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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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!
Mine is crispy on the outside and normal in the middle. What have I done wrong please?
Sounds like the oven was slightly too hot! x
Great recipe have made the loaf cake. Would this recipe convert to a 8inch round tin please I want to make it as a birthday cake. Thanks
You can, but you can find timings etc on my red velvet cake recipe! (Just use this cream cheese frosting) x
I have a red velvet recipe that I use but I wanted a tried and tested recipe that would fit into a loaf tin. It was that nice, my partner who doesn’t normally eat red velvet as he doesn’t understand what flavour it is, gobbled up my little leftover bake.
I ended up cooking it for an extra 15mins as it wasn’t ready and I used an additional small tin for the leftovers mix as I didn’t want it to overflow!
My first attempt failed because there was far too much mixture for a 2lb tin. My second attempt, I halved the ingredients, added a touch of coffee powder, preheated the oven to 165C fan, then turned down to 150 once it was in, cooked for 45 minutes, and it was perfect!
Loved the overall appearance of the loaf, and my frosting was delicious! Although, I found the outside of the cake was very bitter! The inside (the actual spongey cake) was positively scrummy! Is the bitterness due to too much bi-carb/food colouring? I used sugarflair too!
Would really appreciate a response! Thanks a bunch, jo!
If it was the bicarb it would probably taste like it throughout not just the outside (it’s like a salty taste) – it may just be slightly too hot so the outside has cooked too much if that makes sense? x
Hi Jane,
I want to make your red velvet brownies tomorrow and read you comment about the red food colouring and I won’t be able to order the colouring in time, Can I use dr oetker extra strong red food colour gel for the colouring.
Sharon
I’m afraid the dr oetker gel just really isn’t strong enough in my opinion x
Okay, I will order the colour you suggested, I will make your white chocolate and pistachio brownies tomorrow instead
Thank u 😄
Hi Jane, if I bake this cake in advance, would it be ok to freeze, in iced ?
Many thanks, Tracy
Yes it can freeze well un-iced! X
Hi
Could I ask why do you use plain flour and no baking powder in your 8inch red velvet cake recipe and in the loaf tin recipe you use plain flour and baking powder as otherwise the ingredients are the same. X
They are just different recipes and I had different ingredients in – that’s all!
Hi Jane
Hope you are well. I’ve just got your red velvet loaf tin in the oven – but some of the top has fallen off and exploded! I have a small puddle of cake mix on my oven floor! Any idea why this could be?
I’ve followed your recipe and even have your loaf tin. I’m sure it will taste amazing regardless! Just wondering what I’ve done wrong. Thank you
That may mean that the raising agents might have been measured slightly wrong so it caused it to rise more than it should have! x
Hi Jane I love your recipes 🥰 hope you are well? Can you tell me where I can get buttermilk in the uk please? Or can I make buttermilk at home?
Buttermilk is found in all supermarkets usually near the cream/custard/milk! You can make your own however with FULL-FAT milk and lemon juice!
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!