Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
The best red velvet cake recipe is made with real buttermilk and tangy cream cheese frosting. When I make this dessert, people are in awe of how pretty this is. Then they fall in love with the taste.
Red Velvet Cake is More Than a Delicious Chocolate Cake
14OuncesCream Cheese Philadelphia Cream Cheese Block at Room Temperature
1/2CupUnsalted Butter Room Temperature
1 1/2TeaspoonVanilla Extract
4CupsPowdered Sugar
Instructions
Cake Batter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two 8-inch pans or three 6-inch pans prepared with shortening and a light dusting of flour. You could even add a round of parchment paper to the bottom to ensure that the cakes will come out of the pans easily.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside, cake flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
Using a mixer on medium speed, mix the butter and sugar together until the sugar is well dissolved. This will take approximately 4 minutes and the color will have changed.
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, 1 ½ Cups Superfine White Sugar
Add the eggs one at a time. Then add the vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk, and red food coloring. Continue mixing a few more minutes until the batter is smooth.
2 Large Eggs, 1 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 Teaspoon White Vinegar, 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract, 1 Cup Buttermilk, 2 1/2 Teaspoons Red Food Coloring
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. There might be a few small lumps in the batter. Do not over mix.
Divide the cake batter between the prepared 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick inserted into the middle. If it comes out clean, remove the cakes. If not, let them continue baking a few more minutes. Do not overbake the cakes or they will be dry.
Let cakes rest in the pans for a few minutes before running a knife around the edge and turning them out onto a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter. Beat this for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
14 Ounces Cream Cheese, 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thin add a touch more powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thin, add a bit of water or milk one teaspoon at a time.
Many times, the cakes are not perfectly flat on top. If that is the case, just trim off the dome. Save the cake for crumbling on the sides or top of the cake for a decoration.
Add the frosting to the top of the first cake layer and spread the frosting all around almost to the edges. I usually have about ¼ of an inch of frosting between the cake layers. Place the other cake on top.
If you want the cake to look like it came out of the bakery, spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. Then place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. This will help seal in the crumbs.
After you take the cake out of the freezer, add the final layer of frosting and any decorations.
Tips and Tricks for Making the Perfect Red Velvet Cake
Room Temperature Ingredients. It is best to have all the ingredients at room temperature before starting the recipe.Sift Dry Ingredients. Sifting the dry ingredients removes any large clumps and helps create a soft and tender cake.Use Real Buttermilk. This is one of those ingredients that is a game changer in this recipe. While you can curdle regular milk to mimic buttermilk, it really does not have the same deep taste. This recipe really calls for the using real buttermilk.Use Cake Flour. Cake flour has less gluten that all-purpose flour. This will help create a tender cake.Butter and Cream Cheese Frosting. A fluffy, smooth cream cheese frosting is the best. Make sure to use real butter and the cream cheese block for making the frosting. This will provide for the best looking and tasting frosting.Do Not Overdo the Food Coloring. Often, I see a recipe that calls for an entire bottle of the red food coloring. Some food colors have a bitter taste. That will not reflect well on your final product.
A Few Red Velvet Cake FAQs
What Size Baking Tins Should Be Used?
This cake batter will work with the following • 2 8-inch cake pans • 3 6-inch cake pans • 1 half sheet pan • 1 9X13 cake pan • 32-36 muffin cupsThe 8-inch and 6-inch cake pans can be stacked with the frosting placed between the cake layers. Whereas the half sheet pan can be used to serve frosted cake bars. You can get fancy and cut rectangles and stack them up with frosting between the layers for a pretty rectangle layered cake. Finally, using muffin cups is a great way to make individual dessert portions.
Do You Really Need to Use Buttermilk and Vinegar in this Recipe?
Yes, the combination of the two really helps in both the taste and texture of the cake as they combine with the other ingredients to activate them.