Classic Red Velvet Cake is such a special cake that I can make only at very special occasions to very special people. I mean it’s not a simple everyday cake. What makes this cake that valuable? Look at that velvety color and moist texture. When topped and layered with cream cheese frosting, it truely deserves to be a special cake. Everyone falls in love with the red velvet texture the first moment they see it. Their love gets even stronger one they feel the combination of the cake and the cream cheese frosting. This is the cake to spoil someone, so it makes a wonderful Valentine’s Day dessert. If you are after a super easy Valentine's Day treat, then learn how to make truffles with ganache and biscuits!
Classic Red Velvet Cake wasn’t a classic cake at our home. Well, this was my first attempt and I just regret not trying it before. I’ve made moist red velvet cupcakes several times and I’m familiar with that amazingly velvety texture but making a big cake layered with frosting is not the same. So I was quite excited. It was important to make a tasty cake with the right amount of food coloring. And the cream frosting shouldn’t be too heavy. I made the cake overnight to have enough time and patience to deal with the cutting and coating process. I’m so happy to have this fantastic red velvet cake at my first try. This will absolutely be one of my special cakes for occasions.
Some of you might have doubts about using food coloring, but it’s needed for a Classic Red Velvet Cake. You can’t have that same color with any natural ingredient. You might have really a nice velvety color with beet as in Double Chocolate Beet Cake, but it’s more like purple, not red.
I’ve seen that almost all classic red velvet cake recipes require for buttermilk and a little cocoa powder besides the red food coloring. The combination of these three makes what red velvet cake originally is; a moist cake with a subtle chocolate flavor. We don’t have buttermilk at markets here, so I just warm the milk, drop 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into it and wait for about 10 minutes to get my own buttermilk. And cream cheese frosting is a must for a classic red velvet cake, and this one is not an exception. I used to different frostings for the layer inside and for the coating. And this makes my cake even more inspirational. I must thank to Zoe of Zoe Bakes for her wonderful video tutorials: How to Crumb Coat your Cake (Cake Decorating Series). They really helped me with my very first layered cake.
Well, this was my first layered cake try, so I failed to cut the cake in equal halves, that’s why the cream frosting inside it is too close to the bottom, not in the middle as expected. The look is not always very important when the taste is quite decadent, right? So I will continue trying such cakes and I hope I succeed it in my next attempts.
Other Red Velvet Recipes
- Red Velvet Crinkles
- Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Red Velvet Moist Bundt Cake
- Red Velvet Cookies Stuffed With Nutella
As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!
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PrintClassic Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake with two different frosting. Cream cheese frosting inside the cake and a simple icing all over it.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 and ½ teaspoons vinegar
- 1 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 and ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 and ½ tablespoons red food coloring
Cream cheese frosting inside the cake:
- 1 and ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 (8-ounce) package mascarpone, at room temperature
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Icing to coat the cake:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 and ½ tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 and ½ cups pink chocolate shavings for coating, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
- Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add in olive oil and continue whisking until completely combined. Add in the vanilla extract and stir.
- In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk, baking soda and vinegar. It should bubble and then fade.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder and salt in another bowl.
- Sift ⅓ of the flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix. Then pour half of the buttermilk mixture and mix. Then sift the half of the remaining flour mixture, mix and then the rest of the buttermilk mixture and mix. Finally add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Add in the food coloring and stir until incorporated. Transfer the batter into the cake pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool it for 15 minutes and then remove from the pan to cool completely.
- Make the icing to coat the cake. Mix the cornstarch, flour and milk in a small pot over medium heat. Cook until thickened, stirring continually. Make sure you don’t boil it. Add in vanilla extract and sugar and mix until it melts. Let it cool. Add in heavy whipping cream when it cools completely and whisk until thickens. Set aside.
- Make the cream cheese frosting inside the cake now. Whisk the whipping cream until stiff.
- In another bowl, beat mascarpone, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until combined. Gradually add in the whipped cream and beat until combined. Chill for 15 minutes.
- Cut the cake horizontally into two halves. Using a spatula, spread the cream cheese frosting on one layer of the cake and place the other half upside down on the top. Spread ⅓ of the icing on the top and all over the cake. Chill for 30 minutes. Spread the remaining icing all over the cake. Coat with pink chocolate shavings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 902
- Sugar: 62.1 g
- Sodium: 716.8 mg
- Fat: 59.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 88.4 g
- Protein: 13.4 g
- Cholesterol: 140.2 mg
Keywords: red velvet cake, one layer red velvet cake
Sarah Pulumo says
Hmmm, i love this cake, thanks for sharing
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Craving a slice of this classic red velvet cake right now - it looks incredibly delicious and moist too.
Kathleen @ Yummy Crumble says
I absolutely love the color of that red velvet cake! It's gorgeous. and I adore those adorable pink chocolate shavings. It's perfect for Valentines 🙂
Jess @ Eating with Alice says
This might just be the prettiest cake I've ever seen! Now I just need an occasion so that I can make it....:p Thanks for sharing. Jess x
Joyra says
I'm American and we normally bake layer cakes in separate pans. The British seem to bake it all in one pan and then cut it in half. There's pros and cons for both methods. The separate pan method is a problem with getting the layers done at the same time as different parts of the oven may be hotter (unless you've got fan assisted). The one pan method I'm never successful with as by the time the top is done, the bottom is overdone and the middle is sometimes still raw plus the problem of cutting it in half (or thirds if you're doning a really fancy layer cake). Whatever the method I love red velvet layer cake.