Today I’m sharing a flavorful, moist Red Velvet Cake recipe from scratch that is truly the BEST!
I remember being fascinated by Red Velvet Cakes as a child. My grandmother often had one sitting under a cake dome on her kitchen counter, and those red velvet cake layers slathered in cream cheese frosting just called to me!
I loved the moist and chocolatey, cream cheese-filled layers, but I think that it was the dramatic RED that I loved the most. There’s nothing boring or ordinary about a slice of red velvet cake!
Red Velvet Cakes have long been the dessert of choice for Christmas and Valentine’s Day celebrations, and have been especially popular in the south, but in recent years Red Velvet Cakes have experienced an explosion in popularity!
Everywhere I turn, I see red velvet cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cookies, brownies, pancakes, and more! I’ve even set up a Pinterest Board for Red Velvet Desserts because I just cannot help myself. I can scroll for hours just looking at cakes, but that’s another story.
We were determined to find the BEST red velvet cake recipe from scratch and I’m happy to say that after lots of experimenting and taste tests (I love a good taste test), we have found THE ONE!
This Red Velvet Cake recipe will give you a luscious cake that 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.
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting- The Perfect Combination!
Just as with Carrot Cake, Hummingbird Cake, Italian cream cake, Red Velvet Cake is one of those good old fashioned southern cake recipes that pairs amazingly well with cream cheese frosting.
I wouldn’t use anything else! Unless of course, you aren’t a fan of cream cheese (gasp!)….but for me, only 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 apply a delicious coat of 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!
How to Make the Pretty Chocolate Trees on Top…
I love the these sweet chocolate cake decorations, and they are so simple to make with simple melted candy coating!
I love this decoration for winter cakes (whether Red Velvet or not)–Find our exactly how to make them in our quick step by step cake 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!
The Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing..
**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!
Looking for a Doctored Cake Mix version of Red Velvet Cake?
*If you are looking for a fantastic doctored cake mix Red Velvet cake, we have you covered! This moist and flavorful (and easy!) doctored Red Velvet Cake Mix is a great option as well. Doctored Red Velvet Cake Recipe
*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.
Red Velvet Cake Recipe- Traditional Method of Mixing Option (Great for Cupcakes!)
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!
Other Classic Cake Recipes to Try
We love go-to classic cake recipes. In addition to Red Velvet Cake, here are a few other classic cake recipes that belong on your “must-bake” list!
Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
We love this moist and delicious classic red velvet cake recipe! We love to pair it with cream cheese frosting!
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 (54g) vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup (73 g) milk
- 2 1/2 cups (285g) 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
Instructions
- {*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
If you love all things red velvet, you’ll LOVE our Red Velvet Marble Pound Cake! This is an easy-to-make, ultra moist pound cake recipe that is sure to bring rave reviews! The slices are so beautiful with their swirls of red, and around the holidays, we love to add a simple peppermint glaze. This one’s a keeper!
Thanks so much for stopping by! Don’t forget to check out our full collection of favorite cake recipes, free cake tutorials, and more! Or, if you are interested in joining My Cake School for even more tutorials, check out our Joining Information!
Hi. A friend wants a red velvet cake without cocoa. Does anything else need to change (ie replace with same amount of flour, add more vanilla, etc)?
Hi Sam, I am sorry but I am not sure of the outcome without trying it. I think you will need to try another recipe that does not contain cocoa.
Can anyone help me out? I’m making this recipe for a client, and misread the instructions. I added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, combined, and then added my butter.
I don’t want to over mix my bowl. Is there anything I can do to get the butter to easily blend with the mix??
Oh Lorina, I am so sorry. If you have already added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, I do not know how you can save the recipe adding the butter last.