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Slice of red velvet cake with two layers of fluffy cream cheese frosting, topped with red cake crumbs on a white plate. Soft, moist texture and vibrant color make it a classic dessert favorite.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes
A rich, moist, homemade red velvet cake recipe with tangy buttermilk and cream cheese frosting, passed down through generations, with a subtle secret twist.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, southern
Calories: 530
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups Cake flour Sifted
  • ½ cup Unsalted butter Softened
  • ¼ cup Vegetable oil Can use canola or melted coconut oil
  • 1 ¾ cups Granulated sugar
  • 2 Large eggs Room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder Sifted
  • 1 cup Buttermilk Room temperature
  • 2 tablespoon Red gel food coloring Adjust for desired color
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon White vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon Brewed coffee Optional – enhances chocolate notes
  • 1 pinch Ground cinnamon Optional – adds warmth
For Frosting
  • 16 oz Cream cheese Full-fat softened
  • ½ cup Unsalted butter Softened
  • 3 ½ cups Powdered sugar Sifted
  • 2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch Salt (Optional)

Equipment

  • 1 9-inch round cake pans Greased and lined with parchment
  • 1 Stand mixer or hand mixer For creaming butter, sugar, and mixing batter
  • 1 Cooling rack To cool baked layers
  • 1 Silicone spatula For folding and scraping batter
  • 1 Mixing bowls for mixing wet and dry ingredients
  • 1 Digital kitchen scale (Optional) for accurate measurement

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and prep pans
  2. Sift cake flour, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon
  3. Cream butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beat well
  5. Mix in vanilla, food coloring, and coffee
  6. Combine buttermilk and vinegar in a bowl
  7. Alternate adding dry mix and buttermilk mix
  8. Mix baking soda and vinegar, fold into batter
  9. Divide batter into pans and bake 25–30 mins
  10. Cool 10 mins in pans, then transfer to racks
  11. Level layers if needed, start frosting
  12. Beat frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy
  13. Apply frosting between layers and over cake
  14. Chill cake for 10 mins before slicing

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.