When I first shared this red velvet cake recipe a few years ago, I remember being SO excited because it was genuinely one of the softest cakes I had ever made. Now, with over 300 5-star reviews, I’m so glad you are all loving it as much as I do! It’s incredibly moist with that classic velvety texture, full of flavor, and topped with the most delicious, slightly tangy cream cheese buttercream.
What Exactly Is a Red Velvet Cake?!
So, what exactly makes a red velvet cake a red velvet cake?! Think of it as a delicious middle ground between a vanilla and chocolate cake, with a subtle chocolate flavor, a hint of tanginess, and that signature soft, velvety texture.
The tangy flavor comes from ingredients like buttermilk and vinegar, which are classic in red velvet cake recipes. These days, red velvet cake is usually made with red food coloring for that gorgeous deep red color and is most commonly paired with cream cheese frosting or ermine frosting.
For this recipe, I’m going with my favorite pairing: a rich, creamy, and slightly tangy cream cheese buttercream! If you prefer ermine frosting, you can also check out my traditional red velvet cake recipe, which uses the same soft red velvet cake base but is topped with classic ermine frosting instead. Some people prefer it, as it’s less sweet and a bit more subtle in flavor. I also have an eggless red velvet cake recipe that I promise is just as soft and moist!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
SO soft and velvety: This cake has the most incredibly soft, tender texture that practically melts in your mouth.
Perfectly balanced flavor: It has just the right amount of chocolate flavor, sweetness, and tanginess without any one flavor being overpowering.
Cream cheese buttercream: The slightly tangy, creamy frosting pairs SO well with the soft red velvet cake.
Easy to make: You don’t need any fancy equipment or complicated techniques to make this cake.
A total crowd-pleaser: With over 300 5-star reviews, I think it’s safe to say this one is a reader favorite! 💗
A Note on the Updated Measurements
You may notice that some of the cup and tablespoon measurements in this recipe have changed slightly from the original recipe. When I first developed this recipe, I wanted to keep the measurements as accurate as possible, so I would measure an ingredient using a cup or tablespoon, weigh that amount, and use the resulting gram weight as my exact measurement. I did this because I often found that ingredient conversions don’t always translate perfectly, and weighing the amount I naturally measured could sometimes give a more accurate result.
Over time, though, I realized this could be confusing, so I’ve moved toward using standard US cup and spoon measurements. I have not changed any of the gram measurements, so the recipe itself has not changed.
I still highly recommend using the gram measurements whenever possible. For example, 1 cup of all-purpose flour is generally considered 120 g, but depending on how you measure that cup, you can easily end up with a different weight. Using a scale gives you a much more consistent and accurate measurement every time.
The following measurements have been updated from the original recipe:
– Cornstarch: 3 tbsp (18 g) → 2½ tbsp (18 g)
– Cocoa powder: 3 tbsp (14 g) → 2½ tbsp (14 g)
– Vegetable oil: ¾ cup (141 g) → ⅔ cup (141 g)
– Buttermilk: ¾ cup (158 g) → ⅔ cup (158 g)
Again, the gram measurements have remained exactly the same, so these updates do not change the recipe or the final cake.
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
You can find the full list of ingredients for this red velvet cake recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post. For easy navigation, just hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page. Here’s a quick visual breakdown of how to make it, and you’ll also find the recipe video in the recipe card below.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) conventional and grease and/or line two 8×3-inch cake pans (I use my homemade cake release).
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
In a large bowl, add the butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream together for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
Add the vanilla, white vinegar and red liquid food coloring, and mix until well combined. Set the mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold together with a spatula until just combined. Add all of the buttermilk and gently fold until just combined. Lastly, add the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Be careful not to open the oven door too early, as this can cause the cake layers to sink. Also, avoid overbaking the cake layers, as this can cause them to dry out.
Allow the cakes to cool in the cake pans for 15-20 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, frost with my cream cheese buttercream frosting.
How to Decorate Your Cake
There’s no particular way to decorate a red velvet cake, but here’s how I decorated mine using my cream cheese frosting recipe. 🙂
Usually, I would trim (or torte) the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife to make them flat, but these red velvet layers bake up really nice and flat, so no trimming was required. I went ahead and added a generous amount of frosting to my first cake layer and smoothed it out with my offset spatula before placing the next cake layer on top.
Next, I added some frosting to the top cake layer and spread it out with my offset spatula. I then used the excess frosting on the sides to cover the entire cake. I only did a thin layer of frosting and didn’t worry about doing a crumb coat because I was piping rosettes all around the cake. If you also want to pipe rosettes, you’ll need to make 1.5x my cream cheese frosting recipe to ensure you have enough frosting.
I used a 1M piping tip to pipe rosettes all around the cake! If you’re new to piping, check out my beginner’s piping tutorial or my 1M piping tip tutorial.
Once your cake is decorated, pop it into the fridge to allow everything to firm up. This will make it easier to cut. We don’t want the cake to be cold, though, so bring it out of the fridge about an hour or so before cutting. If it’s still cold when you cut into it, let it come to room temperature before eating. Trust me, it’s worth the wait! 😀
How to Store Red Velvet Cake
Because this cake is topped with cream cheese buttercream, I recommend storing it in the fridge. If you have leftover cake, make sure slices are covered well or stored in an airtight container, as the fridge can dry out the cake.
Can I Freeze Red Velvet Cake?
I haven’t personally tried freezing this red velvet cake, so I can’t say for certain how it will turn out, but I think it would be fine based on other similar recipes that I have frozen. If you’d like to freeze it, I recommend only freezing the cake layers and not the cream cheese buttercream, as it may split or become grainy when thawed. Wrap the unfrosted cake layers really well in plastic wrap and placing them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag to help protect them from freezer burn. Allow them to thaw completely before decorating or serving.
Commonly Asked Questions
Why did my red velvet cake sink in the middle?
There are a few reasons why a cake can sink in the middle, including opening the oven door too early, overmixing the batter, inaccurate ingredient measurements, underbaking the cake or putting too much batter in one cake pan. If you’re having trouble with your cake sinking, I’ve put together a whole post on why cakes sink in the middle where I go through the most common causes and how to prevent them.
Can I use gel food coloring instead of liquid food coloring for this recipe?
Yes, you can use gel food coloring instead of liquid food coloring. However, because gel coloring is much more concentrated, you won’t need as much. Dilute your gel coloring with just under 3½ tablespoons of water or milk to make up for the liquid lost when using gel coloring.
This recipe uses 3½ tablespoons of liquid food coloring, but using that much gel coloring would be far too concentrated. The additional liquid also helps thin out the batter, resulting in a fluffier, more velvety cake.
Can I use a different size pan?
Yes, you can use a different size cake pan, but you’ll need to adjust the amount of batter you use depending on the size of your pan. This recipe is designed to be divided between two 8-inch cake pans, and I don’t recommend putting all of the batter into one 8-inch pan. Because this is a soft cake, too much batter in one pan can cause the center to sink as it bakes, while the edges can overbake before the center is fully cooked.
For example, 1x this recipe can also be baked as one 10-inch cake, as the larger pan provides enough surface area for the batter to bake properly. The important thing is to avoid baking a very tall cake and then torting it into layers. This red velvet cake is best baked as individual layers, which helps the cake bake more evenly and prevents the edges from becoming overbaked before the center is fully cooked.
Can I use this recipe to make red velvet cupcakes?
For a cupcake version of this recipe, check out my red velvet cupcake recipe. It’s essentially a smaller quantity of this recipe, making just enough for 12 cupcakes!
Can I use a buttermilk substitute?
Yes, a buttermilk substitute will work perfectly fine in this recipe. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can learn how to make your own buttermilk substitute here.
Soft Red Velvet Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
- 2¼ cups (275 g) all-purpose flour - regular all purpose (see note 1 if you want to use cake flour)
- 2½ tbsps (18 g) cornstarch
- 2½ tbsps (14 g) cocoa powder - unsweetened. Natural cocoa powder preferred (see note 2)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt - see note 3
- 6 tbsps (86 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ⅔ cup (141 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola
- 1¾ cups (344 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 tbsp (12 g) vanilla extract/essence
- 1½ tsps white vinegar
- 3½ tbsps (38 g) red liquid food colouring
- ⅔ cup (158 g) buttermilk - room temperature
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1 batch of my cream cheese buttercream frosting recipe - see note 4 if piping rosettes around the cake like I have
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) conventional (see note 5 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease and/or line two 8x3-inch cake pans (I use my homemade cake release).
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large bowl, add the butter, vegetable oil and sugar. Using an electric mixer (see note 6), cream together for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
- Add the vanilla, vinegar and red liquid food coloring, and mix until well combined. Set the mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold together with a spatula until just combined. Add all of the buttermilk and gently fold until just combined. Lastly, add the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix (see note 7).
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Be careful not to open the oven door too early, as this can cause the cake layers to sink (see note 8). Also, avoid overbaking the cake layers, as this can cause them to dry out.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the cake pans for 15-20 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled, frost with my cream cheese frosting (see blog post above for decorating ideas). Once your cake is decorated, pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes to allow everything to firm up (see note 9).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
715 Comments
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I will be making it for a birthday next month. Do I need to alter the recipe for 9” round pans?
Hi Tanis! 🙂 For 9 inch pans, I would recommend making 1.5x the recipe 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Maryam and thank you for all your videos which I have been watching and re-watching. Hard to decide what to make as everything looks so good! I would like to make this Red Velvet cake but have a question which kind of applies to a lot of your recipes. My oven isn’t wide enough to fit two 8cm tins on the middle shelf of the oven (oven has a fan option). Would it work if I bake them on different levels? I am worried they won’t bake evenly. Or is there a way to make the cake in one tin – is it too fragile to cut in half? The cakes I make and cut in half are a bit denser. Hoping to find a way as am wanting to dive in and get baking! Thanks for your advice.
Hi Paula! So happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the videos 😀
If you have a fan option, then you could bake both trays at the same time (the fan option bakes more evenly), just try and keep them as close to the middle of the oven as possible. If you can see through the oven door, then just keep an eye on the top one to make sure it isn’t over browning (just be careful not to open the oven door too early as this can cause the cakes to sink – you want to let atleast 3/4s of the cooking time pass). The cake is quite soft so I wouldn’t recommend baking one taller cake as it may not rise well and will be harder to torte 🙂
You could make one larger 10 inch cake with 1x the recipe, but it would be a single layer cake.
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe Paula 🙂
Hello! Can this be made into cupcakes? If so, do you know how many it yields? Is the bake temperature the same? And what about time?
Thank you so much!
Hi Marcus! 🙂 Yes you can totally turn this recipe into cupcakes – I have a red velvet cupcake recipe (based off this recipe) that you can find here: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/soft-red-velvet-cupcakes/
Hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
Maryam, Steffi here again 🙂 Remember I said I wanted to make this cake for my birthday?
Unfortunately this cake was kinda mixed results for me :(. Let me explain, cause I can sense your heart sinking a bit. It’s not your fault though!
The red velvet sponge cake was good. I’ve become so used to your process that when it came out of the oven, I lightly pressed the cake layers and it felt pretty soft.
The problem is the cream cheese frosting. 1) I probably did not let my butter come to room temp enough, 2) did not beat the butter and icing sugar enough til super super fluffy, and 3) I wish I read earlier comments about the cream cheese, cause I now know you suggested to beat the cream cheese with the stand mixer first before the butter + icing sugar. Flavour wise, it was quite nice, the lemon brought a good tartness to it, though a pity due to my under mixing, we could taste the sugar grains.
Also I don’t have piping experience, and I didn’t have a 1M tip. Not to mention I cut the opening for my piping bag a bit too big -facepalm-. So yea series of mistakes LOL. In the end, I went for a normal plain frosting, tried to get smooth edges, so I think I improved this for sure! Frosting was smoother and cleaner edges. Though I became too nitpicky and kept trying to smooth out every single crease -facepalm again-. Next time I’ll try not to be so perfectionist over my frosting skills (which are almost non-existent, like I’ve only frosted about less than 5 cakes in my life).
So in the end, I did not use this cake for my family gathering. I got another cake just to elevate my stress and anxiety. However, husband and I are enjoying slices of this red velvet cake everyday. So that’s a silver lining I feel!
I will definitely need to make more layered frosted cakes to build up more experience. I know if I nailed that frosting, this cake would have been perfect.
Thanks for the recipe as always :).
Next cake I’m thinking of making is the strawberry cake. Tbh I was thinking to make it for my daughter’s first birthday end of this month! But I don’t think I want to stress myself again with such a big momentous event, so I will still make this cake, but more of a leisurely practice. With less stress, less perfectionist demands, more casual practice, I know I can make decent looking cakes in future <3.
Hi Steffi! 🙂 Aww I am so sorry to hear you had a bit of a challenging experience with the frosting! Yes if you find the frosting is a bit lumpy, it means that the paddle wasn’t able to properly mix the cream cheese. In a pickle, you can switch to the whisk attachment to smooth it out, but ideally you don’t want to overmix the frosting after the cream cheese has been added in.
I used to do a lot of cake decorating tutorials when I first started my YouTube channel, I’ll link some videos below that may help 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtE1623OMNc&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWQb3F9Ymx8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SmdFuKpDHE&t=337s
I am sure with practice you’ll be a pro in no time Steffi 😀
Really appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback 🙂 I’ll be sure to update recipes that use the cream cheese frosting to add the extra tips when using a paddle instead of a hand mixer 🙂
The cake looks great, would like to try next weekend 🙂
There may be a coeliac eating it if I can go gluten-free. What gluten-free flour substitution would you recommend?
Thanks Colin! 🙂
I haven’t tried a gluten-free flour with this recipe myself so I can’t say for sure how well it would work, but usually any gluten free flour that is meant to act as a 1:1 substitute with regular flour in baking tends to work well with my recipes 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe Colin!
I’ve made this cake before. However, I would like to know if I can use all oil instead of the butter? (Using for an ice cream cake) Thanks in advance
Heya! 🙂 Unfortunately the butter cannot be substituted for oil in this recipe as the mixing method relies on the creaming process where air is whipped into the butter. These air bubbles then expand while baking which gives you a nice fluffy texture. Unfortunately oil is unable to hold air so you may end up with a dense cake if you use all oil. Hope that helps 🙂
hi! if i want to store this cake already frosted, should it be in the fridge or room temp? will the frosting go bad over night at room temp because of the cream cheese?
Hi Alejandra! 🙂 If the cake is completely covered in frosting, then it’s best to store in the fridge (just let it come to room temp for a couple of hours before serving). Because the cream cheese frosting has a lot of sugar, it’s okay to leave at room temp for a day, but any longer then it is best to refrigerate. Overnight, I would store it in the fridge 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can you bake this using a 9×13 pan?
Hi Janet 🙂 Yes you can! You may just need to reduce the cook time slightly 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This is the best red velvet cake hands down, have made it countless times and always a crowd pleaser.
I’m looking to use 10” cake pans this time but not sure how much to increase the recipe by. Do I double it x2 or x1/2?
Thanks
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Jo! 😀 So glad you’re loving the recipe 🙂
For two 10 inch cake pans, I would double the recipe (2x) 🙂
Hi Maryam
Can I substitute beets for food coloring and how much?
Hi Michelle! 🙂 You could use beetroot as a natual red color, though I wouldn’t add it in just like that (to ensure none of the flavor comes through). I have done a video on how to make natural food color which you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcYXoFq0qFc
Hope that helps Michelle 🙂