour and liquid buttermilk prevents the fat in the creamed butter mixture from separating, ensuring a completely smooth, emulsified batter.
Don’t panic; cream cheese frosting often goes through an unappealing lumpy stage, so simply keep beating it for a few minutes and the lumps will smooth out perfectly.
No, baking powder does not have the same intense alkaline strength needed to react with the vinegar and buttermilk to create the classic velvet crumb.
Red Velvet Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 300 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 heaped tsp red food colouring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 300 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 150 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 150 g icing sugar
- 300 g full fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 170ºc/150ºc fan and line/grease two 8" cake tins – leave to the side for now.
- Beat together the unsalted butter and caster sugar in a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy like you would a normal cake, and then gradually beat in the egg so that it doesn't curdle (if it doesn't curdle, beat in a little flour to bring it back)
- In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, Sugarflair red extra food colouring, and vanilla extract to a thick dark paste (if it is struggling to become a paste, then add in a little milk to make it runnier and mix better – it needs to be smooth!) – it may take a couple of minutes but this will make it easier to add to the rest of the mixture if you do it this way – and the sponge will be more red!
- Add this mixture to the unsalted butter and caster sugar mixture and beat until combined and evenly coloured.
- Turn the speed down to slow, and pour in half of the buttermilk.
- Add in half of the plain flour and beat again, and then the other half of the buttermilk & beat, and then the other half of the flour & beat (I realise this is faffy, but it works!).
- Beat in the bicarbonate of soda and white wine vinegar.
- Beat again for a couple of minutes until everything is smooth and incorporated well.
- Separate into the two tins and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the middle of the cake comes out clean when poked with a skewer!
- Once the cakes are baked, leave to cool fully on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure your unsalted butter is at room temperature. I leave mine out overnight when it's cold weather, but in the hotter months this can take as little as 30 minutes!
- Beat your butter on it's own for a few minutes to loosen it.
- Add in the icing sugar, and beat again – I beat this for about 5 minutes, to make it really smooth.
- Make sure your cream cheese doesn't have any excess water – I find it best to add it to a bowl first just to make sure.
- Add in the cream cheese, vanilla and beat. At first, it may look a little weird, but just keep on beating.
- I end up beating it for a few minutes – it can go through a lumpy stage first, but eventually the lumps beat out and it's smooth and thick!
- Once beaten – it should be lovely and thick.
- Pipe/spread 1/2 of the frosting onto the top of one sponge.
- Add the other sponge on top, then pipe/spread the other half of the frosting onto the top and decorate with sponge crumbs if you fancy!
Notes
- This cake will last in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months!
- I use these 8″ Cake Tins
- I use this red food colouring
- I use this Vanilla extract
- I use this Medium 2D Closed Star Piping Tip
- If you would like the original cream cheese frosting recipe it is:
- 125g room temperature unsalted butter, 280g full fat cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 400-600g icing sugar.
- Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth, and add the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the icing sugar until thick and delicious.
Storage and freezing
Because of the high dairy content in the cream cheese frosting, I keep the cake covered and stored in the refrigerator, where it will stay wonderfully moist and delicious for up to 3 days. If you want to prepare this dessert well in advance, the un-iced sponge layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic cling film and frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw them completely at room temperature before whipping up your fresh frosting and assembling.
Related recipes
Red velvet cake is one of those ‘in things’ that all coffee shops will sell at some point, and the recipe that everyone wants to have and use, but its one of the most inconsistent cakes to make at home that I have come across. I use this as a base for all things red velvet – red velvet NYC cookies, red velvet brownies, red velvet loaf cake and red velvet cupcakes… the list goes on.
Can you buy Sugarflair colouring in any UK supermarkets or just online ? Thank you.
Just online x
Hi, just to let you know (and anyone else wondering) I went searching after I posted a comment and found a pack of 8 Sugarflair colours (including red) in Hobbycraft @ £15. A bit much for me so bought a Wilton Christmas Red from there instead . Will let you know how the cake turns out later!
Verdict – sponge turned out perfect – moist and velvety. Icing – too sweet for our liking so will have to reduce sugar next time. a winner overall and will definitely make it again! thank you.
Just made your lovely red velvet cake. I stuck to the letter and it came out perfect…..and yes, defiantely use the good quality red colouring, I ordered sugar flair from Amazon and came next day .
Hi Jane,
I was wondering why is it plain flour that one should use rather than self raising flour?
Because a red velvet rises through the buttermilk, vinegar, etc. Self raising flour would be too much.
I made this cake last week and its the first red velvet cake I’ve made that actually looks red!! It also tasted lovely but I did have some trouble with the cream cheese frosting (it still tasted lovely though!). It seemed quite runny which meant I had to keep the cake in the fridge. I was wondering whether I overdid it a bit when mixing? Any tips gratefully appreciated!!
I agree about the frosting, mine looked more like melted milky bar!
Next time I’m going to try less butter.
You over mixed the frosting if it was loose – the butter helps firm it up.
Hiya – If it was loose you over mixed the frosting. Its a common problem. Also, you need to keep the cake in the fridge anyway as it was cream cheese frosting.
Hi I love this recipe, but I was wondering if buttercream frosting can be used instead of the cream cheese as it’s my friends birthday cake and they love buttercream ? thanks x
Yeah of course! You can use any frosting you like 🙂
Hi Jane, love the blog so much!
Was just wondering about the white vinegar in this recipe, is it white wine vinegar or can I use distilled malt vinegar?
Thanks! 🙂
I’d use White Wine Vinegar 🙂 and thank you!
Hi
I went on a hunt for white vinager but had no luck at asda…is it just called white vinager?
I’d use white wine vinegar ?
Thank you…looking forward to this one after reading all the great reviews ??
I have made this cake a couple of times now and it always comes up trumps. Everyone loves it. Thank you Jane for sharing the recipe.
Ohh thank you Mary! I am so glad that you all love it and its successful, thank you! 🙂
Hi Jane! This recipe looks amaaaazing and I’m having a go at making it this week! I’m stuck though – I can’t find white vinegar and have distilled malt vinegar.. Are they they same? If not please help and tell me where I will find white vinegar!! Thank you! Xx
Hiya! I’m not 100% sure I’m I’m honest if they’re the same as I’ve never seen the vinegar you have already – but I know some people have bought white wine vinegar instead by accident but it’s worked? So maybe try that one? 🙂 xx
I’ve always been put off by the ingredients, but that has never kept me from enjoying red velvet cake! Yours is very pretty!
What ingredients put you off? 🙂 and thank you!
well mostly the food coloring, plus I don’t get the vinegar…
The vinegar reacts with the bicarbonate giving it the texture and bringing the colour out more I believe 🙂 but I get what you mean!
Hi Jane, I’ve tried a couple of your recipes and they are always great. Your Nutella stuffed cookies went down a treat in my house, even my brother panicked when he thought they were running out lol. I was hoping to use your red velvet cake recipe to make a giant cupcake. Could you tell me how much mixture you would recommend to use please. Also what oven temperature and how long for you would suggest. Thanks xx
Hey! I’m really sorry but I can’t really answer – giant cupcake moulds vary a lot, some are silicone some are metal and than can change it. The best thing to do is to just make a batch of the cake and just give it a go!
Happy birthday to the blog! I can’t believe you’ve only been doing this a year, hands down my favourite blog and I’m planning on trying one of your cheesecake recipes this weekend! This is definitely one to remember too 🙂
Awwwwh thank you so so much!! 🙂 I really hope you like the cheesecakes – let me know how you get on!!
Happy 1st Blogoversary….Red Velvet Cake is the perfect choice 🙂
Hehe thanks Marisa! 🙂
This is my husband’s favourite. I made him one for his birthday 🙂 http://abbiosbiston.com/2015/07/15/things-i-have-been-cooking-lately-120-red-velvet-cake/
Its amazing isn’t it!! 🙂