This is the ULTIMATE, the BEST Red Velvet Cake ever. It is ultra soft and moist, exactly what you'd expect a "velvet" cake to be like, tastes absolutely phenomenal, with a very well balanced flavor that is not overpowered by sweetness, and is slathered in a silky, luscious cream cheese frosting. And if that's not enough, it is also incredibly simple to make!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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WHAT SHOULD A RED VELVET CAKE TASTE LIKE?
A Red Velvet Cake is not just a vanilla cake with red food color, or a mildly flavored chocolate cake, and shouldn't just taste like sugar. It should have a distinct, balanced flavor profile, with a combination of vanilla, chocolate, and a unique tanginess that comes from vinegar and buttermilk. The tanginess balances the sweetness of the cake and makes the flavor unique, and is further complemented by a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.
WHAT MAKES THIS THE BEST RED VELVET CAKE?
I am my own harshest critic, and I have been working on my Red Velvet Cake recipe for years. There have been times when I figured my cake was "good enough", but I was never truly satisfied... until now! I know it is so hard to really perfect a classic like Red Velvet to the point where it feels like the "best", but I sincerely believe I have done it.
So what makes this Red Velvet Cake so good?
- The texture is velvety *perfection*. In my opinion, the texture is the most important thing about a red velvet cake, and this one gets it just right. This cake is extremely moist without being oily or greasy, and remains moist in the fridge. It is soft and tender to the point that it feels like it melts in your mouth. It is also not dense or heavy, so you can easily enjoy a big slice!
- The flavor is phenomenal. This cake has a beautiful, balanced flavor with just the right amount of sugar, vanilla, chocolate and tanginess. That, paired with the tangy sweetness from the cream cheese frosting, creates a really lovely flavor which is not just vanilla or chocolate
- It is the perfect shade of red. A perfect red velvet cake should be just red enough, and that is actually harder to achieve than you'd expect! The key is to get the amount of cocoa powder just right so you get the subtle chocolate flavor without the cake becoming too brown
- The cream cheese frosting is to die for. It is silky, creamy, not overly sweet, and adds a wonderful tangy freshness to the cake
- The cake is REALLY simple to make! The cake comes together in a few steps without a mixer, is made of simple, easily accessible ingredients, and is easy to make even for beginners
If you're not convinced, here are a few verbatim quotes from my friends who taste tested this cake for me:
My God, I did not know Red Velvet could taste this good! I actually reached back for more because it's so delicious!
I am obsessed with SusieCakes' Red Velvet Cake, but it has been ruined for me forever now. This cake is so much better! It has a similar moist texture but is not nearly as sweet
Definitely the best Red Velvet Cake I've ever had! I am especially a big fan of the frosting. It is so silky and not gritty or overly sweet like most cakes
BEST FOOD COLOR FOR RED VELVET CAKE
I have tested different food colors for red velvet, including liquid, gel and powder, and have reached the clear conclusion that gel food color is the winner. Specifically, I recommend this red gel food color by Ann Clark. It is the perfect shade of red and extremely pigmented, so you need only a small amount for a huge pay-off. It will also last you a long time!
TIPS TO PERFECT THIS RECIPE
Here are a few important tips for you!
For the cake:
- Weigh the dry ingredients, especially the flour, for the best results. I love this inexpensive scale from Amazon
- Use Dutch Processed cocoa powder if you can! It has a deep chocolate flavor so you get the pay-off without needing too much
- Use gel red food color
- Never overmix the cake batter. Always whisk slowly and only until the ingredients are combined and you don't see big lumps
- Don't overbake the cakes. Check with a toothpick around the 20 minute mark, you want it to have light, moist crumbs on it. Overbaking will cause the cake to become dry and crumbly
- Let the cakes fully cool down before you handle and frost them. They are quite soft and delicate. I like to wrap them in cling wrap after taking them out of the pans, and keep them in the fridge for 1 hour before I work with them
For the cream cheese frosting:
- Use full fat, block cream cheese. I strongly recommend Philadelphia
- Make sure the cream cheese and butter are fully at room temperature so you don't have lumps in it
- Sift the powdered sugar. It is tedious but makes a big difference in the texture
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Here is a short video tutorial for this recipe that I recommend watching:
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="ENDGCbY4" upload-date="2024-09-19T04:01:09+00:00" name="BEST Red Velvet Cake" description="How to make the best, soft and moist red velvet cake" player-type="default" override-embed="default"]
PROCESS WITH PHOTOS
The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
Whisk the sugar, oil and melted butter until the mixture lightens in color:
Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth:
Whisk in the buttermilk, vinegar and food color:
Separately, bloom the cocoa powder in hot water, and stir that into the wet ingredients:
Sift in the dry ingredients and gently fold until combined:
Divide the batter evenly between 3 8" cake pans and bake:
Make the cream cheese frosting, and frost the cakes once they have cooled down. Then serve and enjoy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, you can easily make buttermilk yourself! For 1 ⅓ cup buttermilk, combine 1 ⅓ cup whole milk and 4 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice. Mix and rest for 5 minutes.
Yes, you can use natural 100% unsweetened cocoa powder in place of Dutch processed, though I strongly recommend the latter!
It is normal for these red velvet cakes to have holes in them. This recipe has quite a bit of vinegar which reacts with baking soda and creates gas, leading to the bubbles. You should not see these holes when the cake is assembled and sliced!
Yes, you can easily turn this recipe into cupcakes! Make sure to adjust the baking time depending on how big the cupcakes are. You will likely need to make more frosting, too.
You can use half of all the quantities and turn this into a 3 layered 6" cake. You can also use half the quantities and bake 2 8" layers instead - in this case, the layers will be thinner and the baking time will be shorter.
I do not recommend liquid food color as you will need a large amount to get the right color, and the additional liquid will affect the cake's texture.
Yes, you can make this cake 1-2 days in advance. I recommend baking the cake layers, covering them in cling wrap and refrigerating them. Then make the frosting and frost the cake the day you want to serve.
Store this cake in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container. If you want to store the full cake in the fridge, I recommend chilling the cake for 30 minutes so the frosting becomes a bit more firm, then covering in cling wrap.
RELATED RECIPES
If you like this recipe, check out my other phenomenal cakes:
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BEST RED VELVET CAKE RECIPE (SOFT, MOIST AND EASY)
- Total Time: 1 hour + chilling time
- Yield: 12-14 servings
Description
The ultimate Red Velvet Cake: super soft, moist and easy to make with a beautifully balanced flavor and delicious frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- ¾ cup vegetable oil (170g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cup buttermilk (320g) - mix 1 ⅓ cup whole milk with 4 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice to make your own
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp gel red food color - may need up to 1.5 tablespoon depending on the brand
- ¼ cup boiling water (60g)
- 2 ½ tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder (15g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (390g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened (2.5 sticks or 283g)
- 20 oz cream cheese, room temperature (2.5 8 oz blocks or 570g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
- 3-4 cups icing sugar, sifted (360 to 480g)
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake:
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (conventional, no fan) and line 3 8" cake pans with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil and melted butter for 1-2 minutes until the mixture looks lighter in color (the sugar won't be dissolved, that's okay)
- Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk for another minute until the mixture is very smooth and creamy
- Add the buttermilk, vinegar and red food color, and whisk until combined. The batter should be a bright, vivid red color
- In a separate small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder with the boiling water. Add the cocoa mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. At this point, the batter will be a deeper red color
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the batter. Gently and slowly whisk until the dry ingredients are just combined and no lumps remain. Do not overmix
- Divide the cake batter between 3 8" cake pans
- Bake for 23-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with light, moist crumbs on it (no wet batter). Remove from the oven
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Then carefully turn them out and let them fully cool down
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Add the room temperature butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to whisk on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture looks smooth. Scrape the bottom and edges of the bowl
- Add the sifted powdered sugar slowly, 1 cup at a time, while whisking on medium speed. Stop whisking once the sugar is dissolved and a fluffy cream cheese frosting is formed (taste after 3 cups sugar and add more as needed)
- If the frosting is too soft / runny, refrigerate for a few minutes until it reaches a spreadable consistency. If you find your frosting to be lumpy, you can also pass it through a sieve (although it is tedious)
Assembly:
- Working one cake layer at time, carefully trim off the dome and slather with a generous amount of the cream cheese frosting until all three layers are stacked on top of each other
- Cover the cake with a thin layer of the frosting (crumb coat), spreading it as smoothly as possible. Refrigerate for 15 minutes
- Add the remaining frosting and decorate the cake however you like. I make crumbs using the trimmed off cake domes and use them to decorate
- Serve & enjoy!
Video Tutorial:
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="ENDGCbY4" upload-date="2024-09-19T04:01:09+00:00" name="BEST Red Velvet Cake" description="How to make the best, soft and moist red velvet cake" player-type="default" override-embed="default"]
Notes
- The ingredient quantities for the cream cheese frosting will give a generous amount of frosting which I believe is perfect for this cake. However, if you want to use up all unwrapped butter and cream cheese, you can make a slightly smaller batch with 1 cup butter, 2 8oz blocks of cream cheese and 3 cups powdered sugar (same amount of vanilla and salt)
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
shahzeb says
loved it even though im not a big red velvet cake fan
Zoha says
That is also how I feel!
Zoha says
Cannot recommend it enough!
Zubin says
Hey Zoha I had this question for so long. Sone of your cake recipes have 3 eggs and if I want to half that recipe so what to do with eggs? How many eggs should I take then??
Zoha says
You would technically need 1.5 eggs. So you can add 1 egg, break 1 egg in a separate bowl and break it down, then take about half.
Herum Randhawa says
Hi Zoha!
I love trying your recipes and I’m sure this must be a great one too. Can’t wait to try it!
I had one question: if I ever try to hand whisk in sugar and not beat it to the last grain, my sugar remains solid in the final product somehow. Although I use granulated. Would you have any tips to overcome this?
Zoha says
Hi Herum! What kind of sugar are you using? That shouldn't be the case with granulated / caster sugar which is quite fine.
Wania Khan says
Hi Zoha! I baked this amazing cake for my son’s three month day celebration 🥰 I halved the recipe since it was for my small extended and non-dessert loving family. It was such a hit! The most critical of them said that it was a perfect cake. The one who doesn’t even eat dessert had 3 helpings! The kids also went crazy for it. Thank you so so much for sharing this! It is absolutely the best red velvet cake I’ve ever made (and had) ❤️
Zoha says
AWWWW you made my day!!! I am so glad you & your family loved this cake as much as I did. And all the love for your son <3
Asma Amer says
Red velvet is my most fav flavour and I have tried several recipes. However, no one made it so simple and flawless as you. Thanks.
Zoha says
Thank you so much - glad you liked it!
edyta says
Hi. I've made this cake and it is very lovely. But... My butter cream came very loose. I couldn't frost the cake. Any idea why?
Diya John says
Dear Zoha,
can i use red velvet essence/flavoring?
Is this recipe for an 8 inch cake?
Mifra says
Hey Zoha loved your recipes
I have a question can I bake the cake in one single pan and cut into layers? or Since I dont have 3 pans, Can I bake the cake in 2 7inch pans ( In one pans I'll put less amount of batter compare to another one and after baked, I'll cut the big part of baked cake into middle for untimely 3 parts of totall cake layers) And I'll frost the cake with two layers of cream and One final coat. Then I'll get 2 layers of cream frosting. will this work?
Anita says
Hello, Zoha! I’m making your red velvet cake for a wedding next weekend. Does it freeze well with cream cheese frosting for the first year anniversary tradition?
Thanks!
Faiza says
Hey, what type of vinegar do you recommend using for this recipe? Since there are lots of different types, some stronger than others, I was hoping you could clarify! Thank you, I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
Masooma Rizvi says
Such a thoroughly explained recipe, made it easy to follow and the cake turned out great! So moist and flavorful!
Mk says
hi zoha, greetings from South America !
I'm trying really hard to be a fan or red velvet cake. but u got me interest base of the fact you used both oil amd butter. but my question is I only have 7inch pans. would they work as u recommend 8inch or do I have to drop the baking tempature,
CY says
Made my first ever iced cake for my daughter’s birthday. Thank you for this recipe and the detailed instructions, really appreciate it!
Tiffanie says
Cake turned out fantastic. Very moist. I had one tell me they aren’t a fan of red velv but that my cake was really good and they enjoyed. My first time making red velvet and this will be my go-to recipe from now on. I did use a different cream cheese recipe but I’m sure the one given is also very delish. Thank you!
Anna says
Can I use 9” pans?
KZ says
Heyy I tried this recipe and it was such a hit. The cake was so moist and soft! My fam and friends loved it! Can't wait to try more recipes from you!!
Yasotha says
This recipe is a keeper. I halved the measurement and baked in 3 x 6" pans. Turned out perfect. I used my own recipe for the frosting.
Lexi Tiu says
Would it be a problem if I use oil based food coloring?
Zoha says
Hi Lexi! I haven't ever used that myself so I can't say. If you have successfully used it in the past, feel free to try!
myles says
beautiful inspiring
Zoha says
Thank you!