Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Course: cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 25

Cool Time: 10

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: slices

Calories: 1164kcal

Red Velvet Cake is a classic cake recipe sure to wow any time of year. It's delicious cream cheese frosting is a personal favorite.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk until combined.
3½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vegetable oil, and sugar together until smooth.
½ cup unsalted butter, 1¼ cups vegetable oil, 2½ cups granulated sugar
Add in the sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add in the red food coloring and beat until fully incorporated.
1 cup sour cream, ¾ cup milk, 3 large eggs, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons red food coloring
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the 3 cake pans (about 634 grams per pan).
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
24 ounces cream cheese
Add in the butter and beat until incorporated.
1 cup unsalted butter
Sift in the powdered sugar through a fine-mesh sieve. Mix until well incorporated.
5 cups powdered sugar
Add in the vanilla extract and salt and mix again until the frosting reaches a smooth and creamy consistency with stiff peaks.
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Using a bread knife, shave off the rounded top of each cake to create a flat top. Save the cake scraps for decoration.
Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand cut side down. Spread a generous layer of frosting on top.
Add on the 2nd cake layer and spread a layer of frosting on top.
Add on the 3rd cake layer.
Frost the entire exterior of the cake with the remaining frosting.
If desired, crumble the leftover cake scraps and decorate the sides or top of the cake with them. Additionally, pipe decorations on the top of the cake with leftover frosting.

For a lighter, fluffier cake, swap the all-purpose flour for cake flour.
You can use any unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, but I find that natural works best.
In the cake, you can use all butter or all vegetable oil instead of both, if you prefer.
In place of the sour cream, you can use plain Greek yogurt or buttermilk.
You can use any milk in this recipe, including non-dairy milk.
If using gel food coloring, reduce the amount to 2 teaspoons.
You can also color this cake with beet powder for a more natural color.
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature!
Measure your flour using the spoon-and-level method to prevent a dense, dry cake.
For a larger cake, you can divide the batter between two 8-inch cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Let the cakes cool completely before frosting; otherwise, the frosting will melt off!
Sift the powdered sugar to avoid a lumpy frosting.

Storage: Store red velvet cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.