Description
This best red velvet cake recipe promises a soft, moist, and easy-to-make dessert perfect for any celebration. Featuring a vivid red cake infused with cocoa and a creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting, this cake is baked in three layers and crowned with a smooth, fluffy finish that's both visually stunning and delicious.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (170g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (113g)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup buttermilk (320g) - made by mixing 1 1/3 cup whole milk with 4 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp gel red food coloring (may need up to 1.5 tbsp depending on brand)
- 1/4 cup boiling water (60g)
- 2 1/2 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder (15g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (390g)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (30g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (2.5 sticks or 283g)
- 20 oz cream cheese, room temperature (2.5 blocks of 8 oz or 570g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3-4 cups icing sugar, sifted (360 to 480g)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (conventional, no fan) and line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal of cakes after baking.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, and melted butter for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture lightens in color. This step helps incorporate air for a lighter cake texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract, whisking vigorously for another minute to create a smooth and creamy batter.
- Add Color and Buttermilk: Stir in the buttermilk, vinegar, and red gel food coloring, mixing until combined and the batter turns a bright, vivid red shade.
- Incorporate Cocoa Mixture: In a small bowl, whisk the Dutch processed cocoa powder with the boiling water until smooth. Add this mixture to the batter and stir to deepen the red color into a richer hue.
- Sift and Add Dry Ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet batter slowly to prevent overmixing, just until no lumps remain.
- Divide and Bake: Evenly divide the cake batter into the three prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with light, moist crumbs but no wet batter.
- Cool Cakes: Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 15 minutes before carefully turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Make Cream Cheese Frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, room temperature cream cheese, vanilla extract, and salt on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add Sugar to Frosting: Gradually add the sifted icing sugar one cup at a time while mixing on medium speed. Continue until the sugar is dissolved and the frosting is fluffy. Adjust sweetness by tasting after 3 cups and adding more sugar if desired.
- Adjust Consistency: If the frosting feels too soft or runny, refrigerate it for a few minutes until spreadable. To remove lumps, optionally pass the frosting through a sieve though this is a tedious step.
- Assemble Cake Layers: Working with one cake layer at a time, trim off the domed tops to level the cakes. Spread a generous amount of frosting evenly over each layer and stack them.
- Apply Crumb Coat: Cover the entire stacked cake with a thin layer of frosting to trap crumbs and smooth the surface. Refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes to set this layer.
- Final Frosting and Decoration: Apply the remaining frosting evenly over the chilled cake. Decorate as desired, using crumbs made from the trimmed cake domes for embellishment.
- Serve: Slice and enjoy this beautifully moist and tender red velvet cake with its rich cream cheese frosting.
Notes
- To make homemade buttermilk, combine whole milk with vinegar or lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes before using.
- The amount of red gel food coloring may vary by brand, so adjust to achieve your desired color intensity.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter once the dry ingredients are added to maintain cake tenderness.
- Room temperature butter and cream cheese are essential for smooth frosting.
- Trim cake domes evenly to create stable and neat layers for assembly.
- Use parchment paper in pans to ensure the cakes release easily after baking.
- Refrigerate frosting if it becomes too soft to handle, ensuring easy spreading.
- If you prefer a sweeter frosting, add more icing sugar gradually to taste.
