Red Velvet Cake!
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A delicious & light and moreish red velvet cake smothered in cream cheese frosting – hello cake heaven!
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Red Velvet
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!
After trying out a few recipes from other websites and such I decided that developing my own was best – as some recipes were so unreliable I just didn’t feel comfortable! It really is science when it comes to red velvet, and whilst the classic was really a beetroot cake, this is my more modern version of a red velvet cake.
Food colouring
I would definitely say the key to the recipe is good quality food colouring – using the little liquid bottles you can buy from the supermarket, will NOT work! You will end up having to use about 5 bottle to make it work, and it’ll just taste nasty.
I use Sugarflair food colouring for all of my baking, and this is no different! I use the Sugarflair Red Extra food colouring which you can buy, which comes in at about £5/£6 a pot, but it lasts for sooooo long that this doesn’t matter! Also, the key of using the buttermilk, bicarbonate of soda, and vinegar means that the red colouring will be brought out even more, and you will get the classic velvet cake texture!
I find the reason that peoples red velvet cakes can fail is because of using lower quality food colouring, not mixing it with the cocoa powder (which is the ingredient that makes the colouring not work sometimes!!) and then not taking their time with the making of the cake. Gradually adding in all of the ingredients in the order specified makes a deliciously moist cake, that comes out super super SUPER bright red!
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.
Red Velvet Cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 300 g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 heaped tsp Sugarflair Red Extra 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
- I really really really recommend in investing in good quality Sugarflair Red Extra food colouring for a red velvet cake - I use Sugarflair paste colours which you can buy online, or in cake decorating shops etc - but they don't have a funny taste to them, you use far less to make them work, and they last so much longer!!
- 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 these piping bags
- 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.
ENJOY!
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Never done a red velvet cake before, what can I substitute buttermilk for? Finding it hard to find x
You can make it yourself with whole milk, and lemon juice! You whisk 1tbsp of lemon juice into the milk and let it set for about 5 minutes before using!! x
Hello, would i be able to freeze this cake without the frsoting?
Yes you can!!
I was so looking forward to making this cake for my father in laws birthday, but I can’t find red food colouring anywhere in the shops and ordering it online wont come in time. Can I still make the cake and just leave the red food colouring out? I know it wont be red, but will it still taste the same or should I leave the vinegar and cocoa out of the recipe?! HELP!
Hey! So you still want to use the other ingredients – just leave out the colouring! The taste will be the same! x
Hello 🙂
Can I use self-raising flour instead of plain flour and bicarbonate soda?
X
Hey! So the raising agent also comes somewhat from the vinegar, bicarbonate and even the buttermilk – so it won’t be a straight switch but it should be okay! The texture may just be slightly different! x
Hi will homemade buttermilk do? With just milk and lemon juice.
Yes – make sure it’s full fat milk, and whisk in the lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes before using x
Hi, do you have to use White vinegar? Because I’m finding it really hard to get hold of at the minute.
You definitely do need something similar – it’s part of what makes the cake rise and have a better colour!
I can only get a hold of medium eggs at the moment 😔 should I add an extra egg or leave it as 2 medium eggs?
I would use two medium, and maybe a yolk! x
How would I adapt the recipe for 3 layers at 8″? I would like to do a drip cake style so should i cover the cake in vanilla buttercream and do cream cheese frosting for the filling?
Hey! The easiest thing is to add on another half of the recipe for the third tin (so you do 1.5x) and yes that sounds perfect!!
Made this cake several times and is always a massive hit! Quick question and the answer is probably yes but with regards to the full fat cheese, I’ve always used Philadelphia full fat as your recipe says but my other half picked up the Lidl version of full fat cheese and I just want to check that this will be ok? I’ll just get rid of excess liquid if there is some? Thanks! Love allll your recipes btw!
As long as you get rid of the excess water like you say it should still be okay! Lots of my readers use aldi/lidl and say it works well!
Hey,
If I don’t have white wine vinegar, can I use apple cider vinegar?
Yes!
Hi Jane I would like to make a 3teir 6inch cake.. would the measurements for this recipe be enough or should i double it?
Hey, what could o use to substitute eggs?
Hi Jane, Would you recommend using storke or blocked butter for the sponge?
For the sponge, you can use either – for buttercream I recommend block butter.
Just made this, but I can never get my frosting spot on, its always too runny, but it still tastes great. I’ll get it right one day.
Love your recipes.
Unfortunately cream cheese frosting is the worst of them all for that – it’s very difficult to get right!
Hi the only red food colouring I’ve seen on line and it says its a paste is this correct. Do you use a paste thanks
Hiya, is there a substitute for buttermilk? I live in spain and it’s impossible to get. I makecakes for an English Cafe here and I know this would be well loved! Love your blog and recipes btw!!
You can mix whole milk (full fat) with 2 tbsp of lemon juice to make your own substitute!