This is the best red velvet cake you’ll ever have. This classic cake is unbelievably moist, fluffy, flavorful, and perfectly red. It’s the real thing!
You know how much I love sharing my kitchen adventures on Instagram stories, and after sharing my homemade red velvet cake that I made last week, I got so many requests for the recipe, that my inbox almost exploded. I love to see you get excited about a cake like that! I can totally relate. So of course, I had to share the recipe.
I’m not even gonna tell you how many red velvet cake recipes I’ve tried in the past few months to get to the very best one, because then you’ll know how many cakes I ate, which is quite embarrassing.
This is my absolute favorite red velvet cake recipe!
This is a classic, old-fashioned 2-layer red velvet cake. It is so moist, it will melt in your mouth! And it’s frosted with the ultimate rich and creamy cream cheese frosting. It’s not just me who’s in love with this cake. Every single person I brought a piece to, said wow on the first bite.
What is Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake is a classic American dessert, but it’s becoming more and more popular outside of the US, and for a good reason – it’s so festive and delicious.
Is red velvet a chocolate cake? Although there’s cocoa powder in the recipe, the amount is rather small and the flavor of chocolate is subtle, so it isn’t meant to be a chocolate cake. Actually, the cocoa powder is there mainly to provide a slight red color.
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
A combination of ingredients such as vinegar, red food coloring, cocoa powder and buttermilk is what makes this cake so unique. It’s easy to make, I promise.
Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
All-purpose flour or cake flour? Although cake flour is usually used for classic red velvet recipes to make it light, I wanted to stick to all-purpose flour in my recipe, so that everyone can make it. I use a combination of all purpose flour and cornstarch, so the cake turns out tender and delicious. If you prefer using cake flour use 2 and 3/4 cups of it.
Red food coloring: what makes red velvet cake red is the food coloring. If you don’t use it, the cake will have a dark reddish-brown color.
Cocoa powder: I use 2 tablespoons in my recipe, which is just right to get the color and flavor that I look for. Some recipes use 3 tablespoons or more for a bit more chocolatey flavor, but in this case, I like to stick to the classic. Both Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder work here.
Oil or Butter? The first cakes I tried were only with butter, because, well, I love butter. But once I started using oil (after I saw that Southern recipes use only oil, and I got curious), I realized my cake was less dry. To enjoy both worlds I use some butter for flavor, and oil for the fluffiest texture and extra moist cake.
Vinegar: I use apple cider vinegar, but any white vinegar would work, like the ones you use for a salad dressing.
I use a classic cream cheese frosting for this red velvet cake.
Products I use to make this cake
9-inch cake pans – these high quality cake pans help my layer cakes bake beautifully. Some of you asked me on Instagram how come my cakes are so flat. There are a few tricks for it, and you can read about it in this helpful guide, but I’ll be honest that I don’t bother with this. I get good results with these cake pans, and if the cakes have a dome, I slice it off with a sharp knife. It’s less trouble, and no one would notice.
Red food coloring – I always prefer using gel than liquid. I’ve tried many and this one has the best vibrant red color.
Try my Red Velvet Cupcakes and Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Cookies next!
- 2 and 1/2 cups (340g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (35g) cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons (12g) unsweetened cocoa powder (any kind works)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick/115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 and 1/8 cups (425g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons distilled wine vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 16 oz. (450g) full-fat block cream cheese (not spread), at room temperature
- 2 sticks/225g unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt , optional
- To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans that are at least 2-inches high, and line the bottom of the pan with a round piece of parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornflour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in oil. The batter might look a bit curdled, that's ok. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla and vinegar and beat until combined. Add red food coloring, until desired color is reached. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Add buttermilk, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in the pan on a wire rack until they're easy to handle, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add sugar in 2 additions, beating well after each addition until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and keep beating until smooth and fluffy.
- Assembling the cake: Set one layer on a plate with the flat side facing up (or, if your cake rose too much, cut its rounded top with a knife to make it flat). Evenly spread a thick layer of the frosting over the cake to the edge. Top with the second cake layer, rounded side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
- Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to remove it from the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving so that it's soft.
93 Comments
Angeliki
March 19, 2018 at 2:18 amHi Shiran! I love your recipes, your blog is what turned me into a fan of baking! 🙂 I wanted to ask, because I’m from Cyprus and we don’t have buttermilk, is there anything I can substitute it with?
Shiran
March 19, 2018 at 2:35 pmThank you so much, Angeliki! You’ve just made my day 🙂 I hope you enjoy this recipe just as much.
Buttermilk Substitutes: (1) Take 1-cup measuring cup and pour in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Add milk until it reaches one cup. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. It will look curdled and that’s fine. That’s your buttermilk. (2) use 3/4 cup plain yogurt plus 1/4 cup milk. Mix them together, and use it instead of the buttermilk.
Lenny
October 7, 2019 at 2:46 pmAfter you line the pans with parchment, do you pour the batter on the dry parchment or do you grease (or grease/flour) the bottom again after lining?
Shiran
October 13, 2019 at 3:35 amI pour the batter on the parchment paper, no need to grease it!
Jane
August 2, 2019 at 1:02 pmNot related but my Bro-in Law is from Cyprus, too❤️!
Angeliki
March 20, 2018 at 3:54 amGreat! Thank you! 🙂
Shiran
March 25, 2018 at 6:59 amThank you so much, Payal! Unfortunately I don’t have much experience baking without eggs, so I can’t recommend any substitutes.
Lorraine Sarfati
April 3, 2018 at 4:42 pmHi Shiran, awesome recipe! question regarding sifting the powdered sugar. is it 4 cups of sugar before or after it has been sifted? i’m new to baking,and just want to make sure i have all the details correct.
Shiran
April 4, 2018 at 2:28 pmHi Lorraine, it’s before, so you need to first measure the sugar, then sift.
Lorraine
April 5, 2018 at 9:38 pmThank you!
Louise
June 11, 2019 at 6:01 pmHi. I want to make a 4 layered 8 inch cake so will I need to double the recipe,
Thank you
Simone
June 5, 2018 at 1:42 pmHi Shiran! Your recipes are awesome! I have not yet tried them out but I going to try them. But I get stuck with the butter.
Can you please tell me what I can substitute the butter with? What will happen if I add oil instead of butter? Will it lessen the taste ?
Thank You!
Shiran
June 6, 2018 at 9:32 amHi Simone! Thank you so much! In some recipes you can use coconut oil instead, but it depends on the recipe. Using only oil might work but since I haven’t tested it I can’t guarantee the result. It changes not only the flavor, but also the texture.
Valerie
June 16, 2018 at 10:00 amHi Shiran,
Tried your recipe today..loved it! But the cheese frosting was liquid. It flew between the layers. Do you any advise please?
I used the spread cream cheese because I could not find block cream cheese.
Thank you ?
Shiran
June 17, 2018 at 3:58 amHi Valerie, the spread doesn’t work well in frostings, because it’s not stiff enough, that’s why it happened. I also mentioned it in the recipe instructions. If you can’t find block cream cheese, you can use another frosting such as vanilla buttercream or whipped cream frosting.
Valerie
June 18, 2018 at 2:50 amThank you. I’ll try the vanilla buttercream frosting next time.
Kasia
May 23, 2019 at 1:56 amDid you beat the frosting for 2 minutes as per recipe? I had always watery ccf until I started to beat it longer.
Vanessa
July 8, 2018 at 2:58 amI have only one 9 inch pan so can I bake one layer after another layer or can I reduce the ingredients quantity to half to yield a one layer cake ?
Shiran
July 11, 2018 at 8:18 amHi Vanessa, both options are fine, but if you half the ingredients to make one layer cake, just keep in mind that the cake will be a bit short.
Noor
October 28, 2018 at 3:17 amI have only one pan too. Can I bake all the batter together and then cut it through once cooled for spreading icing?
Shiran
October 28, 2018 at 10:20 amIt’s possible, but it depends on the height of the cake pan. Make sure it’s 3-inch tall, and don’t fill the pan more than 3/4 full so the batter won’t overflow. Also, the baking time will be longer.
Fatima
August 13, 2019 at 10:22 amHi
Should i use wilton’s red gel colour istead of red food colouring
If yes then how much should i use
Shiran
August 18, 2019 at 7:18 amI always use gel (you can find a link above the recipe) so yes, you can use it.
Vanessa
July 8, 2018 at 3:42 amHi Shiran,
Can I halve the ingredients or bake each layer one after other since I have only one 9 inch pan ? also can I use powdered sugar ?
Shiran
July 11, 2018 at 8:20 amI recommend using granulated sugar, and not powdered sugar. It will change the texture of the cake.
Kemi
August 16, 2018 at 11:09 amThanks for the knowledge. I tried your receipt but it came out oily, what could have happened?
Shiran
August 20, 2018 at 8:04 amIt’s hard to tell exactly what went wrong, as it can be many things. Be sure to measure out your butter/oil carefully, whisk the mixture properly, and also, don’t leave your butter at room temperature for too long, just until it’s nice and soft but not melty.
maci
August 18, 2018 at 9:36 amdoes it matter if i skip the distilled wine vinegar? i couldn’t find any!
Shiran
August 20, 2018 at 7:51 amIt’s best to stick to the recipe and use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. If you can find any, you can use lemon juice instead.
Dee
September 2, 2018 at 2:10 pmHi love this, my go to recipe.
Thank you for sharing!!!!
Could this be used for cupcakes?
Shiran
September 3, 2018 at 9:49 amI’m glad you like it 🙂 Here’s my recipe for red velvet cupcakes.
Molu
September 17, 2018 at 7:32 pmHi Shiran! I just found out your blog and made this lovely cake for my wedding anniversary.. it turns out super moist & delicious that my hubby can’t stop eating just 1 slice.. thank you so much for sharing this recipe, love from Indonesia 🙂
Rosa
September 18, 2018 at 11:03 amcan you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Shiran
September 24, 2018 at 8:54 amYes, omit the flour and cornstarch, and use 375 grams of cake flour instead.
San
September 26, 2018 at 8:13 amIf I bake them in 8 inch pans, does the cooking time change?
Shiran
September 30, 2018 at 9:21 amIt will take just a bit longer but the baking time will be similar.
Indri
September 29, 2018 at 8:48 amJust made this cake for my husband and he love it! thanks for the recipe ??
Josie co
October 4, 2018 at 6:50 pmWhat do you mean by ” don’t over mix” ?
Shiran
October 7, 2018 at 7:21 amHi Josie, it means not to mix too much, just until the ingredients are incorporated. This results in a lighter cake.
Favour
October 13, 2018 at 2:11 amHi shiran… I love your work so much…. Please what can I use in place of the distilled wine vinegar
Shiran
October 14, 2018 at 8:02 amThank you so much! A classic red velvet cake uses white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. If you can’t find any, you can use lemon juice instead (same quantity).
Jennifer Lovejoy
October 14, 2018 at 6:49 pmSo I Googled Homemade Red Velvet Cake From Scratch recipes and ran into yours. I was looking for a simple to the point recipe and found yours with the explanations very informative!! I’m planning to home make 2 red velvet cakes to give to a couple people as part of their Christmas from me, and am purchasing a poinsettia cake spray to decorate the top of the cake with and candy ivy leaves to decorate the sides and top of cakes with as well–thats my perfect finishing piece is the ivy leaves! I’m in my pre-planning process right now, so I even went to Walmart and collected ideas for the cake pan to use, all my tools I’ll need, ect. Then I thought now if I can just find the right recipe. I’m excitedly eager to try your recipe out! Let me know how I can send you pictures of how it looks and how beautifully I decorate it bc I’m sure you’ll love to see the end result like I already am! Thank you for your recipe! 🙂
Shiran
October 15, 2018 at 5:15 amHi Jennifer! I’m sure the cake will be amazing. I would love to see some photos, you can share them with me on Instagram or email me at prettysimplesweet@gmail.com
Nelisha Hosein
October 24, 2018 at 11:16 pmhi hi. i am going to try this soon and was wondering what type of foo d colouring do you recommend? liquid, or gel/paste? thank you.
Shiran
October 25, 2018 at 5:11 amHi Nelisha, I use this one.
Caroline
October 30, 2018 at 12:59 pmHi! This recipe looks to die for. It looks fluffy and light. Since tomorrow is Halloween, I am going to be making a bloody, rich cake. My first thought was red velvet. So, here I am! But just a quick question, can the red food coloring be gel? Or can it be the small bottles that come in a four-pack (red, yellow, blue, and green)? Anyways, thanks in advance!
Shiran
October 31, 2018 at 6:39 amHi Caroline, I use the gel kind. There’s a link to the one I use above the recipe.
Natalie
November 1, 2018 at 12:06 pmHi Shiran.
I love your recipes, they are always so yummy! Can you freeze the Red velvet cake?
Many thanks,
Natalie
Shiran
November 4, 2018 at 7:03 amThank you so much, Natalie! Yes, you can freeze it, and then thaw it in the fridge for several hours before serving.
Stella
November 3, 2018 at 7:03 amHi Shiran!! Your recipes are awesome and really they are pretty simple nd sweet… stay blessed with more recipes ??.. I’m planning to make a red velvet cake for a birthday.. got a quick question.. red food colour, gel means how much shud we use for this recipe?? Thanks in advance
Shiran
November 4, 2018 at 8:18 amThank you so much, Stella 🙂 I use gel too, so use the amount mentioned in the recipe.
Glenn Puput
November 6, 2018 at 5:18 amHi, im from Indonesia. i tried this recipe with beetroot colouring and it turn into brown color after baked. could you give some tips with beetroot colouring?
Shiran
November 7, 2018 at 5:38 amI have no experience baking with beetroot food coloring, sorry!
aya
November 14, 2018 at 1:04 pmwhy you don’t use baking powder?
Shiran
November 17, 2018 at 1:31 pmHi Aya, not every recipe uses baking powder. This recipe uses baking soda as a leavener.
aya
November 14, 2018 at 2:21 pmplease answer my question thanks in advance?
Sophia Lejtman
November 15, 2018 at 11:54 pmThanks so much for posting this recipe! It came out perfect! I used soy milk, left out the corn flour, and used liquid food coloring. I made dairy free frosting with tofutti cream cheese, 1 Tbs. Vanilla and 1 cup sugar. Topped with ground walnuts. Definitely my go to site for great easy recipes. Keep up the good work!:)
Jane
November 22, 2018 at 12:26 amCan we use normal butter instead of unsalted butter
Shiran
November 22, 2018 at 3:41 amRegular butter is unsalted butter. If your butter is not salted, then it’s ok to use.
Jane Charita
November 23, 2018 at 3:10 amIs it a good idea if i also use sugar syrup before putting frosting? thanks
Shiran
November 27, 2018 at 5:45 amHi Jane, the cake is super moist so there’s no need to add sugar syrup.
Susie
November 28, 2018 at 11:12 amI am, as we speak, on stage three of making recipe but the ratio of granulated sugar and butter isn’t turning light and fluffy, and I’ve been beating for around eight or nine minutes. I added a spot of hot water but it’s still not creaming. I measured them exactly per recipe. This is for my three tier ruby wedding anniversary Saturday!! I’m going to just crack on with the rest of it and hope for the best. Help ASAP.
Shiran
November 29, 2018 at 1:18 pmHi Susie, I hope your cake turned out delicious. It’s enough to beat the butter and sugar for several minutes in the mixer.
Linda Mallard
December 9, 2018 at 1:19 pmMy husband is diabetic can I use a sugar substitutes with this cake and frosting.
Shiran
December 9, 2018 at 2:16 pmSorry Linda, but I don’t have much experience using sugar substitutes.
Asha Suleiman
December 11, 2018 at 3:04 pmHi shiran… You can substitute butter milk by adding vinegar to milk, right? So that vinegar on ricepe’s or you add more? May I use margarine instead of butter?
trish
December 18, 2018 at 6:50 pmCan this cake be made in a 9 X 13?
Shiran
December 19, 2018 at 8:14 amYes. The temperature will be the same, but the baking time will be longer.
Silvia Chisholm
January 14, 2019 at 10:32 pmWhat brand of red food coloring do you use?
Shiran
January 20, 2019 at 10:32 amYou can find a link to the product above the recipe.
Afifa Khan
January 29, 2019 at 8:22 pmHi there
Would you be able to advise why red velvet cake turns brown?
Ofunne
February 1, 2019 at 8:07 amHello! How do I adapt this into a loaf cake? Do I split the recipe in half and use and will the batter be too liquid for a loaf pan resulting in a cake that’s too moist?
Brenda
February 9, 2019 at 9:40 pmHi can you make cupcakes out of this recipe
Shiran
February 10, 2019 at 8:41 amYou can use my recipe for red velvet cupcakes.
Caroline
February 11, 2019 at 5:04 amI’m going to try your recipe and was wondering if its ok to use white wine vinegar?
Shiran
February 14, 2019 at 4:35 amYes, you can.
Sarah Latta
February 14, 2019 at 9:54 amCan I made this recipe without cocoa? Cannot eat anything with chocolate because of migraine headaches.
Kerfisha
February 16, 2019 at 5:59 pmhi, can i use salted butter instead?
SAM
February 27, 2019 at 12:26 amCan I use fresh milk instead of buttermilk?
Shiran
March 5, 2019 at 4:01 amButtermilk is the best option. If you don’t have it available you can make your own buttermilk. One cup of milk plus one tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes. It will curdle and that’s ok.
Darissa
February 28, 2019 at 5:47 amHi shiran! I’m using your recipe for a project in school but i don’t know how to reduce the serving size of your recipe
Can you help me out with that? It’s about 4-6 people that i have to serve. It would also be great if you can tell me what pan size i should use . Thank you lots of love Shiran. Btw your recipes ARE BAE<3
Michael myers
February 28, 2019 at 6:54 amHi shiran, I am using your recipe as my project for school. There is this cooking competition that requires me to serve the cake to atleast 4-6 people whom are the judges. Do you know how i can reduce the ingredients as im not that good at reducing it. It would also Be great if you can tell me what type of pan i should use.
MUCH LOVES
Michael
Shiran
March 5, 2019 at 3:42 amHi Michael, you can use this guide.
Beatrice
March 26, 2019 at 11:06 amHi Shiran what speed do you put your kitchen aid mixer on to mix the batter?
Neetha
June 4, 2019 at 3:58 amHi Shiran,
Is it possible to use cornflour instead of corn starch.
Thanks
Bukenzo
June 13, 2019 at 10:59 pmHello Shiran, is it okay to freeze the cake(definitely unfrosted)? For how long? How soon should it be out of the freezer for frosting? Thanks
Kelly
June 23, 2019 at 2:10 amThe absolute best red velvet cake I have ever tasted and I am not a red velvet fan. I made this red velvet cake for my cousins graduation party, since red velvet is his favorite cake flavor. I baked it in two 8 inch pans and sliced them in half to create 4 layers. I also didn’t use red food coloring but added red velvet emulsion instead and that took moisture and flavor to a whole new level. It was life changing. I paired this red velvet cake with a white chocolate cream cheese ganache frosting as it’s filling since I couldn’t decide to use either or. To frost the entire outside of the cake I used a simple vanilla Swiss’s meringue buttercream. So moist, not sweet at all, so decadent, fluffy, and full of flavors that complimented each other so well. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Christina De Silva
June 28, 2019 at 4:09 amHi Shiran…. when you say all purpose flour do you mean self raising flour? Also how long can I keep cream cheese frosting out. Its for a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting covered with fondant. I am worried if I keep it in the fridge than the fondant might run. I am trying to keep the cake out for 3 days.
Jana Birch
June 29, 2019 at 5:03 pmThis was by far the best red velvet cake recipe I have tried. And the butter/oil combination worked very well… Fabulously moist yet tasty. Thanks Shiran!
(I actually used it to make jumbo cup cakes and it worked beautifully)
Tom
August 5, 2019 at 7:58 pmHi Shiran I am planning to make this cake this week and am hoping for a four tier red velvet cake should I double the recipe
Thanks a lot
Tom
Brynne
October 21, 2019 at 6:46 pmI made this and it was absolutely my favorite cake recipe ever, and I don’t even like red velvet that much! I was just wondering if it was possible to make this into a vanilla cake recipe by not using the cocoa, vinegar, and buttermilk? And then replacing the buttermilk with just normal milk? I just loved the texture so much I wanted to make it in a vanilla version!! Thanks!
Alexandra teal
October 25, 2019 at 11:02 pmThis recipe is freaking awesome! I baked it as written and then a second time with cake flour instead of all purpose flour. So so moist and fabulous flavor and a crowd favorite. Like seriously I was told multiple times by people that this is the best cake they ever had and they wanted my number to buy a cake from me in the future haha! For the frosting, I accidentally doubled the amount of powdered sugar and it ended up being perfect in taste and for piping.
Orit
October 26, 2019 at 1:43 pmI finally baked this cake this weekend, after fantasizing about it for months :-). It turned out so great, really moist and fluffy and rich. It was easy and fun to make , like all your recipes that I’ve already tried!
BTW, I did use cake flour since I had a package that was going to reach its expiration date soon. Judging by the result, it turned out well 🙂