Classic Moist Red Velvet Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Introduction & Inspiration

Red Velvet Cake holds a special place in the dessert world. It’s more than just a tinted cake; it boasts a unique, subtle chocolate flavor, a hint of tanginess, and an incredibly moist, velvety crumb, all crowned with the quintessential tangy cream cheese frosting. This recipe delivers on all those beloved characteristics, resulting in a truly classic and delicious cake.

My inspiration for sharing this recipe comes from a deep appreciation for this Southern classic and the desire for a reliably moist version. Using oil and buttermilk guarantees a tender, never-dry texture, while the whipped cream cheese frosting provides the perfect balance of tang and sweetness.

This cake is perfect for birthdays, holidays (it’s stunning for Christmas or Valentine’s Day!), potlucks, or simply anytime you crave a slice of this iconic dessert. It’s a crowd-pleaser with timeless appeal. It is a perfect dessert for any celebration.

Nostalgic Appeal

Red Velvet Cake is steeped in tradition and nostalgia, particularly in the American South. Its striking color and unique flavor profile make it instantly recognizable and often associated with special family gatherings, celebrations, and elegant occasions.

The pairing with tangy cream cheese frosting is iconic – the slightly acidic frosting cuts through the richness of the cake beautifully. This recipe honors that classic combination, delivering the flavors and textures that people know and love.

Making this cake from scratch connects you to a rich culinary heritage. It’s a taste of comfort, celebration, and tradition all in one slice. A perfect cake to share.

Homemade Focus

This recipe celebrates the rewarding process of making a classic Red Velvet Cake entirely from scratch. We’re carefully balancing ingredients like buttermilk, vinegar, cocoa powder, and oil to achieve that signature moist texture and subtle flavor profile. The whipped cream cheese frosting is also made from scratch, ensuring a light, fluffy, and perfectly tangy result.

While shortcuts exist, making red velvet from scratch allows you to understand the interplay of ingredients – how the acidity reacts with the leaveners, how oil guarantees moisture, and how a hint of cocoa adds depth without overpowering.

The homemade difference is clear in the velvety crumb, the balanced flavor, and the perfectly whipped frosting. It’s a testament to the quality achieved through careful, from-scratch baking. The homemade flavour is incredible.

Flavor Goal

The primary flavor goal is a moist, tender cake with a subtle, unique flavor profile – not quite vanilla, not quite chocolate, but with hints of both and a slight tang from the buttermilk and vinegar. The color should be a vibrant, appealing red.

The whipped cream cheese frosting is equally important. It should be light, fluffy, creamy, tangy, and sweet, but not too sweet, providing the perfect counterpoint to the cake’s richness. The recipe notes allow for adjusting sweetness to personal preference.

The overall experience should be a harmonious blend of moist, velvety cake and light, tangy frosting – a balanced, classic, and utterly delicious dessert. A perfect balance of texture and flavour.

Ingredient Insights

For the Cake:

• All-Purpose Flour: Provides the main structure.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and contributes to tenderness.  
• Baking Soda: Leavening agent that reacts strongly with the acidic buttermilk and vinegar for a tender crumb and good rise.
• Fine Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavors.  
• Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder: Provides the characteristic subtle chocolate flavor and contributes to the reddish hue (though food coloring does the heavy lifting). Dutch-process is often preferred in red velvet for a smoother flavor.
• Vegetable Oil: Guarantees a moist cake crumb that stays moist longer than butter-based cakes. Use a neutral oil. (Recipe notes mention 1 cup works well, though original might call for 1.5 cups – adjust to preference).
• Buttermilk (Room Temperature): Adds moisture, tanginess, and activates the baking soda. Room temperature is key.
• Large Eggs (Room Temperature): Provide structure, richness, and binding.
• Red Food Coloring: Creates the signature vibrant red color. Use liquid or gel; amount may vary based on desired intensity.
• White Distilled Vinegar: Adds extra acidity to react with baking soda, contributing to tenderness and a slight tang.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances overall flavor.

For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Cream Cheese (Softened): The base of the frosting, providing tanginess and structure. Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese, properly softened.
• Unsalted Butter (Softened): Adds richness, structure, and smoothness. Must be properly softened.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Flavors the frosting.
• Sifted Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting. Sifting is crucial for a smooth texture. The amount can be adjusted (3-4 cups) based on desired sweetness and thickness.

Essential Equipment

• Three 9-Inch Round Cake Pans (or two 10-inch pans): Recipe offers options based on desired layers/thickness.
• Parchment Paper (Recommended): For lining pan bottoms.
• Baking Spray (with flour preferably): For greasing pans.
• Large Bowls (Multiple): For dry ingredients, wet ingredients, frosting.
• Whisk: For combining wet ingredients.
• Sifter: For dry cake ingredients and powdered sugar for frosting.
• Electric Mixer (Stand Mixer or Handheld): Essential for properly mixing the cake batter and whipping the frosting until light and fluffy.
• Rubber Spatula: For scraping the bowl and ensuring even mixing.
• Wire Cooling Racks: Crucial for cooling cake layers completely.
• Offset Spatula: For frosting the cake smoothly.
• Serving Plate or Cake Stand:

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients: (Ensure ingredients are at room temperature)

• ▢ 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 cup vegetable oil (See Notes in original recipe regarding potentially using 1.5 cups)
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• ▢ 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients:

• ▢ 1 pound (2 blocks, 16 oz total) cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (adjust to taste, start with 3 cups – see Notes)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare Oven and Pans:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Spray three 9-inch round cake pans (or two 10-inch pans) generously with baking spray. Lining the bottoms with parchment paper is recommended. Set aside.

2. Combine Dry Cake Ingredients:

• In a large bowl (like your mixer bowl), sift together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, fine salt, and cocoa powder. Whisk briefly to combine.

3. Combine Wet Cake Ingredients:

• In a separate large bowl, use a whisk to mix together the vegetable oil, room temperature buttermilk, room temperature eggs, red food coloring, white distilled vinegar, and vanilla extract until well combined.

4. Combine Wet and Dry:

• Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients.
• Using a standing mixer on low-medium speed (or by hand), mix the batter just until the mixture is blended and no large streaks of dry ingredients remain.
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a flat spatula to ensure everything is incorporated. Do not overmix.

5. Bake the Cakes:

• Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pans.
• Place the pans in the preheated oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (for 9-inch pans, possibly longer like 25-30 min based on similar recipes – start checking early as instructed). The original recipe’s 15 min check time for 10-inch pans suggests these bake relatively quickly. Check around 16 minutes.
• Rotate the pans halfway through the baking process for even cooking.
• Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.  
• Let the cake layers cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes.
• Carefully invert the cakes onto the wire racks, peel off parchment paper if used, and let cool completely before frosting.

6. Make the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:

• Ensure cream cheese and butter are properly softened.
• Place the softened butter, softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and 3 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar in a standing mixer bowl (or large bowl with hand mixer).
• Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy, and smooth.
• While mixing, occasionally stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Taste and Adjust: Taste the frosting. If you prefer it sweeter and thicker, gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sifted confectioners’ sugar (or add 1/2 cup at a time) until your desired sweetness and consistency are reached. Beat well after each addition. (Remember the note: more sugar = thicker frosting).

7. Assemble and Frost the Cake:

• Ensure cake layers are completely cool. If desired, level the tops with a serrated knife.
• Place the first cake layer on your serving platter or cake stand.
• Spread a generous layer of the whipped cream cheese frosting over the top.
• Place the second cake layer on top and frost it.
• If using three layers, place the third layer on top.
• Apply a thin “crumb coat” of frosting over the entire cake (top and sides) to trap loose crumbs. Chill for 15-20 minutes to set.
• Apply the remaining frosting smoothly over the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula. Create decorative swirls if desired.

8. Chill and Serve:

• Refrigerate the frosted cake for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to firm up slightly before slicing.
• Serving Note: This frosting softens nicely. Let the cake sit out for 5-10 minutes (or slightly longer if very cold) before serving for the best light texture, as mentioned in the notes.
• Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator.

Troubleshooting

• Cake Dry: Overbaking is the most common culprit with red velvet. Check doneness early and often. Ensure accurate liquid/oil measurements.
• Cake Dense: Overmixing after adding flour, or butter/sugar not creamed enough (though this is an oil-based cake, mixing technique still matters). Ensure leaveners are fresh.
• Red Color Not Vibrant: Use a quality liquid or gel food coloring; amounts can vary. Ensure you used enough. Using natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-process might also yield a less vibrant red.
• Frosting Too Soft: Cream cheese or butter too warm, or too little powdered sugar used. Chill the frosting bowl and re-whip. Add more sifted powdered sugar if needed for structure.
• Frosting Too Stiff: Too much powdered sugar added. Beat in a tiny amount of milk or cream (1 tsp at a time) until desired consistency is reached.
• Frosting Lumpy: Cream cheese or butter not fully softened, or powdered sugar not sifted. Ensure ingredients are properly prepared.

Tips and Variations

• Room Temperature Ingredients: Crucial for cake batter (buttermilk, eggs) and frosting (cream cheese, butter) for smooth mixing.
• Don’t Overbake: Red velvet can dry out easily. Start checking earlier than the suggested time.  
• Frosting Sweetness/Thickness: Adjust powdered sugar level as noted in the recipe to match your preference. Remember it firms up when chilled and softens at room temp.
• Oil Quantity: The recipe notes mention flexibility (1 to 1.5 cups). 1 cup yields a moist cake; 1.5 cups will be even richer/moister but potentially perceived as oily by some.
• Pan Size: Adjust baking time if using different pan sizes (e.g., 10-inch pans bake faster).
• Vinegar Substitute: Apple cider vinegar can be used instead of white distilled vinegar.

Serving and Pairing Suggestions

• Serve Cool Room Temperature: Allow cake to sit out briefly after refrigeration for optimal frosting texture.
• Classic Presentation: A simple, elegant frosting swirl is classic. Some like to garnish with pecan halves or cake crumbs.
• With Coffee or Tea: Balances the sweetness nicely.
• With Milk: A perfect pairing, especially for kids.

Nutritional Information

(Note: Estimated, per slice, assuming 12-16 slices. Will vary based on oil/sugar amounts and pan size.)

• Calories: 500-700+
• Fat: 30-45g+
• Saturated Fat: 10-18g+
• Cholesterol: 80-110mg+
• Sodium: 300-400mg+
• Total Carbohydrates: 55-70g+
• Dietary Fiber: 1-2g+
• Sugars: 40-55g+
• Protein: 5-7g+

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Recipe Summary and Q&A

Summary: This Moist Red Velvet Cake features a tender, oil-based cake with classic buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa notes, baked in layers. It’s frosted with a light, fluffy, and tangy whipped cream cheese frosting where the sweetness can be adjusted. The process involves mixing and baking the cake, cooling, preparing the whipped frosting, and assembling/frosting the cake.

Q&A:

• Q: Why use oil instead of butter in the cake?
  • A: Oil provides superior moisture in cakes compared to butter, resulting in a more tender crumb that stays moist longer.  
• Q: What’s the purpose of vinegar in red velvet cake?
  • A: It adds a slight tang and, more importantly, reacts with the baking soda to provide lift and enhance the tenderness of the cake. Historically, it also reacted with older types of cocoa powder to enhance the reddish hue (less relevant with modern cocoa and food coloring).
• Q: Can I make this frosting less sweet?
  • A: Yes, the recipe notes explicitly state you can start with 3 cups of powdered sugar and add more to taste. Using less sugar will result in a tangier, softer frosting. Remember it firms up when cold.
• Q: Can I use a different size pan?
  • A: Yes, the notes mention using two 10-inch pans instead of three 9-inch pans, with a shorter baking time (around 15 minutes is mentioned, but seems very short – check carefully). You could also bake it in a 9×13 inch pan as a sheet cake (adjust baking time, likely 30-40 min).