NEW YEAR NEW SITE! Agh! I’m so excited for you guys to check out what’s new here on Wood & Spoon. I have adored my website design for the past 3 years, but man, it was time for a facelift. My hope is that this new site is more user-friendly so that you guys can find exactly you’re looking for. Wanting to find a recipe? The recipes tab is way more searchable so that you can see the type of stuff you’re into! Curious about what kind of cake pans, baking sheets, and utensils I love? You can click the shop tab for direct links to the varieties I use in my own home. Interested in taking a trip? The travel tab will give you a sneak peek into some of our recent adventures and link to my favorite places to eat in those cities. Granted, this isn’t some drastic overhaul, but I’m really excited to present this to you y’all. I hope you love it.
Also along the lines of “things I hope you love” is this red velvet cake. Isn’t she a looker? I was going to save this cake for Valentine’s Day, but the time just seemed right. We’re celebrating a new site after all, right? Red velvet is always a favorite of mine, and this fluffy layer cake is no exception.
Red Velvet Cake
You might be wondering what the heck is red velvet anyways. Great question. I have no idea, but I’m totally into the ingredients that make this cake’s texture and flavor everything it is. First, we have cocoa powder- and just a little. This adds a subtle richness to the cake and leaves you asking, “what is this flavor I’m tasting?” The vinegar adds acid which helps to create a seriously fluffy cake. And finally, the cream cheese frosting, not necessary to a red velvet cake but almost always found in accompaniment, adds tang for contrast to the velvety sweetness of the layers. While a lot of red velvet cakes tend to be a tad too sweet, I love that this one seems to be fairly balanced in every way.
I’m planning to make a quick tutorial for stacking layer cakes soon, but in the meantime, check out my cake baking hacks at this link here! There’s a few simple tricks that can keep you from experiencing frustration while in the kitchen, and some of these tips may help you. I hope you all get a chance to peruse the cake recipes on my site and give this one a try if you think about it. Happy baking to you all!
If you like this recipe you should try:
Black and White Cake
Funfetti Cake
White Chocolate Cake
Milk Chocolate Chip Cake
Chocolate Caramel Crumble Cake
Red Velvet Cake
This red velvet cake is a fluffy three layer cake with a tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 120
- Yield: 8″ 3 layer cake
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3/4 cup (170 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 gm) canola oil
- 2 cups (400 gm) sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2–1/3 cups (320 gm) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1–1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1–1/4 cups (300 g m) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 gm) white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring (optional)
For the frosting
- 1–1/2 cups (285 gm) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 block/ 8 ounces (225 gm) cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1–1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- Appx. 5 cups/ 1-1/2 pounds (680 gm) of powdered sugar
Instructions
To prepare the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 3-8” round pans and line the bottoms with pieces of parchment paper cut to fit inside the bottom.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, gently whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vinegar, and vanilla. Add half of the dry ingredients mixture to the butter and stir on low to combine. Add half of the liquid ingredients and stir just to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then repeat this process. Add the red food coloring and stir to combine. Divide the batter equally among the three pans and bake in the preheated oven until puffed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely prior to frosting.
To prepare the frosting
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed (I use 4 on my stand mixer) for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the cream cheese and beat to incorporate for an additional minute. Add the salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue to beat until well combined. Do not overbeat as this can cause the cream cheese to loosen. If needed, add a tablespoon of water or milk at a time to get the frosting the right consistency. Refrigerate as needed to thicken the frosting up.
To assemble the cake
- Use a serrated knife to level the cakes. Smooth a small amount of frosting on an 8” cake board or plate and center a single cake layer on top. Smoothly spread a thick layer of frosting on top, extending the buttercream all the way to just eby9ond the edge of the cake. Stack the second cake layer on top and repeat the entire process once more. Place the final cake layer on top. Spread a thin coat of frosting (crumb coat) all over the cake and allow it to set up in the fridge prior to applying the final coat of frosting. You can skip this step if desired. Finish frosting the cake as desired with the rest of the buttercream. Cake will keep in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to three days.
35 thoughts on “Red Velvet Cake”
My turned out great dilshes to eat
Hooray! I’m thrilled to hear it!
I have a quick question. The recipe has a couple of measurements that are like “2- 1/3 cups”, does that mean 2/3 cup or 2 and 1/3 cups?
Hey!! Will this recipe work for cupcakes as well? If so, do you happen to know the adjusted baking times/temperature? Thanks!!
Sure! I would use the same temp, just less time! 🙂 Be sure not to overfill the tin. Red velvet doesn’t dome too much, so keep that in mind.
This cake is fantastic!! I made it for a friend’s birthday, and the crowd was completely impressed, and so was I. The best red velvet cake recipe I have ever used. I can’t wait to make more!
★★★★★
hooray! I’m so thrilled to hear this!
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will Share your Rrecipe with my friends. Hope they will love it too.
hooray! I’m thrilled to hear this!
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
★★★★★
HOORAYYYY!!! I’m so happy to hear this! Enjoy!
LOVE red velvet – always a favorite! Quick question about the way you cut the cake… did you cut it in strips, I stead of the traditional triangle? I noticed the slices have frosting on both sides but the cake is still a circle. Just curious!
hello! this was a half recipe that I baked in square pans and stacked one on top of the other! 🙂
Would love if you shared notes for half recipes! I live in a two-person household so I’m always scaling down and sometimes don’t get the pan size or baking time quite right.
That’s a great idea! I’ll look into a plugin. 🙂
Hi! Your cake is beautiful. I found it on Pinterest.
Do you just happen to have a tutorial on how to get that little look with the frosting? When I do something like that it makes it look like my Betty Crocker cakes i used to make as a teen. How can I accomplish that rough look but it look professional? 😂 oh and I need to know right now… hahaha jk.
Wish I had seen this cake a few days ago. I’m about to decorate a cake for my niece. 🤦🏻♀️
ha! this is funny. I mess with the cakes forevvverrr and sometimes it still looks silly. practice practice! I have a mini tutorial here you may like: https://thewoodandspoon.com/smash-cake-tutorial/
why am I never here when I leave a comment?
★★★★★
There’s something wrong – I don’t see my comment unless I make another one. Like I did just now, then I saw the first one….! but nobody else’s?
Hi Elaine! I have to go back and approve the comments before they show up. Otherwise I get a lot of spam! 🙂
I gave a comment, why do I not see it?
Looks like a great recipe, but honestly I would never use canola oil in anything! It’s all GMO because it was developed to be used with Monsanto’s Roundup, which kills the weeds but not the canola. It was seen to be so handy fo9r the farmer but it’s not good for the consumer. I use avocado oil or coconut oil where I can. Love your site though! You are inventive and produce beautiful things.
Thanks Elaine! You can totally use another mild oil.
Kate, this cake is absolutely stunning! I love how you frosted it and I’m definitely going to have to try making red velvet cake soon. Also your new site is gorgeous!
Thanks Bernice!!! SO kind!
Hello,
Although I have been a follower of your blog for a long time, this is the first time I have commented. I love your blog….so stylish, sincere and sensational recipes.
I live in Australia, and although Red Velvet is 100% all-American, I love it and have made countless recipes…..trying to decide on which one is THE ONE.
I was a little taken back by the ratio of vinegar to milk. That is a large amount of vinegar. I understand it has the effect of creating buttermilk, but wonder whether the cake will taste a little vinegary?? I also thought whether the combination of butter + oil might make the cake on the dense side rather than light and fluffy. Can you please describe the texture of the cake…..more dense or a light and fluffy crumb?
Thank you for all the time you give to creating your blog. Takes such a commitment and work….and I am greatly appreciative.
Regards from Australia,
Angela
Also
Hi Angela! Thank you for the kind words! You’re right- it does seem like a lot of vinegar. I can promise you you will NOT taste the vinegar but it will add the appropriate amount of tang to offset all that sweet. Happy Baking!
Cake turned out great! I used half the sugar called for in the frosting and it was still sweet as honey 🙂
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed! Yes- super sweet frosting! That’s probably the reason my kids love it! 🙂
Your print button doesn’t print recipe, but whole site pages.
Love Red Velvet Cake.
Thank you Kathleen! That should be fixed now!
the site looks great !!!
Thank you Mimi!
I love your new site !! It’s perfect!!!
Thanks beauty!