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This Southern red velvet cake recipe is a classic dessert that’s perfect for any special occasion. From birthdays to Christmas, no one can resist the beautiful red layer cake with a moist, fluffy, and buttery inside that’s finished with a decadent cream cheese frosting!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this Southern Red Velvet Cake
- What is Red Velvet Cake?
- Red Velvet Cake Frosting
- Ingredients
- How to Make Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
- Decoration ideas
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Tips for the best red velvet cake recipe
- Southern Red Velvet Cake Recipe
If you love Southern cake recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this Texas sheet cake, this Southern Coca Cola cake with cake mix, and a classic caramel cake, too!
Why You’ll Love this Southern Red Velvet Cake
This is my go-to cake when I want an indulgent treat that turns any meal into a festive celebration. In fact, I bake myself this cake each year on my birthday (there’s no better gift!), and the vibrant red-and-white dessert also makes a regular appearance on our Christmas buffet. It’s timeless, old-fashioned, and always well-received. Here’s why you’ll love the Southern red velvet cake, too:
- Easy. For a made-from-scratch cake, this one is pretty darn easy. There are no fussy decorating skills required, and you can make it in advance to enjoy for stress-free celebrations.
- Vibrant and Festive. Is there anything for seasonally appropriate for a Christmas or Valentine’s Day celebration than a bright red and white cake? The “wow” factor on this dessert does not disappoint.
- Moist and Delicious. Most important for any dessert is the taste, and this cake is always a winner. The moist, buttery cake has a velvety texture and just a hint of cocoa. Add a homemade cream cheese frosting and you’ve got a decadent, holiday-worthy treat.
What is Red Velvet Cake?
Red Velvet Cake is not just a chocolate cake that’s tinted with red food coloring. Instead, this traditional Southern dessert has a very unique taste that’s hard to pinpoint or describe. The layer cake is flavored with a small amount of cocoa, but don’t expect a chocolate cake. The combination of buttermilk, butter, oil, cocoa, vinegar, and flour yields a moist, tender cake with a velvet-like texture. The complex flavor is a perfect combination of buttery vanilla cake with a hint of cocoa and tang. It’s typically finished with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, but some recipes use a buttercream frosting instead.
What makes Red Velvet Cake different?
The unique combination of ingredients that you don’t often find in other cake recipes gives red velvet cake its special color and texture. Modern recipes use red food coloring to really emphasize the cake’s vibrant red color; however, many experts believe that red velvet cake’s special hue comes from a chemical reaction in the ingredients. Natural cocoa powder contains anthocyanin, a compound found in fruits that creates dark-colored pigments. When anthocyanin interacts with an acid, like the vinegar and buttermilk found in red velvet cake, its color becomes reddish.
The cocoa, buttermilk and vinegar also contribute to the cake’s unusual “velvety” texture. These ingredients break down the protein in flour, resulting in a smooth and silky cake. With one bite you’ll quickly realize that this is no ordinary cake!
Red Velvet Cake Frosting
Old-fashioned red velvet cake was iced with ermine icing (a French-style butter roux icing). Today, Southern red velvet cake recipes call for easier-to-prepare cream cheese frosting (shown here) or buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a homemade red velvet cake. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Butter: gives the red velvet cake its classic buttery flavor. I use salted butter, but if you prefer to start with unsalted butter that’s fine — just add an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter.
- Sugar: sweetness
- Oil: for moisture. The butter gives you the flavor, but the oil helps to prevent a dry cake.
- Eggs: structure
- Red food coloring: two 1-ounce bottles of liquid food coloring give this cake a beautiful, vibrant red color.
- Vinegar: a traditional ingredient in this cake, the vinegar helps brighten the red hue and tenderizes the crumb. You can’t actually taste the vinegar itself.
- Vanilla extract: for flavor
- Cake flour: While you can sub with all-purpose flour in a pinch, the cake flour has a lighter texture, which creates a softer, lighter cake with that hallmark “velvet” consistency.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: contributes to the red color and adds a very subtle hint of chocolate in the background. If you prefer a slightly more prominent chocolate flavor, increase the cocoa powder to 2 tablespoons.
- Salt: for flavor
- Baking soda: leavening that helps the cake rise
- Buttermilk: use thick, whole buttermilk if possible. It’s creamy, tangy, and adds moisture to the cake. The buttermilk also reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise.
- Cream cheese: for a rich, creamy frosting. Use blocks of cream cheese (not tubs).
- Confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar): to sweeten the frosting
How to Make Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
Thought to have originated sometime in the Victorian era, Red Velvet Cake was initially a fancy dessert reserved for the elite or special occasions. Its soft, velvety crumb set it apart from the more common coarser-crumb cakes of the time. And while it certainly looks impressive, this Southern red velvet cake recipe is actually quite simple to prepare. Skip the boxed mix and make it from scratch — you’re worthy of an “elite” dessert, too!
You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Mix the Batter. Cream together the wet ingredients in a large bowl using the paddle attachment on a standing mixer. Add the sifted flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, and beat until well-blended.
- Bake. Pour the batter into two 9-inch round cake pans and bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Cool. Set the cakes on a cooling rack. Make sure that the cakes are completely cool before frosting. This will take at least 1 hour, maybe longer.
- Ice. Spread homemade cream cheese frosting on the cake layers (an offset spatula is very helpful for this). The frosting will be soft at room temperature, but will firm up in the refrigerator.
Decoration ideas
There are endless ways to decorate a red velvet cake. I opted for a rim of red sprinkles around the top edge of the cake to keep it very simple! Other good decorating ideas:
- Use the extra red cake crumbs after you cut off the rounded domes of your cakes to sprinkle around the top edge of your frosted cake.
- Garnish the top of the cake with finely chopped walnuts or finely chopped pecans for some rich added crunch.
- Use extra cream cheese frosting to pipe a design around the top and bottom edges of the cake. Before piping, you may need to refrigerate the frosting for about 30 minutes to give it time to firm up.
- Garnish the top of the cake with sugared cranberries and fresh greens for a Christmas dessert.
- Add sliced strawberries on top for a bright, colorful addition.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Bake the cake ahead of time, cool, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store the cake at room temperature overnight, and then frost before serving. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months.
- Make the frosting in advance and store it in the refrigerator overnight. The frosting will need to sit at room temperature to soften for about 30 minutes before you spread it on the cake.
- Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the frosted cake for up to 2 months. Just make sure that it’s wrapped tightly to prevent freezer burn. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Tips for the best red velvet cake recipe
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This helps them blend together more easily and smoothly.
- Use thick, whole, real buttermilk if possible for the best texture and flavor.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. The cream cheese frosting will be quite soft when first spread, so you’ll have a cleaner cut if you give the cake time to firm up.
- For a three-layer cake, divide the batter between three 9-inch round cake pans instead of two. Bake the thinner cake layers for about 22-25 minutes. You should have enough frosting for that extra layer, too.
- Sift the confectioners’ sugar to avoid any lumps in your frosting.
- Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting.The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread from a tub.
More Southern Cake Recipes to Try
Southern Cream Cheese Pound Cake
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Hummingbird Cake Recipe
3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
Kentucky Butter Cake
1 hour hr 50 minutes mins
Southern Red Velvet Cake
5 from 4 votes
Prep: 30 minutes minutes
Cook: 30 minutes minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours hours
Total: 3 hours hours
Servings 12 – 16 people
Calories 613 kcal
A show-stopping layer cake with cream cheese frosting that's perfect for any special occasion!
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 ounces red food coloring (about 2 bottles), liquid, not gel
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (can increase to 2 tablespoons for stronger flavor)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Instructions
BAKE THE CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, and then grease and flour again.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil and eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Mix in the food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until well blended.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate any unmixed batter, if necessary.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Tap the pans on the counter to ensure that there are no air bubbles.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool the cakes for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
PREPARE THE FROSTING:
Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Add vanilla and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Scrape the bowl, as necessary, to make sure that all of the ingredients are completely combined. Once you’ve added all of the sugar, beat on low for 3 more minutes.
Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard the extra cake, or crumble and set aside to decorate the top of the frosted cake with the red crumbs. Spread the frosting in between the two cake layers, and then on the top and sides of the cake.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This helps them blend together more easily and smoothly.
- Use thick, whole, real buttermilk if possible for the best texture and flavor.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. The cream cheese frosting will be quite soft when first spread, so you’ll have a cleaner cut if you give the cake time to firm up.
- For a three-layer cake, divide the batter between three 9-inch round cake pans instead of two. Bake the thinner cake layers for about 22-25 minutes. You should have enough frosting for that extra layer, too.
- Sift the confectioners’ sugar to avoid any lumps in your frosting.
- Use full-fat block-style cream cheese for the frosting.The cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you substitute with low fat cream cheese or cream cheese spread from a tub.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice (1/16 of the cake)Calories: 613kcalCarbohydrates: 92gProtein: 5gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 359mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 1gSugar: 76gVitamin A: 790IUCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg
Keyword: red velvet cake, southern red velvet cake
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Blair Lonergan
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