CLASSIC RED VELVET CAKE

by

This classic recipe for Red Velvet Cake is so straightforward, you won’t believe it’s cooked from scratch! After being covered in my tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting, this cake transforms into a wonderfully pliable, moist, and soft confection. Because of its exceptional smooth velvety texture and airy frosting, this delectable cake is virtually impossible to turn down.

This recipe for red velvet cake is ideal for Valentine’s Day as well as any other occasion when you want to impress your guests with a dessert that will steal the show. This is not your run-of-the-mill red-hued vanilla cake; rather, it has a delicate sweetness that is a combination of chocolate and vanilla, with a tangy and buttery undertone.

It is believed that red food coloring became more commonly available during the Great Depression, which is when red velvet cake was first produced. This cake is very popular in the South. This is a one-of-a-kind dessert that is sure to impress everybody and everyone who tries it. It is recommended to make it from scratch because the finished product tastes far better than anything that can be purchased in a box. The cake has a crumb that is smooth and silky, and it is both rich and moist. Each and every time, the audience goes wild for it.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED FOR THE RECIPE

  • Before you use baking soda, check to see if you have any that has expired or otherwise become unusable.
  • Butter: If you want to reduce the amount of salt in the finished product, it is better to use unsalted butter in the cake recipe. Bring the butter to room temperature before you begin creaming it so that you can save time.
  • Because there is just a tiny amount of cocoa powder called for in this recipe, its flavor works to accentuate rather than overpower that of the other components of the cake. Instead of utilizing cocoa powder that has been processed in the Dutch method, you should use unprocessed cocoa powder.
  • Because it contains buttermilk, the cake ends up being more acidic and moist. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda in the cake to produce a light and airy texture in the final result. This is because the baking soda was activated by the acid. The rich crimson hue is the result of a chemical interaction between the cocoa powder and the buttermilk, which is caused by the acidity of the buttermilk.
  • Similar to the effect that buttermilk has, vinegar “activates” the baking soda and brings out the natural red color of the chocolate.
  • If you want the color of your red velvet cake to truly stand out, you should add some red food coloring to the batter.
  • Cream cheese; in order to achieve the desired texture for this frosting, you must only use full-fat blocks of cream cheese. It is not recommended that you use the cream cheese that comes in a tub. Make sure to use the best cream cheese you can locate. When using a generic brand of cream cheese, the frosting may end up being thinner as a result.
  • Sugar in powdered form is a fundamental requirement for the frosting because it causes the sugar to instantly dissolve upon contact with the frosting and causes it to become sugary and creamy.

MEASUREMENTS FOR INGREDIENTS

For the Cake:
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (300g)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup buttermilk room temperature (240ml)
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese room temperature (454g)
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature (340g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1 ½ pounds confectioners sugar sifted (5½ cups/675g)

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

  • Calories: 1504kcal 
  • Carbohydrates: 212g 
  • Protein: 22g 
  • Fat: 66g 
  • Saturated Fat: 41g 
  • Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g 
  • Monounsaturated Fat: 17g 
  • Trans Fat: 2g 
  • Cholesterol: 238mg 
  • Sodium: 1177mg 
  • Potassium: 392mg 
  • Fiber: 2g 
  • Sugar: 167g 
  • Vitamin A: 2087IU 
  • Calcium: 350mg 
  • Iron: 3mg

OTHER DETAILS

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

 Cook Time 30 minutes

 Total Time 2 hours

 Servings 6 servings

 Calories 1504kcal

Equipment

  • 6-inch or 9-inch cake pans
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Electric hand or stand mixer
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Piping bag and tip

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE

  1. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl before adding them to the batter.

2. To cream the butter, fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix it on a medium speed setting. Pour the sugar into the bowl, then continue to beat the mixture on medium speed until it becomes foamy. Incorporate the eggs one at a time by beating them in until they are fully included.

3. Before incorporating the cocoa powder via sifting, the butter mixture should first be mixed with vanilla extract. To combine, give it a quick thumping. It might be helpful to scrape the dish.

4. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, vinegar, and red food coloring; stir to combine. (The intensity of the color that is baked into the food will be enhanced if you use more.)

5. After adding half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk mixture to the mixer bowl, the ingredients should be well combined at a slow speed. Run the process once more, this time using the remaining flour and buttermilk. It is essential to take regular breaks in order to scrape the inside of the bowl.

6. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it springs back when touched in the center, and distribute the mixture evenly among three cake pans about 6 inches in diameter that have been oiled.

7. To make the frosting, simply combine the butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and salt, then whip the mixture until it is fluffy and light. Powdered sugar that has been sifted should be added to the mixer in increments and stirred gently until it is completely absorbed. Put one of the cups to the side. After spreading a quarter of a cup’s worth of frosting over the cake layer, place it on the cake stand. When you are finished adding layers to the cake, cover the outside with the leftover frosting, and then decorate the cake as desired.

8. The eighth stage in the process of decorating your cupcakes is to transfer the frosting from the cup onto a piping bag. If you choose, you can pipe a border around the cake using the frosting. Place the red velvet cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but preferable for a longer period of time, so that the icing can firm up.

PROFESSIONAL GUIDE TO MAKING THIS RECIPE

  • If the top of each layer of your red velvet cake has a dome, you can make the layers easier to stack by cutting the dome off using a knife that has serrations. You may also use cake strips to guarantee that each layer of your cake is the same height and width by using this method. Cake strips make certain that the entire cake rises at the same rate, which eliminates the possibility of the cake developing a dome in the middle.
  • Always weigh your flour before weighing it out to ensure the most accurate results. Flour can be measured by the spoonful, first by fluffing it with the spoon, and then by leveling it off with the knife if you do not have a scale. By carrying out the procedure in this fashion, you will eliminate the possibility of overfilling the measuring cup by accident.
  • Before using any of the components, including eggs, milk, and cream cheese, they should all be brought to room temperature first. This allows for the ingredients to be easily combined without being overmixed.
  • When you are putting the layers of the cake together, you need to be very careful not to harm the more fragile layers.
  • After taking butter out of the refrigerator, it should be left out on the counter for at least one hour to warm up to room temperature before being used. If you soften the butter in the microwave, the cream cheese frosting can end up being too runny for your liking. You can speed up the process of softening the butter sticks to room temperature by cutting them into cubes if you don’t have time to wait for them to reach room temperature on their own.
  • Sifting the dry ingredients is necessary in order to remove any lumps that may have formed. Because of this, the cake’s crumb will retain its lightness and tenderness even after being baked.
  • If you want to make a large cake, you should use two circular cake pans that are 9 inches in diameter and split the mixture in half. Because the layers will be less thick, the total baking time will be reduced by approximately 5 minutes.
  • If you read the post that I made before this one, you will see that all you need to produce buttermilk is just two ingredients and you can do it on your own.

FAQs

SO, WHERE DO I PUT THIS?

If you wish to keep the red velvet cake for more than 2 days, you need refrigerate it because of the cream cheese frosting. Cover the cake with a cake dome or a thin layer of plastic wrap. The cake will keep for up to 5 days. Make sure the cake is at room temperature before serving.

MAY I PREPARE THIS IN ADVANCE?

Make the cake ahead of time and preserve it in the fridge by substituting the same amount of vegetable oil for the butter. Simply combine the dry ingredients in one dish and the liquid ingredients in another, then combine the two by pouring the liquid into the dry and stirring. Do as the recipe says. Vegetable oil, unlike butter, doesn’t get hard in the fridge, so a cake made with it tastes and feels just as good when it’s cold.
The baked cake layers can be stored in the freezer for up to three months if they are individually wrapped in plastic after cooling. When you’re ready to assemble the cake, thaw the cake layers and whip up the icing.

THE CAKE: MAY I FREEZE IT?

Yes! Pieces of the completed cake or the entire thing can be frozen. You can freeze the cake or slices for up to three months if you wrap them in many layers of plastic. Before serving, let the cake come to room temperature.

WHEN COMPARED TO CHOCOLATE CAKE, HOW IS RED VELVET DIFFERENT? IS THAT ALL THERE IS TO THIS CAKE?

The cream cheese icing adds a tangy note, and the cake is considerably lighter than chocolate cake. Because it dulls the batter’s ideal bright red hue, some bakers have ceased included chocolate in the mix. The acid interacting with the cocoa powder gave the cakes an initial dusty maroon tint, which was then brightened up with the addition of red dye. The acid in the vinegar reacts with the leavening chemicals to make red velvet cake much lighter and airier than chocolate cake.

PLEASE TELL ME THE CAKE’S TRUE FLAVOR.

Red velvet has a delicately sweet and acidic flavor due to the addition of buttermilk, vinegar, and cream cheese to the traditional flavor profile of chocolate and vanilla. The frosting is where the major flavor is at. But the best part about this cake is how it feels in your mouth! The cake is light and airy, and the icing is light and creamy, creating a wonderful mouthfeel.

Download this Article + Recipe in PDF Format.