Red Velvet Cake
I love Red Velvet Cake especially because it’s iced with a rich cream cheese frosting (usually a double batch!). I like it even more when its piped with extra swirls and roses around the bottom and top. Even better is to throw in a few chocolate and white chocolate shavings on the top! No matter how you make it with lots of toppings or not, I love it. But quite frankly, the more gooey icing on top, the better I enjoy this delightful cake!
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I made this lovely cake again this past week–about a month after posting the original recipe. I had a friend from church, Hannah Noice, help me decorate it. I think you will love the way it turned out. If you’ve never tasted Red Velvet Cake you don’t know what you’re missing.
My Red Velvet Cake is moist and delicious. This recipe is truly spectacular and superior to any other recipe for it I’ve tried. And, yes, I have several. The interesting thing about this recipe is it uses only one teaspoon of cocoa, but a whole bottle of red food coloring.
I have two recipes for Red Velvet Cake. The main difference is in the icing. This one has a cream cheese frosting so I’ve determined to showcase it first. I got this recipe from Sheila Cook, wife of Dr. Gary Cook, former president of Dallas Baptist University.
Sheila hosted an afternoon party for students around Christmas one year when I worked there. During the gathering, we all marveled at the elaborate spread she had prepared, but one particular treat stood out—delicious squares of cake, which she had meticulously cut into pieces the size of petit fours. It was absolutely fabulous, and the dessert became the talk of the party.
I’m addicted to Red Velvet desserts and I have tons of them. Red Velvet Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cake Roll, Red Velvet Cookie Dough Cheesecake Brownies, and Red Velvet Earthquake Cake are a few of my favorites. Red Velvet desserts make wonderful party treats. My Red Velvet Cake is a sensational dessert to serve for Christmas or Valentine’s Day parties, anniversaries, birthdays or other special occasions.
If you want a rich, decadent Red Velvet dessert, I highly recommend trying this lovely Red Velvet Cake. You will drool over every bite–and so will your family and friends. Bon appetit!
When I initially published this Red Velvet Cake in August 2012, it was very early in my blogging days. I was taking pictures with an iPhone so they were not as sharp, clear or as beautiful as they deserved to be.
I recently remade this cake (March 2017) for a bridal shower I was having for a friend’s daughter. I served it along with a Carrot Cake and an Italian Creme Cake. Hannah decorated all of the cakes and they got rave reviews for beauty as well as taste.
What do you think? Doesn’t Red Velvet Cake look yummy? It’s really a beautiful cake to make either during the Christmas holidays or Valentine’s day. But I made it for a special occasion yesterday. All the ladies who tried it thought it was delicious! It certainly is one of my favorite cakes.
My Red Velvet Cake is very moist, not dry like some Red Velvet Cakes.
Even the back of the cake is beautiful.
Red Velvet Cake is one of our favorite cakes, but it’s especially wonderful for Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients for the cake. The measuring glass on the left contains soured milk (buttermilk).
Place UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour in a mixing bowl. Bleached flour toughens baked goods. Add sugar, baking soda, and cocoa. Add oil.
Cream ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add vanilla, eggs and buttermilk. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
If you don’t have buttermilk you can take a cup of milk and and a couple of tablespoonfuls of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes. It will curdle and you will have soured milk.
Add red food coloring.
Mix with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed.
Grease and flour baking pans really well. Make sure you tilt the pans so the sides get floured too. Try to spread the batter evenly among the three baking pans.
Bake in the oven at 350 for 30-35 minutes or so. Insert a toothpick in the center and when it comes out clean the cakes are baked.
I used these ingredients for the icing, except I chose not to use the pecans this time. Usually I place them on the sides if I’m not going to put decorative icing on the sides.
For the icing: Soften butter. Add cream cheese. Mix ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla. You may have to add more powdered sugar than the recipe calls for if the mixture seems weepy.
Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
Trim the hard edges off the edges of the cake.
Place some of the cream cheese frosting on the bottom of the plate so the cake adheres well and doesn’t topple over or move out of place. Spread cream cheese frosting over top of the cake. We placed the cake on a turntable and turned it with one hand while spreading the icing with a spatula in the other.
Top with another trimmed cake layer.
Spread cream cheese lavishly on top of the cake. This is a supposed to be a rich, decadent cake. Don’t be stingy with the icing. I usually make a double batch for this cake. I would recommend that you do that too.
Add the third trimmed layer of cake.
Slather top of cake with a lot of cream cheese frosting.
Spread the icing on top and the sides of the cake.
Scrape the sides and edges of the top so icing is smooth.
Hannah added a bow around the cake.
We used a reverse border on the bottom and the top of the cake.
Hannah prefers to make the roses on a stick although many prefer to make it on a small rose platform.
Here the roses have been added to the top.
Here the flower petals and beads have been added.
Red Velvet Cake is so wonderful. I ate way too many pieces of it.
Here’s a bird’s eye view of the top.
Red Velvet Cake is perfect for special occasions like Christmas, anniversaries or birthdays, or Valentine’s Day.
This elegant cake is so scrumptious you will want to make it frequently.
Here’s the recipe.
RED VELVET CAKE
(Recipe from Sheila Cook, wife of former President, Dr. Gary Cook, Dallas Baptist University)
Red Velvet Cake
Equipment
- 3 9-inch round cookie pans
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 electric mixer
- pastry decorator tips and bag for frosting the cake if desired
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
RED VELVET CAKE:
- 2 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cocoa
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil or use coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 oz. bottle red food coloring 1 fluid ounce
- 1 cup buttermilk or soured milk (see note below)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened (1/2 cup)
- 16 oz. powdered sugar
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (measure after chopping)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
RED VELVET CAKE:
- Mix flour, granulated sugar, soda and cocoa with oil with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Bake in oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes in three 9” greased and floured baking pans.
- Vary baking time if using only 2 layers or oblong pan).
- Cool cake completely before adding frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- Soften cream cheese and butter and place in a large mixing bowl; beat with an electric mixer.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Mix all ingredients together and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Spread frosting on cooled cake on each layer and on top and sides.
- Decorate, if desired.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 2 ½ cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp. soda
- 1 tsp. cocoa
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 bottle red food coloring (1 fluid ounce)
- 1 cup buttermilk[br]
- [b]ICING:[/b][br]
- 8-oz. cream cheese
- 1 stick butter (her recipe calls for margarine, I always use butter in frostings)
- 1 box powdered sugar
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- Mix flour sugar, soda and cocoa with oil.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Bake in oven at 350° for 15-20 minutes in 3 9” greased and floured baking pans.
- Vary time if using only 2 layers or oblong pan). [br]
- Soften cream cheese and butter.
- Mix all ingredients together and spread on cooled cake.
Red Velvet Cake is a fantastic cake to make for special occasions like bridal showers!
Every bite of Red Velvet Cake is so mouthwatering. This is one of those cakes that gets rave reviews every time I make it.
I usually make a double batch of cream cheese icing for this cake so it’s incredibly rich and decadent.
Every forkful will have you drooling.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Red Velvet Cake
Equipment
- 3 9-inch round cookie pans
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 electric mixer
- pastry decorator tips and bag for frosting the cake if desired
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
RED VELVET CAKE:
- 2 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cocoa
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil or use coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 oz. bottle red food coloring 1 fluid ounce
- 1 cup buttermilk or soured milk (see note below)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened (1/2 cup)
- 16 oz. powdered sugar
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (measure after chopping)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
RED VELVET CAKE:
- Mix flour, granulated sugar, soda and cocoa with oil with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Bake in oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes in three 9” greased and floured baking pans.
- Vary baking time if using only 2 layers or oblong pan).
- Cool cake completely before adding frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- Soften cream cheese and butter and place in a large mixing bowl; beat with an electric mixer.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Mix all ingredients together and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Spread frosting on cooled cake on each layer and on top and sides.
- Decorate, if desired.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
RED VELVET CAKE:
- 2 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cocoa
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 oz. bottle red food coloring 1 fluid ounce
- 1 cup buttermilk or soured milk (see note below)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 16 oz. powdered sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
RED VELVET CAKE:
- Mix flour sugar, soda and cocoa with oil.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Bake in oven at 350° for 30-35 minutes in 3 9” greased and floured baking pans.
- Vary time if using only 2 layers or oblong pan).
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- Soften cream cheese and butter.
- Mix all ingredients together and spread on cooled cake.