December 16, 2022
Red Velvet Drip Cake!
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A deliciously festive red velvet drip cake with four layers of sponge, delicious frosting, ganache, and more!
This beauty of a recipe is designed to give you all the festive vibes with its white and red theme, delicious flavour, and beautiful decoration. I am obsessed with all things red velvet, and after so many requests for this beauty it was finally time to post it!!
Red Velvet Recipes
There is just something about red velvet themed bakes that really captures everyone and makes everyone bake them. I have quite a few on my blog now and in my books, such as my red velvet NYC cookies, my red velvet cake, and of course my red velvet brownies.
I just love the flavour it brings, as it is quite different. There are hints of vanilla, hints of chocolate, and its own unique flavour all tied into one. And this bake?! Well, it’s a showstopping combined version of so many red velvet bakes and I love it.
Cake
For this cake, I wanted to do a four-layer sponge because it always looks the best. My classic red velvet cake recipe is only two layers if you want to make a simpler two-layer version, and it also has cream cheese frosting on it.
I know the quantities may seem a little intense, but honestly, it’s just because there needs to be four layers. I found it easier to do four layers because I tend to bake these cakes into two sponges, and then split them each into two again.
These are the cake tins I use for sponges like this. I find if you use deeper cake tins, you get better results. If you try and do a deep cake in a tin that is too shallow, it tends to peak in the middle a lot more.
I also tend to bake cakes like this at a lower temperature, for longer. This also creates a flatter top and prevents the peak in the middle. However, as it is a red velvet cake, having a little bit of cake to chop off so you have crumbs for decoration is no bad thing.
Food Colouring
When I say the type of food colouring used in a red velvet bake is VERY IMPORTANT, I am not joking. I am not trying to sell a lie or anything of the sort – a lot of colours are just not good enough to make the cake actually red.
I use this extra strong red food colouring all of the time, as it really is the best. Unfortunately, sorry to break it to you, supermarket own colours do not work. They are too watery, not strong enough, and cannot fight against the natural brown colours of the rest of the ingredients.
Enhancement of the colour also comes from the raising agents, as they fuel the colouring, even more, to increase it and make it super bright.
Frosting
For the frosting, I decided to do cream cheese in the middle of the cake, as you have to have cream cheese frosting with your red velvet bakes. I have a post all about cream cheese frosting on my blog as it is notoriously tricky, but honestly?! Mine is pretty amazing.
For the outside though, I stuck to a basic vanilla buttercream. This is partly because I wanted something that could easily smooth and be dripped onto. I know it seems a bit boujee to make two different frostings, but if you don’t fancy it, you can just use all vanilla buttercream to be safe.
It’s so important when making both the vanilla buttercream and the cream cheese frosting to use block unsalted butter, as any form of spread will not work. You want the firmness of the butter to create the best results.
Decoration
When it comes to the decoration part of the cake, I follow the main idea of all drip cakes. You want to have a smooth layer of frosting in between each layer of sponge, and then a crumb coat to seal in any of those crumbs. It’s so important to chill the cake between stages as well.
The frosting on the outside is smoothed around to create a perfect surface, and I find using a large metal scraper and a turntable the best way to achieve this. If you don’t have either, you can still make a pretty and beautiful cake, but it may not be perfect.
I used a white chocolate ganache drip, coloured red, to create my drip because I wanted to throw the theme of red velvet into everyone’s faces. Also, swirls of buttercream on top, along with cake crumbs just made it perfect.
Tips & Ideas
As mentioned above, you can use my red velvet cake recipe for a two-layer cake, or you can halve the sponge recipe on this post.
This cake lasts for 3+ days in the fridge (because of the cream cheese frosting!). If you use just vanilla buttercream, it can last 4 days at room temp.
For this recipe I used
- This food colouring
- This piping tip
- These piping bags
- This large metal scraper
- This turntable
- These cake tins
Red Velvet Drip Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 250 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 600 g caster sugar
- 6 medium eggs
- 60 g cocoa powder
- 1-2 tsp red extra food colouring
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 500 ml buttermilk (see notes below)
- 600 g plain flour
- 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tsp white wine vinegar
Cream Cheese Filling
- 200 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 200 g icing sugar
- 400 g full fat soft cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 250 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 500 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- white food colouring (optional)
Drip
- 120 g white chocolate
- 40 ml double cream
- red food colouring
Instructions
Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 170ºc/150ºfan and line two deep 8" cake tins with parchment paper
- Add the unsalted butter and caster sugar to a bowl and beat until combined
- Add the eggs, red food colour, and vanilla and beat again
- Add the cocoa powder, buttermilk, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and white wine vinegar and mix again.
- Split the mixture between the two tins and bake the cakes for 50-60 minutes until baked.
- Leave to cool in the tins.
- Once cooled, split the cakes into two layers each so you have four in total. Time off the tops slightly if needed to level them off and use the crumbs for decoration later on.
Filling
- Add the unsalted butter to a bowl and beat until smooth
- Add the icing sugar and beat again.
- Add the full-fat soft cheese and beat until you have a thick creamy frosting, and then add the vanilla and mix through.
- Layer the sponges with the cream cheese frosting and then create a crumb coat with the leftover. Chill the cake for 30 minutes.
Buttercream
- Add the unsalted butter to a bowl and beat until smooth
- Add the icing sugar and vanilla beat again.
- If you want to, add white food colouring and beat until you reach your desired colour.
- Spread the frosting around the sides and top of the chilled cake and smooth with a large metal scraper
- Chill the cake for 30 minutes
Drip
- Add the white chocolate and double cream to a jug
- Heat in the microwave until melted and smooth
- Colour with extra strong red food colouring
- Pour into a piping bag and snip off the end - carefully drip down the sides of the cake and fill in the top
- Pipe on any spare buttercream in swirls, and sprinkle on cake crumbs for decoration.
Notes
Find my other recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
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Hi Jane want to make this for part of my son’s wedding cake but 9”x4” deep round tin. Can I put all the mixture in one tin to cook would it work ? Also does it freeze ok I will be covering with fondant. Thank you
Hi Jane I love your recipes they are always amazing. I am doing a 10” x 3 tier red velvet cake for my daughter’s wedding cake and wondering if you can help me work out the ingredients for this recipe or direct me to a conversion chart
Hi Jane,
I am planning on making this cake and wondered if I could add cream cheese frosting to all of the cake instead of buttercream and if so what the measurements would be please
.
Just making this now – however I have added and mixed the ingredients as per your recipe above, however I have noticed your method is more detailed in the 2 cake recipe – I.e a different method to mix you red ingredients with the bicarbonate and how to add the buttermilk etc to bring out colour!… I’m hoping mine will still be ok! As I have added the ingredients in at the same time (for each of the bullet points above!) – may be worth making the method the same for both recipes if required!
No, both methods and recipes work so it doesn’t need to be the same x
Trying your red velvet recipe for the first time and so far so good!
I’ve doubled up the cupcake recipe as I wanted to make a 4 layer 6 inch sponge rather than 8 inch and I just wondered why does the cupcake recipe have baking powder but this red velvet sponge dosen’t? .
Can I do this recipe in three tins?
Hi Jane,
I am am trying to make this but I only have three tins.
Would I be able to just put the mixture in or would I have to divide your measurements by 4 then times them by three?
Can I use stork?
For the sponge, yes! For the decoration, no. x
Hello, I would like to make this cake in a 8 & 10 inch heart-shaped tins, would I need to double the ingredients for 10-inch? Many thanks
What would be the best way to convert this for a 4 layer 6 inch cake??
Hi Jane i would like to make this for my mum’s birthday and was just wondering can I pre make the sponge and freze ? I’m so nervous as never done that before and how long would it be in freezer for and then once out the freezer how long will it last? Do I take it out the freezer wait for it to.defrost then put a layer of buttercream on one spine then chill that in the fridge take it out then do the next layer then chill?
Hi Jane. I am planning on making the red velvet cake this weekend. Can I just ask why the method on this one is different to your original red velvet (2 layer) cake? Does it matter which way you do it? Thank you 😊
Hiya! This is because they are two different recipes – follow the recipe for the best results! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jayne, What would be the measurements for a 4 layer 6 inch cake please? I need to make this Friday xx
I’m making this Saturday for my brothers birthday, can it be covered in cream cheese frosting? Is there a reason you use buttercream instead? If so what would the ingredient list be please.
Hi. I’ve looked for white chocolate ganache but can’t find any. Do you buy it or make it yourself? Thanks!
Hiya! I made it – use 120g white chocolate and 40ml double cream. Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane
Just reading through the recipe above and in the ingredients you say to “see notes” about the buttermilk, but there are no notes about it! The cake looks lovely and I’d like to give it a whirl so that note would be handy, please.
Thank you
Hiya! You can make your own using 500ml whole milk and 2 tbsp lemon juice, and leave the mix to sit for 5 mins before using. Hope this helps! x