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Red Velvet Cake

This easy recipe for classic Red Velvet Cake delivers three light and fluffy layers of beautiful red cake, flavored with chocolate, and decorated with generous swirls of cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Cooling Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade red velvet cake, layer cake, red velvet cake from scratch
Servings: 18
Calories: 473kcal

Ingredients

For the Cake:

For the Frosting:

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Prepare the Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    Grease 3 cake pans (8-inch), line with parchment paper, and set aside.
  • Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, white vinegar, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
  • Add sugar to the wet ingredients and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Add in the sifted dry ingredients. Slowly whisk or fold until the mixture is just combined.
    Be careful not to overmix, as this could lead to a dense and gummy cake.
  • Add the food coloring and mix until the batter is an even, dark red color.
  • Divide the batter evenly into the three cake pans.
  • Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the bake time.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully flip the cakes out of the pans onto a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

Prepare the frosting:

  • In a bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and heavy whipping cream until smooth.
  • Add in the vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated.
  • Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time at a slow speed.
  • If the frosting is too thick, add in 1 tablespoon of heavy cream at a time. If it is too thin, add in 2 to 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time.
  • Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Assemble the cake:

  • Using a serrated knife or a cake leveling tool, trim and level the tops of the cakes. You can reserve the scraps of cake to crumble and decorate the cake with after frosting.
  • Add a bit of icing to the cake stand to help the cake stick to the stand and not move.
  • Spread an even layer of cream cheese frosting between each layer of cake.
  • Spread a thin coat of frosting on the sides and top of the cake. Smooth it using a bench scraper. Add another layer of frosting, if desired.
  • Optionally, pipe a frosting border along the edge of the cake.
  • Cut and serve.

Notes

  • To store, place the cake in a domed cake plate.
  • Keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 788IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg