Today we’re sharing a scratch Classic Red Velvet Cake Recipe that is out of this world!! For me, it’s the PERFECT scratch Red Velvet Cake recipe.
I remember being fascinated by Red Velvet Cakes as a child. My grandmother often had one sitting on her kitchen counter, and the red cake layers were just so eye catching! I loved the moist and chocolatey, cream cheese-filled layers, but I think that it was the dramatic RED that I loved the most!
In the past few years, it seems that Red Velvet Cake has had a resurgence in popularity. I love it, and I’m happy to say that we have found JUST the recipe.
This Red Velvet Cake is ultra moist without being overly soft or crumbly, it has just the right amount of cocoa, and the sour cream in the recipe makes it stable enough to withstand the weight of fondant, or a thick coat of cream cheese frosting.
This is one of those good old fashioned cake recipes where nothing but cream cheese frosting will do!
In the photo above, you can see that we’ve piped a generous amount of Cream Cheese Frosting with a 2D fat star tip. I love this quick and easy technique but really, there’s no wrong way to slather on your cream cheese frosting!
Red Velvet Cake is the perfect dessert choice year-round, but if you are making this for a Christmas or winter gathering, you may like to make the lovely white chocolate candy coating trees as in the photo above!
I love the these sweet decorations, and they are so simple to make! You can find out how to make there in our free blog tutorial here: White Chocolate Candy Coating Trees.
We hope that you love this amazing scratch Red Velvet Cake as much as we do! We have tried many, many scratch Red Velvet Cake recipes in our search for the perfect cake, and for us, THIS is the one! The search is over. This is now our go-to recipe. Hooray!
**This Recipe calls for the Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing, which yields a very moist and slightly denser cake. Many of our favorite cake recipes call for this method. We explain the steps in our recipe below, but if you are unfamiliar with the Reverse Creaming Method, please watch our quick, free video tutorial: Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing. If you prefer the fluffier texture of the conventional method of mixing, click over to our Red Velvet Cupcake (and cake) Recipe!
*If you are looking for a fantastic doctored cake mix Red Velvet cake, we have you covered! Scroll on down to the bottom of this post to find a link to our favorite “almost homemade” Red Velvet Cake!
Enjoy!
Red Velvet Cake - {Scratch Cake Recipe}
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon (12 g) vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (24 g) red liquid food coloring
- 1 cup (242 g) sour cream
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup (73 g) milk
- 2 1/2 cups (254 g) cake flour
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons (19 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ( 3g) salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15 g) baking powder
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 T) (170 g) unsalted butter softened (Do not soften in microwave). I cut the butter into 1/4 inch slices onto waxed paper so it will soften quickly
Directions
- {*This recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method.}
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 x 2 inch pans.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, red food coloring, sour cream, veg. oil, and milk. Whisk to blend and set bowl aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and blend with the mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds until the dry ingredients are well blended.
- Slowly add the slices of butter a few at a time while the mixer is on medium speed. Mix until the dry ingredients are moistened by the butter. It will look like coarse sand, and all the dry ingredients will be moistened by the butter. If you pinch some of the mixture between your fingers, it will stick together. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Method is important when using the Reverse Creaming Method. With the mixer on low speed SLOWLY add approximately 1/2 of the egg mixture increasing the speed to medium and mixing for 1 1/2 minutes - the batter will be thick and fluffy. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, scraping the bowl and beating for 20 seconds after each addition .
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans 10 minutes then turn out.
- Makes 7 cups cake batter
*We love this recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting. If you are a fan of peppermint, add a little extract (start with 1 tsp. and adjust to your liking from there) for peppermint cream cheese frosting! It’s a great combination.
As we mentioned above, this Red Velvet Cake recipe calls for the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing which creates a slightly denser, velvety texture.
If you prefer the more traditional Conventional Method of Mixing, which yields cakes and cupcakes with a fluffier texture, hop over to our Red Velvet Cupcake (and cake) Recipe linked here!: Red Velvet Cupcakes!
Finally, we have even more Red Velvet Cake deliciousness to share with you if you are looking for a great doctored cake mix recipe!
Hop on over to check it out!: Red Velvet Cake (Doctored Cake Mix Recipe)
Thank you for your quick response.
I would love to try this cake recipe out soon. Please help,I would like to make this cake in 2-9″ pans 2 inches high. Will I be successful in making 1-1\2 batches to fill the 9″ cake pans. Also how far in advance can I make this cake, I was thinking of baking and freezing on a Sunday, and torte and ice the following Thursday. Will this time frame decrease the flavor profile of my cake? Will nestle coco works, if i cant find the ghirardelli brand coco. I have made other cakes from your site using the reverse creaming method, i just can’t get it quite right. I too own a 5 quart mixer (kitchen-Aid) when you say medium, medium is the number 4? 5? 6?, If it’s not thick can you beat it longer? Sorry for sooo! many questions. Have made several cakes and no other recipes out there can be the taste of your cakes. It’s ME! not getting the reverse creaming method down not your recipe!!!
Thank You Soo!! Much
One more thing that i might be doing wrong, does the milk, eggs, butter and sour cream all need to be at room temperature.
Thanks
Hi Carol, I often forget to take the eggs out early, so I put them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes to warm them. The milk and sour cream are out for a short while but are not at room temperature. I take the butter out last and cut the sticks of butter into 1/2 inch slice so it will soften only slightly ( it is still holding its shape and very cool). The butter softens quickly that is why I don’t do this until I am ready to begin. With the mixer on low speed, I add the slices of butter a few at time and keep mixing on low speed until the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl look like coarse sand. Stop the mixer a couple of times to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, making sure there are no larger pieces of butter that have not mixed in.
I am not sure about making this recipe 1 1/2 times, I am not sure what some of the quantities would change to (eggs, baking powder ) It would be easier to double the recipe and make cupcakes or a smaller cake with the extra cake batter. You will be fine to make your cake on a Sunday and freeze. The flavor and texture will be fine, just make sure to wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap then aluminum foil to keep them airtight. You can freeze cake layers for two months if properly wrapped. It will be fine to use Nestle cocoa powder. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions.
Thanks, You are so helpful
Will this hold up for a 2 tiered cake covered in fondant?
Hi Marizza, yes this recipe is safe to use with fondant and works well (assuming you are using supports) for tiered cakes.
Yes!!!! This article is too simple that everybody can learn and make cake after reading this article. Thanks!!!
Can I add mini chocolate chips to the recipe?
Help!! Each time i make this (followed instructions) it always sinks in the middle. The sides are perfect but the middle just sinks even though it is thoroughly cooked.
Other than that the recipe is the easiest I’ve found and delicious. Doesn’t last a day in my house.