Red Velvet Cake
You won’t believe how simple it is to prepare this traditional Red Velvet Cake recipe from the beginning! This cake is truly soft, delicate, moist, and complements perfectly with my sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. With its delightful soft texture and airy frosting, you won't be able to resist this tempting cake.
If you want an eye-catching red cake for Valentine’s Day or simply need a remarkable cake for birthdays, holidays, or any event, this red velvet cake recipe is perfect. Beyond being simply a red-tinged vanilla cake, this dessert offers a buttery tanginess, accompanied by delicate cocoa and sweet vanilla notes.
Red velvet cake is believed to have emerged during the Great Depression when red food coloring gained popularity and is a favored dessert in the Southern United States. This cake is so distinctive that it will appeal to everyone. Creating it from scratch is certainly worth the effort, as it is much better than any boxed mix. The cake is thick and tender yet remains moist with a smooth texture. It consistently wins over the audience! Looking to create a different cake recipe from the beginning? Check out my lemon cake recipe, strawberry cake recipe, or naked cake recipe.
Ingredients Required for This Recipe
Baking soda — always verify that the baking soda you possess isn't past its expiration date.
Butter — purchase unsalted butter to manage the salt content in the cake. Ensure the butter is at room temperature to facilitate easier creaming.
Cocoa powder — this recipe uses a small amount of cocoa powder, ensuring it doesn't dominate the other flavors in the cake. Ensure you use natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
Buttermilk — it provides a zesty taste and moisture to the cake. Additionally, the buttermilk engages the baking soda, assisting the cake in rising and providing a light and airy texture. Moreover, since buttermilk is acidic, it interacts with the cocoa powder and changes it to red!
Vinegar — similar to buttermilk, vinegar aids in activating the baking soda and enhances the red hues in the cocoa powder.
Red food dye — this will assist in amplifying the crimson shades of the red velvet cake.
Cream cheese — ensure you use full-fat cream cheese blocks for preparing this frosting. You prefer not to use the cream cheese that comes in a container. Make sure to select the highest quality cream cheese you can find. Certain generic cream cheese brands might be less creamy, resulting in a watery frosting.
You need to use powdered sugar because it dissolves rapidly into the cream cheese frosting, resulting in a creamy and sweet texture. If you only possess regular sugar, check out my post on how to make powdered sugar using it!
Ways to Prepare Red Velvet Cake
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda by sifting them together.
Beat the butter at medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment. Incorporate sugar and blend on medium until it's light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs one by one, mixing each until thoroughly blended.
Mix in the vanilla, then sift the cocoa powder into the butter blend. Mix only until blended. Scrape the bowl down.
In a liquid measuring container, mix the buttermilk, vinegar, and red food dye. (The greater the usage, the more vibrant the color when baked.)
With the mixer set to low speed, incorporate half of the flour mixture, then add half of the buttermilk mixture to the bowl, mixing just until blended. Continue with the leftover flour and buttermilk. Pause and occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Distribute the batter into three greased 6-inch pans and bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes or until the centers feel springy when touched.
For the cream cheese frosting, combine the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and salt, beating them until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Slowly incorporate the sifted powdered sugar into the mixer and keep mixing until combined. Put a cup aside. Position a cake layer on the cake stand and uniformly distribute ½ cup of frosting over it. Proceed with the remaining layers, then apply the leftover frosting to cover the exterior of the cake.
Transfer the cup of frosting into a piping bag equipped with a decorative nozzle. Pipe a decorative edge on the cake's top or according to preference. Put the red velvet cake in the refrigerator and cool it for approximately 1 hour or until the frosting has firmed up.
Expert Advice for Preparing This Recipe
If the tops of your red velvet cake layers are rounded, use a serrated knife to trim the domes so you can stack them evenly. As another option, utilize cake strips to ensure your cake layers bake evenly. Cake strips function by maintaining a cooler temperature on the outer edge of the pan, ensuring that the entire cake rises evenly and avoiding a dome shape in the center. If you'd prefer not to purchase cake strips, I have a post detailing how to make them yourself.
I strongly suggest utilizing a scale to weigh your flour, as it’s the most precise approach. If you lack a scale, aerate your flour with a spoon and scoop it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This technique stops you from packing the measuring cup too much.
If the ingredients were chilled, like the eggs, milk, and cream cheese, it's ideal to allow them to reach room temperature before using them for easy mixing without overmixing.
Handle the layers carefully during assembly, since the cake is quite delicate.
The ideal method to bring your butter to room temperature is to take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours prior and leave it on your kitchen counter. Warming the butter in the microwave risks it melting and causing the cream cheese frosting to become runny. To accelerate the butter's warming to room temperature, you can cut it into cubes instead of keeping the sticks intact.
Ensure to sift the dry components to eliminate any clumps. This will assist in maintaining the cake’s texture soft and airy.
Common Inquiries
What is the method for storing this?
I suggest keeping the red velvet cake in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting if you plan to preserve it for more than 2 days. Cover the cake with a cake dome or loosely wrap it in plastic wrap. The cake lasts for 5 days. Prior to serving, allow the cake to reach room temperature.
Is it possible for me to prepare this in advance?
If you want to prepare the cake in advance and refrigerate it, substitute the butter with an equal amount of vegetable oil! Just combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another, then add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until fully blended. Cook according to the instructions. The vegetable oil won’t solidify in the refrigerator like butter, resulting in a cold cake that feels softer and moister.
You may also bake the cake layers, and after they cool, wrap them in plastic and freeze for as long as 3 months. Defrost the cake layers and prepare the frosting when it's time to put them together.
Is it possible to freeze this cake?
Absolutely! The assembled cake or separate slices can be frozen. Encase the cake or pieces in several layers of plastic prior to freezing for as long as 3 months. Allow the cake to reach room temperature prior to serving it.
What distinguishes red velvet from chocolate cake? Is this merely a chocolate cake?
This cake is far less dense than chocolate cake, featuring a zesty hint from the cream cheese frosting. Certain individuals have ceased incorporating chocolate into the batter because it disrupts the intended vibrant red hue. Initially, the cakes possessed a dusty maroon shade due to the acid interacting with cocoa powder, but over time, this transformed into a vibrant red hue from the incorporation of red dye into the batter. In contrast to chocolate cake, red velvet cake contains vinegar, which significantly affects the texture since the acid interacts with the leavening agents, resulting in a lighter cake.
What is the true taste of this cake?
Red velvet features a delicate blend of chocolate and vanilla flavors with a slight tanginess, attributed to the buttermilk, vinegar, and cream cheese. The primary taste note actually originates from the frosting. Nonetheless, the most appealing feature of the cake is its texture! You’re enjoying bites of soft, moist cake topped with a rich, delicate frosting that provides a pleasant texture.
Observations
If the tops of your cake layers are rounded, use a serrated knife to trim the dome tops for even stacking. Another option is to use cake strips to ensure your cake layers bake evenly. Cake strips function by maintaining a lower temperature on the outer edge of the pan, which helps the whole cake rise evenly and stops a dome from developing in the center. If you prefer not to purchase cake strips, I have a tutorial on making your own cake strips.
I strongly suggest weighing your flour with a scale, as it is the most precise approach. If you lack a scale, aerate your flour using a spoon and transfer it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This technique helps you avoid overfilling the measuring cup.
If the ingredients were kept in the refrigerator, like the eggs, milk, and cream cheese, it's advisable to allow them to reach room temperature prior to using them so they combine easily without being overmixed.
Handle the layers with care during assembly, as the cake is quite delicate.
The optimal method to allow your butter to reach room temperature is to take it out of the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours prior and let it rest on your kitchen counter. Using the microwave to soften the butter poses a risk of it melting, which can cause the cream cheese frosting to become runny. To accelerate the butter reaching room temperature, you can cut it into cubes rather than keeping the sticks intact.
Ensure you sift the dry ingredients to eliminate any clumps. This will aid in maintaining the softness and lightness of the cake's crumb.
For a big cake, split the batter into two 9-inch round cake pans. The layers will be slightly thinner, resulting in a reduction of the bake time by approximately 5 minutes.
If you lack buttermilk, check out my post on making buttermilk using just two ingredients.
Fixings:
- ½ cup/113 grams margarine, at room temperature, in addition to 2 tablespoons to plan container
- 3 tablespoons/22 grams cocoa powder, isolated
- 1 ½ cups/300 grams sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons/10 milliliters vanilla
- 2 tablespoons/30 milliliters red food shading
- 1 teaspoon/6 grams salt
- 1 teaspoon/5 grams baking pop
- 2 ½ cups/320 grams flour, filtered
- 1 cup/236 milliliters entire buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon/15 milliliters vinegar
- Ermine icing (see formula), or other fleecy white icing
Guidance
Heat broiler to 350 degrees. Plan three 9-inch cake skillet by buttering gently and sprinkling with 1 tablespoon filtered cocoa powder, tapping container to cover and disposing of additional cocoa.
Cream margarine and sugar together. Add eggs each in turn and beat vivaciously until each is joined. Blend in vanilla.
In a different bowl, make a glue of the excess 2 tablespoons cocoa and the food shading. Mix into spread blend.
Filter together leftover dry fixings. Rotating in 2 bunches each, add dry fixings and buttermilk to the margarine blend. In the last bunch of buttermilk, blend in the vinegar prior to adding to the hitter. Blend until mixed.
Split hitter between 3 dish and prepare for around 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack totally. (Can likewise be made in 2 cake container.)
To collect, eliminate 1 cake from its dish and put level side down on a serving platter.
Drop around 1 cup of icing onto cake and, utilizing a level spatula, spread equitably up and over. Eliminate the second cake from its skillet. Put level side down on top of first layer. Utilize remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake. Appreciate it !!!
Red Velvet Cake VIDEO
