Red Velvet Loaf Cake!
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An easy red velvet loaf cake topped with delicious and smooth cream cheese frosting
Red velvet bakes
I love all things red velvet, and whilst it did confuse me a bit when I was younger (what even is ‘red velvet’?!) I just love it so much now. It’s something that makes me go “ooooh” when I see it at a cake shop
Red velvet cake to me is a chocolate and vanilla flavoured cake, that has a particular texture, flavour and style. More classic recipes do not use red food colouring, as the red colour comes from using a particular type of cocoa powder. However, many many recipes now do use the colouring to make the style more accessible.
Red velvet flavour
The flavour also comes from the more bizarre ingredients that you may see, compared to the usual sugar, butter, eggs and flour style cakes. Red Velvet cake uses buttermilk, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and plain flour. The raising agents are completely different.
Some people don’t get the fuss about red velvet, and I can get it… not all red velvet cakes are pleasant to eat, but you can say the same about any cake. I think it’s a flavour that is 100% worth trying again, as I have developed such an adoration for it
The cake mix
This cake uses 11 ingredients, which may sound a bit over the top – but they are all worth it. You beat together the butter and sugar like you would with any other cake, and then things start getting interesting. Add in the cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla extract and red food colouring.
For this recipe, the colouring is SO important it’s crazy. Just like my other red velvet bakes on this blog, I always use the same red food colouring.
The reason you need to use a good quality colour, is because supermarket colours such as the liquid bottles, or the tiny gel tubes just do not have the strength to make a difference. I say this every time, and people will still ignore it, and then ask why isn’t it red.
I wish that all red food colours worked just as well, but they honestly don’t! The chemical reaction with the buttermilk, vinegar and cocoa powder, then mixed with the red food colouring will give you the finish you are after!
Tin
I used this 2lb loaf tin as always! It’s my favourite loaf tin, and I just adore it. It’s the perfect size for me (as mentioned in other loaf cake posts, a 2lb loaf tin can really really vary, even though they have the same name and I have no idea why) – so if you find your tin is a bit small, fill the tin 3/4 of the way maximum, and then bake some cupcakes with the spare mix!
Cream cheese frosting
For the topping, I use cream cheese frosting. I have done a post purely about cream cheese frosting now because it is such a hard thing to make sometimes, and it’s the same style going onto this cake.
This version uses equal amounts of unsalted block butter and icing sugar, beaten together until smooth. Then, it adds in the cream cheese. For this one, I used 125g of unsalted butter and sugar, and 250g of full-fat cream cheese. It MUST be full fat.
Decoration
For the decoration, just like my other red velvet cakes, I trim off a really small amount from the cake and leave it to the side before decorating with the frosting. Then, I use a 2D closed star piping tip as it’s my favourite ever, and decorate away!
Finish with a sprinkle of the red velvet crumbs, just because it’s so cute and always looks good, and then devour every slice of the cake!! If you have any questions then leave them below in the comments.
Red Velvet Loaf Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 300 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp red food colouring (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 300 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 125 g icing sugar
- 250 g full-fat cream cheese (I use philadelphia)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Red Velvet Loaf Cake
- Preheat your oven to 170ºc/150ºc fan and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper
- Beat together the unsalted butter and caster sugar in a bowl until smooth and fluffy
- Add in the eggs, cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract and beat again until combined.
- Add in the buttermilk and plain flour, and beat again. Try not to over beat the mixture.
- Finally – beat in the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and white wine vinegar.
- Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin, and smooth over.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the middle of the cake comes out clean when poked with a skewer! Once the cake is baked, leave to cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes, and then on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure your unsalted butter is at room temperature, and make sure to use block butter and not a spread.
- Beat your unsalted butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy - like you would a normal buttercream. I beat them together for about 5 minutes.
- Add in your full-fat cream cheese (That has been drained if needed), and beat for about a minute.
- Scrape the bowl well, and add in the vanilla. Beat again for another minute.
- Scrape the bowl again finally, and beat again if needed. It should be a thick and smooth frosting once finished
To Decorate
- Level off the cake ever so slightly so you have some cake to use as crumbs. Crumble it up into crumbs
- Using your piping bag and piping tip, pipe your cream cheese frosting onto the cake.
- Once piped on, sprinkle over the cake crumbs. Enjoy!
Notes
- These cake can be kept in the fridge, for up to 3 days!
- I used...
- The food colouring you use IS SO IMPORTANT. If you use a basic food colouring from a supermarket, it will NOT work. This is the best one I can recommend.
- You can use self raising flour instead of plain flour - if so, also leave out the baking powder. I prefer using plain flour for red velvet cakes though.
ENJOY!
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J x
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hi Jane
I have just made your cake and there was too much mixture although I note your comments re different tins but I just want to clarify -does the tine you use measure 24.6cm along the base or the top
Many thanks
It’s in the oven as we speak!! My loaf tin must be slightly smaller even though its 2lb do I need adjust the time of it in the oven? Also with the cupcakes that I’m going to do with rest of mixture how long in oven?
It may take slightly less time if it has less mix in – and cupcakes take about 20 minutes!
If I want to make this in a 8×8 round tin do I have to alter the ingredients at all? More or less of anything so it doesn’t come out flat? Just made your Double Decker Cookie Bars and they are pure heaven!
Have a look at my red velvet cake recipe as the timings and everything are perfect for an 8″ round! (Unless you mean one layer, not two, then baking time changes!)
Just wanted to say that for all those using Fahrenheit, I baked my loaf at 325 for around 50 minutes and it turned out great! Except that I used blue food coloring and it turned green since I didn’t have red. Delicious though!
Hi Jane. Can I use this recipe but for a bundt cake instead of loaf? Thanks
Yes!
Will ir be ok for a 2.4l tin or do I need to adjust?
Thanks for sharing, this cake looks amazing 🙂
Nic
For the buttermilk can I use (whole?) milk and lemon mixture again? If so what amount?
Absolutely love all your recipes!
Have you thought about a Cookie Monster one (like a cookie sandwich) just an idea🙃
Yes you can – same volume of milk, and add in 1tbsp lemon juice! x
Hi , I loved your recipe! Red velvet cake is my favorite in any shape or form! 😄 And my Red velvet loaf cake is in the oven at the moment. Can’t wait to try it out!🤩
Hej Jane.
Omg Huney, This was Scrumptious# Made the loaf into a 8″round cake and 12 cupcakes 🧁. Honestly it was moist, soft, yummy 😋, finger licking. The Cream Jesus take control 👏
I definitely RAISE both my 👐 .
Definitely this is a keeper.
Thank you for the recipe
Love from Denmark
Could I use a red GEL food colouring from Tesco will that work or should I just use the one you recommended? Because last time I used it and it worked fine.
I have tried that colouring before and it’s just not good enough in my opinion. Others that work (but still not as good as the one linked), such as wilton, progel, colour splash, you can’t get from Tesco.
Hi Jane just made another one of your delicious cakes . The red velvet loaf cake , the only trouble I had was the cream cheese frosting just wasn’t thickening up ?
I was adding more icing sugar but if anything it was getting runnier ? I’ve put it in the fridge for now and thought If it doesn’t thicken up il just have to spread it on rather than pipe it .
Do you know why I was having this problem?
Thanks Mel
Hiya! Take a look at my ‘How to’ post on cream cheese frosting! Hope this helps! x
Oh I have made your red velvet cake and cupcakes and they have been the best bake I’ve ever done, so can’t wait to try this one out. Only trouble with them is they taste too bloody good and it’s hard not to eat it all!!! Hayley
Hi, do you have to add white wine vinegar or can i skip this.. what does this add to the cake, flavour or the way it ends up baking.. thanks
It’s for the colour, and raising agent – it’s important. An alternative is apple cider vinegar! x
Would rice vinegar work instead of white wine? Or regular white vinegar?
I’m sure regular would but I have never tried rice x
What red food colouring do you use? Also where do you buy it?
It’s linked on the post, and the recipe card!
Hi Jane, this cake looks amazing and I can’t wait to make one. I just wanted to check these are definitely the measurements for a loaf cake as the ingredients list refers to cupcakes? Thank you for your help! X
Definitely cake!
I have tried cream cheese frosting twice using your recipe and it ended up with lumps both times, it wasn’t thick and smooth, what am I doing wrong? I tried it beating butter and cream cheese first the first time, then the second time I tried it this way stated on here as normal buttercream then added the cream cheese but it still had lumps in it and it wasn’t very thick. I have watched your video you did on it too. So I don’t know what I’m doing wrong?! Any other advice please x
Honestly all I can say is to watch the video again, make sure you butter is at room temperature and not cold, beat it fully and follow the advice on the blog post for cream cheese frosting. It does say on it how if it’s lumpy, to keep on beating it. x
My icing split too 😞
I could have cried.
All room temperature & full fat, so not sure why it happened
I don’t use room temperature cream cheese – only butter – so that could be why. Watch the YouTube video for the frosting and it’ll probably help you see where it went wrong for you!
Wow this looks amazing 😍
Thank you!!