Best Red Velvet Cake

Best Red Velvet Cake
So, let’s have an honest conversation real quick.  If red velvet cake is not your thing, I get you.  I’m not even going to try to convince you otherwise.

We are a house divided on this uber-popular cake flavor.  It’s my oldest daughter Clara’s favorite cake (she’s our 7-year old) and has been for a couple of years now.  Paul, on the other hand, sneers at it as a mockery or bastardization of chocolate cake.  Rose and I are somewhat on the fence about red velvet cake because, well, it’s cake and it’s delicious but it’s not my favorite cake (gasp!).  That doesn’t mean I don’t like it though because I definitely ate both slices that I needed to cut to take these photos.

But truthfully, this easy red velvet cake recipe is not just any old cake.  It results in the softest, most tender, moist, fluffy, impossibly velvety (it’s aptly named, after all) cake ever.

There are a number of reasons for this, involving the combination of butter and oil, and the chemical reactions of buttermilk, cocoa powder, baking soda and vinegar.  But rather than get too deep into all that, let’s just say that making red velvet cake from scratch is 100% worth it.

Check out this New York Times article which has a great history about the original red velvet cake recipe going all the way back to the earliest known “velvet cakes” of the 1800’s and describing the developments in how red velvet cake as we know it came to be, thanks to a food dye manufacturer, WWII rationing, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and a red velvet armadillo wedding cake from the movie Steel Magnolias with Julia Roberts in the 1990’s.

Best Red Velvet Cake
I made it and it was super delicious, soft and velvety.. everyone in the family said it’s the best red velvet ever.. loads of love to you for sharing such a wonderful recipe

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

For the red velvet cake:

• 2 and 2/3 cups (295 grams) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup (22 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 and 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 (1-ounce) bottle liquid red food color
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) canola or vegetable oil
• 1 and 1/3 cups (320 ml) buttermilk room temperature

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar1
• 3/4 cup (175 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the red velvet cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray two 9-inch cake pans well with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Then sift the dry ingredients to remove any lumps of cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until fully combined, then mix in the oil, red food color, vanilla extract, and vinegar stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix each addition until just combined and be careful not to over mix the batter.
5. Evenly distribute the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and spread the batter around into one even layer. Tap the pans on the counter 2-3 times to remove any air bubbles from the cakes.
6. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Carefully remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool in the pans for 15-20 minutes. Then, carefully remove the cakes from the cake pans and place on the wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cream cheese frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and mix for about 30 seconds-1 minute until well combined and smooth.
2. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

To assemble the cake:

1. Level the tops of each cake with a knife or cake leveler. Place one of the cake layers on a cake stand or plate, top with a layer of frosting, and smooth it out into one even layer. Place the second layer on top, then use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.

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