Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 315 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g natural cocoa powder
- 5 g baking soda
- 4 g salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 300 g granulated sugar
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 15 ml white vinegar
- 240 ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 15 g red food coloring gel
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 450 g cream cheese, full fat, block style, softened
- 115 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 480 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 2 g salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 745 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 89 g
- Fat
- 41 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 67 g
- Sodium
- 486 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 19 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 9 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 142 mg
- Potassium
- 158 mg
- Calcium
- 80 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 20 mg
- Phosphorus
- 133 mg
- Zinc
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 276 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.23 mg
- Niacin
- 0.4 mg
- Folate
- 20 mcg
- Water
- 59 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
- Caffeine
- 3 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with butter or cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and lightly flour the sides.
In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set the dry mixture aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the vegetable oil to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then blend in the vanilla extract and white vinegar.
In a small measuring jug, whisk the buttermilk together with the red food coloring gel until the color is entirely uniform and bright red.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the red buttermilk mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared baking pans. Bake at 175 C (350 F) for 30 to 35 minutes.
Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or whisk, beat the softened cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until entirely smooth and lump-free.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar. Once incorporated, add the vanilla extract and salt, then increase the speed to high and whip until light and fluffy.
Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the cooled cakes. Place the first layer on a serving platter, spread a thick layer of frosting over the top, place the second layer on top, and frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
Chef's Notes
- Using a blend of both butter and oil in the cake batter provides the best of both worlds: butter contributes an irreplaceable rich flavor, while the oil ensures the sponge stays incredibly moist even when refrigerated.
- For the cream cheese frosting, temperature is critical. If your butter is too soft, the powdered sugar will melt into it, resulting in a soupy mess. Both the cream cheese and butter should yield to gentle pressure but still hold their shape.
- Do not skip the vinegar. The chemical reaction between the acidic vinegar, buttermilk, baking soda, and natural cocoa powder creates carbon dioxide bubbles that give the velvet cake its signature fine, tender crumb.
- To achieve a bakery-level finish, apply a thin 'crumb coat' of frosting to the assembled cake first, chill it for 20 minutes to lock in any stray crumbs, and then apply the final thick layer of frosting.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent the cake from drying out and the frosting from absorbing fridge odors.
Freezer: 3 months — Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil to freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Troubleshooting
Frosting is runny or separating
Cause: The cream cheese and butter were too warm, or low-fat tub cream cheese was used instead of full-fat block style.
Fix: Place the mixing bowl in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, then re-whip until it holds stiff peaks.
Prevention: Ensure dairy is at a cool room temperature (pliable but not greasy or melting) and always use full-fat block cream cheese for frosting.
Cake crumb is tough and dry
Cause: Overmixing the batter once the flour was added, developing too much gluten, or overbaking.
Fix: Brush the individual cake layers with a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar dissolved) before frosting to reintroduce moisture.
Prevention: Mix only until the last streak of flour disappears and check for doneness 5 minutes before the suggested bake time ends.
Cake color is brown rather than vibrant red
Cause: Dutch-processed cocoa powder was used, which has an alkaline pH that prevents the red color from popping, or the food coloring was too weak.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Always use natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder and high-quality concentrated gel food coloring for red velvet.
Cultural Context
Red velvet cake traces its origins to the Victorian era, when the term velvet was used to describe cakes with a soft, fine crumb. The original red tint was a natural chemical reaction between raw, un-alkalized cocoa powder and acidic ingredients like buttermilk and vinegar. During the Great Depression, the Adams Extract company popularized the modern intensely red version by pairing their food coloring with a tear-off recipe card, cementing it as an iconic Southern American dessert.
