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Red Velvet Cake

4.89 from 18 votes
prep 45 minutes
cook 25 minutes
total 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 12 servings
The Red Velvet Cake of your dreams - a deep red, melt-in-your-mouth cake with a slight hint of chocolate and vanilla. Frost with either silky vanilla cream cheese frosting or traditional boiled milk frosting. 
Author: Bernice Baran
Servings 12 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

Red Cake

  • 270 grams cake flour, spooned and leveled
  • 300 grams granulated sugar
  • 10 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled (I used dutch cocoa)*
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 113 grams salted butter, room temperature
  • 120 mL vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 240 mL buttermilk, warm
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 6-8 drops red GEL food coloring**

Ermine Buttercream (Boiled Milk Frosting)

  • 150 grams granulated sugar
  • 30 grams all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 180 mL milk
  • 263 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
  • tiny pinch of salt

Method

Ermine Buttercream

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Whisk until they're well distributed.
    150 grams granulated sugar, 30 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, tiny pinch of salt
  2. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. 
    180 mL milk
  3. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously (but not too aggressively) for 3-5 minutes.
  4. When the mixture thickens and begins to hold streaks, whisk quicker for about another 30-60 seconds. It should be thick like custard.
  5. Pour the mixture into a heat safe container, cover it and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Red Velvet Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F (177C) convection and grease and line four 6 inch cake tins with baking spray and parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and sugar until they're evenly distributed (whisk well).
    270 grams cake flour spooned and leveled, 300 grams granulated sugar, 10 grams unsweetened cocoa powder spooned and leveled (I used dutch cocoa)*, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
  3. Add the oil and butter to the dry ingredients and beat together until they're combined.
    113 grams salted butter room temperature, 120 mL vegetable oil
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just a few seconds before adding the next.
    3 large eggs room temperature
  5. Warm up the buttermilk and add the vanilla, vinegar and food coloring to it. Mix until the food coloring is fully dissolved in the buttermilk.
    240 mL buttermilk warm, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp vinegar, 6-8 drops red GEL food coloring**
  6. Add the buttermilk to the batter, mixing just until it's fully combined and smooth.
  7. Distribute evenly among the four cake pans, about 9 ounces in each, and bake for about 25 minutes or until the center springs back when you press on it.
  8. Flip over onto a tea towel and let them cool completely to room temperature.

Finish Buttercream

  1. Once the custard portion for the buttercream has cooled completely, place the butter into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
    263 grams unsalted butter room temperature
  2. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, to beat the butter at full speed for 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the edge of the bowl every so often.
  3. When the butter is pale and fluffy, add the cooled custard in 3-4 increments, with the mixture running at medium-high speed. 
  4. Add the vanilla and mix until it's fully combined and smooth. 
    1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  5. To remove any excess air for smooth piping, you can switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for a few minutes *optional.
  6. Use an offset spatula to frost the cake. Decorate the cake how desired or just sprinkle with sparkling sugar like I did.

Notes

*You can also use unsweetened natural cocoa but you'll have a lighter color and flavor to the cake.
**You can use less or more food coloring if desired. I like it less potent (the color saturates in photos more so mine was slightly less bright red in person). When adding it to your milk, if it's more potent than mine then your cake will be too.
Read the blog post for details on how to use cream cheese frosting for this cake instead of the boiled milk frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 587kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 6gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 295mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 1gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 901IUCalcium: 61mgIron: 1mg
Course: Layer Cakes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: boiled milk frosting, ermine frosting, red velvet