Subscribe to get new recipes straight to your inbox!

    Soft Red Velvet Cake

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    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.

    Slice of red velvet cake

    See What Readers Have to Say 💬
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — I had the hardest time finding a red velvet recipe until this one. I have made this cake going on 3 times, and it always gets rave reviews. Thank you so much for sharing. — Robin
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — This is absolutely the best red velvet cake recipe I have ever made. The cake was perfect, the frosting the best. Thank you, MK! — Marisa

    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!

    Interesting Fact 🍰
    Traditional red velvet cakes actually didn’t use red food coloring! They were more of a reddish-brown color, thanks to the reaction between natural cocoa powder and the acidic ingredients in the recipe.

    Slice of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting on a white plate, a silver fork resting against the cake edge.

    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).

    greasing cake pans

    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.

    sifting dry ingredients

    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.

    creaming wet ingredients

    Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

    adding eggs to batter

    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.

    adding red color

    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.

    mixing in dry ingredients

    mixing in dry ingredients

    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.

    putting batter in pan and baking cake

    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.

    frosting cake layers

    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.

    frosting outside of the entire cake

    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.

    piping rosette border on the outside of the cake

    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.

    Red velvet cake recipe

    Soft Red Velvet Cake

    4.98 from 327 votes
    Print Pin Video
    This red velvet cake is SO soft, moist, and full of flavor, with that classic velvety texture and the perfect hint of tanginess. Topped with a creamy, slightly tangy cream cheese buttercream, it’s a cake you’ll want to make again and again!
    Prep: 15 minutes
    Cook: 30 minutes
    Cooling Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Total: 2 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Author: Cakes by MK

    IMPORTANT: 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

    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

    Youtube video

    Notes

    Note 1. You can use cake flour in place of the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in this recipe (293 g total required).
    Note 2. Natural cocoa powder will help prevent your batter from becoming too dark, allowing a brighter red color to shine through. It is also more acidic than Dutch-processed cocoa powder, lighter in color, and has a slightly sharper, more chocolatey flavor. It works particularly well alongside the buttermilk and vinegar in this recipe, which are also acidic ingredients. 
    Note 3. I recommend using unsalted butter in my baking recipes because it allows you to control the amount of salt. I know salted butter is more commonly used in some countries, including New Zealand, so if that’s what you have on hand, you can still use it! Just reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon for this recipe.
    Note 4. If you're doing a lot of additional piping like I did with my red velvet cake, then make 1.5x my cream cheese frosting recipe to ensure you have enough frosting. Otherwise, 1 batch will be enough.
    Note 5. If using a convection oven with a fan function, bake at 320°F (160°C), as the fan circulates hot air and causes food to bake faster. Please note that in the recipe video, I use the fan function, so the temperature shown in the video refers to a fan oven. I’ve amended the recipe card to give the temperature for a conventional oven, as most readers of my blog use convection ovens.
    Note 6. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment for the initial mixing, but continue to do the final step by hand as stated in the recipe.
    Note 7. Gently folding in the ingredients prevents too much gluten from forming, resulting in a softer cake. Only mix until the streaks of flour have disappeared and the batter is uniform.
    Note 8. Opening the oven door too early and allowing cold air to rush into the oven can cause cakes to collapse if the structure hasn't set yet. If your oven runs hot and you want to check your cake layers earlier than the stated baking time, allow at least ¾ of the baking time to pass before checking them.
    Note 9. The cream cheese frosting can be on the slightly softer side when it's first made, so allowing it to firm up in the fridge will make the cake easier and neater to slice and serve. We don't want the cake to be cold though, so if you're leaving the cake in the fridge for over an hour, then bring it out of the fridge about an hour or so before serving so the cake has time to soften up. If you cut into the cake and it's still cold, just let it come to room temperature before eating (otherwise the texture will be more firm than soft).
    Note 10. This recipe is designed to be divided between two 8-inch cake pans. I don’t recommend putting all of the batter into one 8-inch pan, as this is a soft cake and too much batter in one pan can cause the center to sink as it bakes. It can also cause the edges to overbake before the center is fully cooked.
    Note 11: You may notice some cup and tablespoon measurements differ slightly from the original recipe that I posted in 2022. I’ve updated these to use standard US measurements, but the gram measurements have not changed, so the recipe itself has not changed. I recommend using the gram measurements whenever possible for the most accurate results. For more details about these updates, see the blog post above.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

    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.

    Keyword: red velvet birthday cake, red velvet cake, red velvet cake recipe, red velvet cakes, red velvet layer cake, soft red velvet cake
    Tried this recipe?I love hearing from you! Tag me @cakesbymk.nz on instagram so I can see your amazing creations 🙂

    More Recipes

    715 Comments

    • Naomi
      22/04/2023

      5 stars
      The recipe looks so yum! I was wondering if I could use the same recipe to bake in 9inch pans? Would the bake time change?
      Thanks so much!!
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        02/05/2023

        Thanks Naomi! 🙂 Yes you can use 9 inch pans the layers will just be a little thinner and I would check them 5 mins earlier than the stated cooking time 🙂

        Reply
    • Aleena
      21/04/2023

      I would like to know if there is any way to get the cakes baked just like yours ,I meant not raised but instead smooth and flat , because that’s more assembling friendly.I always ruin my cakes by removing a small raised portion from the top of a cake.
      Reply
    • Naomi
      21/04/2023

      Thanks for sharing your recipe! I only have 9 inch baking pans, can I use the same recipe for it? Would the baking time change? Thanks in advance!!
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        30/04/2023

        Hi Naomi! Yes you can use 9 inch pans but I would check the cakes about 5 minutes earlier than the stated cooking time and just keep in mind the layers will be slightly thinner 🙂

        Reply
    • LouLou
      19/04/2023

      5 stars
      Simply AMAZING! Thank you MK for sharing this recipe! I’ve tried several but none taste as good, have such a great red colour or the wonderful texture that your recipe does!!
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        30/04/2023

        Aww yay! So so happy to hear LouLou 🙂

        Reply
    • Kristina
      15/04/2023

      5 stars
      Hi, I came across your youtube channel whilst browsing for a perfect red velvet cake that I’m planning to bake for my mom’s birthday and I can’t wait to try it this evening. I have a question though, I only have one 8×3-inch pan, and as I’m a beginner, can I pour all the batter into one pan? and ss the baking time the same? Thank you so much!
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        15/04/2023

        Hi Kristina! How lovely of you to bake a cake for your mum 🙂 because the cake layers are quite soft I wouldn’t recommend baking all the batter in one tin. Alternatively you can half the recipe which will be just the right about for one 8×3 inch cake tin 🙂 hope that helps and all the best with the cake!

        Reply
      • Swati Prasad
        28/04/2023

        Hi..can u share exact amounts of ingredients you used in cream cheese frosting along with rosettes.
        I didn’t understood 1.5x will be how much in total I have to make in one go.?
        Reply
    • Anna
      11/04/2023

      Hi. This looks so perfect… isn’t this recipe sweet? Can this recipe also be made into cupcakes? Thanks in advance
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        15/04/2023

        Hi Anna! The recipe isn’t overly sweet as I don’t like my cakes too sweet 🙂 although you can reduce the sugar slightly if you wish (this may change the texture a bit though). I do have a very similar red velvet cupcake recipe if you wanted to check that out 🙂 here is the link: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/soft-red-velvet-cupcakes/

        Reply
        • Clem Buenaventura
          01/05/2023

          5 stars
          Hi, MK!

          Many thanks for this fail-proof recipe! Made it twice already and got the same AWESOME result! Looking forward to trying out your other recipes. More power!

          Best regards,
          Clem
          Reply
          • Cakes by MK
            03/05/2023

            Awesome! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipe Clem! 😀

            Reply
    • Janine
      05/04/2023

      Hi
      I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it is divine!
      I did it as a trial for a Ruby Wedding Anniversary cake for my parents.
      Do you think this would work as a 2 tier stacked cake with 8 & then 6” cakes, if I doweled the bottom tier?
      It’s really soft so wasn’t sure whether it would work and what your thoughts were?
      Thanks
      Janine
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        06/04/2023

        Hi Janine! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and congratulations to your parents for their Ruby anniversary! 😀 I think if the bottom tier is doweled and you have a good stable frosting then it should work fine 🙂

        Reply
        • Janine
          07/04/2023

          5 stars
          Hi!
          Bless you thank you… can’t believe it’s their 40th…. Time flies!
          Amazing thank you. I thought I’d do Swiss meringue buttercream in the middle but standard vanilla buttercream crumb and top coat… and will dowel it.
          Thank you!
          Janine
          Reply
        • Saiqa
          29/04/2023

          Hiya just a quick question, i dont hav a fan oven so what gas mark shall i put it on and also what shelf, thankyou.
          Reply
          • Cakes by MK
            02/05/2023

            Hi Saiqa! 🙂 I believe it should be around Gas mark 4 and middle shelf 🙂

            Reply
    • Bevelyn
      29/03/2023

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! This is the best recipe of red velvet, moist, toooo good and delicious and best thing of all.is it not that hard to make and follow the instructions. Thank you so much for sharing knowledge to us that is not professional in baking..God bless you and more power!
      I made this recipe for my daughter’s birthday, also you taken time to reply back and greeted my daughter on your YouTube channel. Thank you so much. Can’t wait to try more of your recipe. Yum!!!!!
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        29/03/2023

        So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Bevelyn and found it easy to make 😀

        Reply
    • Saranya
      28/03/2023

      Hi MK,

      I love you all recipes and i tried some of you recipes which came out really well and very soft. In internet I can see many sponge cake recipes are prepared by beating the egg and sugar as first step and followed by all other steps.

      Could you able to share me what is the difference in beating eggs and sugar 1st, rather than beating butter and sugar??
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        29/03/2023

        Hi Saranya! So happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the recipes 🙂 so the recipes where you beat the egg whites are what you would call a ‘sponge’ whereas when you beat the sugar/butter those recipes are typically referred to as butter, oil or pound cakes. I’m releasing a sponge cake recipe soon so keep an eye out for that 😀

        Reply
        • Kat
          12/04/2023

          Hi MK,
          Thank you for the recipe. Can I substitute the sugar with part of sweetener?
          Reply
          • Cakes by MK
            15/04/2023

            Hi Kat! Hmmm I haven’t tried a sugar substitute for this recipe myself so I’m not too sure sorry! Hope it works out if you decide to give it a try 🙂

            Reply
    • Madeline
      24/03/2023

      5 stars
      The best red velvet cake recipe!
      This makes the most delicious moist red velvet cake I’ve ever had! It’s so worth it, this cake didn’t even last a whole day in my house.
      Reply
      • Cakes by MK
        28/03/2023

        Thank you so much Madeline! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe 😀

        Reply
    4.98 from 327 votes (215 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    About me

    Welcome to my blog! My name is Maryam and I LOVE baking! :) I hope to provide you with the tools (i.e. simple, from-scratch, quality tested recipes), so that you can confidently bake up delicious treats to share with your family and friends!

      Categories
      Tips & Tricks
      Specialty Desserts
      Single Layer Cakes
      Sheet Cakes
      Quick Desserts
      Quick Breads & Loaf Cakes