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.
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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.
Hi Jane, love your recipes! Can normal vanilla extract be used instead of vanilla bean extract?
Thanks!
Yes it can!
Hey Jane 👋 I’m looking to make this as a 4 layer 6 inch cake should I just double the mixture or just an extra 1/2?
Thanks 😊
I would say only an extra half (As typically I’d recommend using 2/3 of a recipe for just the size change, so double would definitely be too much) x
Hi Jane! I absolutely love your recipes. I wanted to make this cake but split it into two deep 6 inch tins. Would I need to alter the recipe at all? Also do you have an idea on baking times?
Thank you!
It would work in two deep 6 tins – I’m not sure on baking time though but maybe 45 minutes?! I could be wrong though! x
H!! Would I be able to add food colouring to the cream cheese frosting or would it make it too liquidy? Thank you x
You would need to use a really good quality colour such as sugar flair or colour splash or wilton, nothing from a supermarket – and I would recommend the new cream cheese frosting recipe on my blog x
Hi Jane, love love love all of your recipes!
Looking at making this but only have a 6 inch tins, if I wanted to make 6in 3 tier how much mixture/bake time would you recommend please
Thanks
I would use the recipe as it is for there 3×6″ but baking time I am really unsure as I don’t often bake them sorry! x
Sorry last question I can’t find buttermilk anywhere would I use 250ml of whole milk with 2tbs of lemon juice to make my own for this recipe?
Yes, but 1 tbsp of lemon juice is fine! x
Hi Jane I’m looking to make this cake for my cousins graduation I would like to decorate it more in a drip style I have read through the reviews and seen were you suggested to use your white chocolate ganache recipe from the biscoff drip cake, would I do a crumb coat of the cream cheese frosting? If so do I need to increase the amount of cream cheese frosting I make? Also shall I use your new cream cheese frosting recipe? Is this red velvet recipe the same as your spider cake not sure which one to follow just know I want some cream cheese frosting involved because I think it makes a red velvet cake.
I’ve never used cream cheese frosting as a crumb coat, but if you follow the new method and recipe it should be fine! xx
Can i use sour cream instead of buttermilk as cant find and buttermilk in tesco now
You need to make your own buttermilk – notes on the post about this x
Hi Jane
I Have the sugerflair velvet red paste and the wilton red paste but I’m either using too much or too little because the colour is never the colour I would like. Can you advise how much paste/gel I should use and should it be mixed with liquid?
I use the listed amount – 1 heaped tsp of the red extra. I use the same type of colouring for my other red velvet bakes as well so it may just be that you need to change it until you find what works for the colours you are using as all reds can vary, but I find the red extra the best by absolute far!
Hey! I’m making this this weekend, but can’t find buttermilk anywhere, is this simple enough to make yourself? Do you have a recipe you’d recommend using for it? TIA x
Theres notes on the post about making your own xx
Hi Jane, my cake tins are 9” springform tins, if I wanted to use this recipe to do a 3 layer cake in these tins how much would you recommend increasing the recipe by to get next size layers. Thanks
Hey! So I’m not certain, but usually a 9″ tin is about 1/3 bigger, but as you want another layer as well you would need to increase it quite a large amount. Maybe double it? x
Hey
Is there any other vinegar you could use as I don’t have white wine vinegar?
You need a white vinegar of sorts, so a good alternative is apple cider vinegar!
Hi jane i want to make a 6″ cake 2 layers how much batter would i need? Thank you in Advance
I would use about 2/3 of the recipe x