Red Velvet Cake
This is a cake about texture as much as color. It balances the bitterness of cocoa with the brightness of acidity, resulting in a crumb that is soft enough to yield to a fork but structured enough to stack.
Commit to the crumb
Ensure your buttermilk and eggs are at room temperature to create a proper emulsion. If the butter is cold, the batter will split and the cake will come out dense.
- two 9-inch round cake pans
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- fine-mesh sieve
What goes in.
- 2 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cupsgranulated sugar
- 1 tspbaking soda
- 1 tspsalt
- 2 tbspunsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 cupbuttermilk, room temperature
- 2large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cupsneutral vegetable oil
- 1 tbspwhite vinegar
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 1 ozred food coloring
- 16 ozcream cheese, softened
- 1 cupunsalted butter, softened
- 3 cupspowdered sugar
Activating the Cocoa
Sifting the cocoa powder directly into the dry ingredients prevents clumps. Whisking the vinegar in at the final stage of mixing creates a chemical lift that gives the cake its signature light, open crumb.
The method.
Prep the pans
Grease your pans thoroughly and line the bottoms with parchment paper; dust the sides with flour, tapping out the excess.
Combine dry
Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa into a large bowl. Whisk until uniform.
Mix wet
In a separate bowl, blend buttermilk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and red food coloring. Pour this into the dry mix and stir until smooth.
Add the vinegar
Fold in the white vinegar last. The batter will bubble slightly; pour it into your pans immediately.
Bake
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30–35 minutes. Test by pressing the center lightly—it should spring back.
Frost
Beat softened cream cheese and butter until fluffy, then gradually add powdered sugar. Frost only after the layers are completely cold.
Other turns to take.
Classic Beet Infusion
Replace the food coloring with 1/2 cup of finely pureed, roasted beets for a deeper, earthier profile.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Do not use Dutch-processed cocoa; it is neutralized and will not react with the buttermilk to produce the correct color or texture.
If your frosting is too soft, refrigerate it for 20 minutes before applying it to the cake.
Level the cakes with a serrated knife before frosting for perfectly straight layers.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why does my cake turn brown instead of red?
This happens if you use too little coloring or if the cocoa powder is too dark. Stick to natural, non-alkalized cocoa.
Can I use low-fat buttermilk?
Stick to full-fat buttermilk; the fat content is necessary for a tender, moist cake.