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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HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG – Jane’s Patisserie! Just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone that supports my blog, likes my posts, comments on my posts, and especially to those who bake & share my recipes – I love you all!!
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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J x
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Can this cake be frozen? If so, how long for? Thanks in advance!
I usually say cakes can freeze up to 3 months if wrapped well and stored correctly!
Made this and was lovely!!! Easy to make if you follow the instructions!
Lovely cake, only problem was the icing was a bit runny, used the right amount of icing sugar but put it in the fridge for a bit and was fine!
Ohhh no! I’m glad it was fine in the end – I have a new and completely different version of cream cheese frosting which I have now linked on the post if you wanted to try that one in the future instead!
Hi, going to attempt a Spider-Man cake for my sons birthday, one red sponge and one blue, do you think for the blue sponge I could follow the above and just sub the red for blue food colouring?
Thanks
As long as the blue colouring as as strong as the red one I have mentioned, it should be fine! x
Hi Jane,
I’ve followed many of your recipes and they always turn out delicious! I want to make a red velvet cake but on a few recipes online they recommend to use oil instead of butter or a combination to make it moister. Would you recommend adapting your recipe to add in some oil or is it safer to just stick to the butter recommended in yours.
Many thanks
Personally I would recommend just sticking to the butter! x
I wish I had read the comments regarding the frosting before failing at making it twice and ruining a whole cake… it turned out far too runny both times. 😢 Jane can you update the recipe to show the revised ingredients and instructions for your updated frosting?
Hiya – I don’t update recipes until I have had a chance to actually bake it again and photograph it again unfortunately but it is on my list to do at some point!
Hi Jane. I adore your website. I am having some bother with the cake coming out too different colours (around the edges one time) and throughout last time. Any tips to avoid this?
Coloured cakes will always have the outside edge slightly darker or browner than the inside as that’s just natural – however what colour are you using, and how are you mixing it?
Hi Jane,
Just wanted to say that I made this recipe on the weekend and it was amazing! It came out perfectly! So thank you very much x
Hiya,
I would like to make this into 3, 4 inch cakes, how much mixture would i need to use?
I’m really unsure I’m afraid as I never make cakes that small!
Hi Jane, love your recipes! Can normal vanilla extract be used instead of vanilla bean extract?
Thanks!
Yes it can!
Hey Jane 👋 I’m looking to make this as a 4 layer 6 inch cake should I just double the mixture or just an extra 1/2?
Thanks 😊
I would say only an extra half (As typically I’d recommend using 2/3 of a recipe for just the size change, so double would definitely be too much) x
Hi Jane! I absolutely love your recipes. I wanted to make this cake but split it into two deep 6 inch tins. Would I need to alter the recipe at all? Also do you have an idea on baking times?
Thank you!
It would work in two deep 6 tins – I’m not sure on baking time though but maybe 45 minutes?! I could be wrong though! x
H!! Would I be able to add food colouring to the cream cheese frosting or would it make it too liquidy? Thank you x
You would need to use a really good quality colour such as sugar flair or colour splash or wilton, nothing from a supermarket – and I would recommend the new cream cheese frosting recipe on my blog x
Hi Jane, love love love all of your recipes!
Looking at making this but only have a 6 inch tins, if I wanted to make 6in 3 tier how much mixture/bake time would you recommend please
Thanks
I would use the recipe as it is for there 3×6″ but baking time I am really unsure as I don’t often bake them sorry! x
Sorry last question I can’t find buttermilk anywhere would I use 250ml of whole milk with 2tbs of lemon juice to make my own for this recipe?
Yes, but 1 tbsp of lemon juice is fine! x