How to Make Red Velvet Cake

Co-authored by Mathew Rice

Last Updated: July 31, 2022 References Approved

A red velvet cake can be a delicious dessert for almost any occasion, and it doesn't have to be a hard cake to make either! Simple and full of flavor, this is a showstopping dessert worth sharing with friends.

Ingredients

The Cake

½ cup (102 grams) shortening (or butter, margarine, or any type of fat used for baking and making pastries)
1 ½ cups (300 grams) sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 ½ ounces red food coloring
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups (315 grams) flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

The Frosting

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups (400 grams) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter (approx 110 grams)

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Cake

1
Gather and measure out all of the ingredients. Good bakers know that moving quickly and efficiently in the kitchen leads to better cakes and smaller messes. Measuring out ahead of time makes it possible.^{[1]
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Cream shortening and gradually add in sugar. Use an electric mixer set to medium speed. Add the sugar along the edges and slowly work it in to avoid sugar splatter.

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3
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg is added. Mix in well, keeping your beater moving. It is okay if you add them both at once, too.
4
Make a paste out of the cocoa and food coloring, then add to cream. In a separate bowl, use a whisk to blend the food coloring into the cocoa.^{[2]
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- Fun Fact: The original red velvet cakes got their color because imported cocoa was actually red tinted. The food coloring came later.^{[3]
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Add salt, flour, baking soda, vanilla, and buttermilk, beating well after each ingredient is added. You can also mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl, adding at once. You can also add it all together into the batter one at a time, using the electric mixer to get a nice consistent batter.^{[4]
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- Add the flour slowly to avoid splatter. It can help to add it with the buttermilk.
Expert Answer

Q

When asked, "What can I use if I don't have buttermilk?"

Mathew Rice
Professional Baker & Dessert Influencer
Mathew Rice has worked in restaurant pastry kitchens across the country since the late 1990's, and currently owns Pink Door Cookies in Nashville. His creations have been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Weddings. In 2016, Eater named Mathew one of the top 18 chefs to follow on Instagram. In 2018, he appeared in season 18 of the Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay and won his episode.

EXPERT ADVICE

Answer from Mathew Rice:

Mathew Rice, pastry chef, responds: "If you don’t have buttermilk, you can add just a splash of vinegar to whole milk, and that’s gonna acidulate it and give you a similar results."
6
Pour vinegar over the batter. Just a splash is all you need -- it will give it a nice subtle tanginess.^{[5]
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7
Stir until well mixed. You want a thin, consistent batter with not chunks of flour or dry ingredients left. Want a little more red color? Add a few more drops of red food coloring.^{[6]
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8
Pour the cake in a large cake pan or 2 layer cake pans and bake in a 350ºF. The cake should take roughly an hour to cook. When it is done, you'll know through the toothpick test -- stab the center of the cake with a knife or skewer-- if it comes out without still-wet batter on it, it's done.
9
Wait about 20 minutes to cool before frosting. After 5 minutes, remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Don't frost a hot cake -- the warmth with thin out the frosting and make it difficult, if not impossible, to add smoothly.^{[7]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Making the Frosting

1
Set the butter and cream cheese on the counter to warm to room temperature. You'll be whipping the butter and cream cheese up, but that only works if it is soft enough to whip! Set the two dairy products out for 15-30 minutes to get soft.
- In a pinch, you can gently microwave them to speed things up, but keep it very brief. You don't want liquid.^{[8]
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2
Combine butter and cream cheese. An electric mixer is best, as it will make quick work of the dairies, but a wooden spoon and whisk work well too. They don't have to be perfectly combined, just well mixed.
3
Add powdered sugar slowly, keeping the mixing going throughout. Powdered sugar will want to poof and fly out as you mix it. To avoid a mess, add it in 3-4 parts, mixing almost all of the first part in before adding the second.
4
Add vanilla and whip until creamy. Keep the mixer (or your mixing hand) going until the frosting is nice smooth texture. If you want to thin it out a bit so it spreads better, add 2 tablespoons of cold milk.^{[9]
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5
Cut the cake into layers and frost. Place a little pat of icing on the bottom of our plate or cake dish to keep the bottom layer from sliding around.^{[10]
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Research source} Then frost it and stack another layer on top, frosting the top of that. Don't worry too much about the sides yet.
- Do not try to frost the cake while it is still hot. Let it cool completely.^{[11]
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6
Assemble the layers and continue frosting. Stack the layers up high, frosting between each layer with a 1/4" of frosting or so, adding more to taste.
7
Frost the cake and enjoy! For bakery quality frosting, keep the knife clean after every pass, using a little warm water to ensure your frosting knife applies the icing smoothly and evenly. Use big globs of icing at a time and don't try to spread it too thin. By working in small areas, not spreading too thin, and cleaning the knife regularly, you can get a quality frosted cake.
- If you've got time, real pros will "double frost." Start with a thin layer of frosting everywhere -- it is okay if it pulls up crumbs. Then freeze the cake for 15 minutes, pull it out, and frost "for real." You'll be astonished how easily it goes on!^{[12]
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8
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

What can I use instead of buttermilk?

Community Answer

You can mix regular milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to make it more acidic.
Question

What can I substitute for vinegar?

Community Answer

For every one teaspoon of white vinegar, you can use 1 teaspoon of lemon/lime juice, or 2 teaspoons white wine.
Question

What can I substitute for shortening?

Community Answer

You can use butter or stick margarine instead. Keep in mind that this may affect the flavor a little.

Warnings

Wear oven mitts when handling hot cakes or any hot objects.

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Be careful when dealing with stoves and knives.

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If you use non-whole milk, your frosting may be too runny and liquid-like. ^{[citation needed]}

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