Red Velvet Cake
The most incredible Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is fluffy, soft, buttery and moist with a perfect, velvety texture! Super easy to make with a few tips and tricks for the best results! You will go crazy for a second slice!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1+1/2 cup caster sugar (or fine white granulated sugar)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (plus 1 tablespoon extra for dusting)
- 2+1/2 tbsp red food colouring (liquid, not gel)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2+1/2 cup plain cake flour (sifted, or all purpose/plain flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 14 oz cream cheese (not spreadable, at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 cup icing sugar (or confectioners)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional - adds subtle hint of lemon)
Instructions
- 1
Heat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Lightly grease two 8-inch cake pans with butter or nonstick oil spray and lightly dust with 1 tablespoon of the sifted cocoa powder.
- 2
Cream butter and sugar together until light in colour. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to combine well.
- 3
In a smaller bowl, mix together oil, remaining cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla until smooth. Stir colour mixture and vinegar through the creamed sugar mixture to combine.
- 4
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients; mix well. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk.
- 5
Divide batter among the 2 prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack completely.
- 6
Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth lighter in colour (about 3-4 minutes). Beat in icing sugar until frosting is light and fluffy (if frosting is too thin, add more icing sugar and beat again until reaching your desired consistency).Optional if using: mix in the lemon juice.
- 7
Transfer 1 cake onto a serving dish/plate, flat-side down. Trim the top dome off of the cake to create a flat bottom later. Scoop about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of frosting onto cake and spread evenly over the top.
- 8
Place second cake layer on top and use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake.
- 9
Crumble trimmed pieces of cake to decorate.Enjoy!