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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing is a two-layer, soft and fluffy red velvet cake with the perfect cream cheese icing to compliment the unique flavour of the cake.
I figured 2021 was finally the right time to release a recipe for the BEST (yes, really) red velvet cake recipe!
So far on my blog I have red velvet brownies, red velvet cookie bars, red velvet lava cakes and - my personal favourite - red velvet cookie pie.
All that red velvet inspired recipes and no actual red velvet cake... Until now!
What is Red Velvet Cake?
Red velvet cake is a unique cake that has a flavour that is difficult to discern.
The cake is both chocolate and vanilla. We use both cocoa powder and vanilla extract to create the flavour of the red velvet cake.
The result is unique and subtle. Not strong or overpowered by either flavour.
The cake is then paired with a cream cheese icing. The balance of the chocolate/vanilla cake, paired with the slightly tangy and sweet frosting really makes this cake special.
Lets talk about red food colouring
In this cake, I like to use a good quality liquid red food colouring. I haven't made the cake with a gel food colouring but if you prefer to use red gel, you won't need nearly as much as liquid colouring.
You can opt to not use red food colouring however, the cake will be bit of an ugly light brown and really the point of a red velvet cake is the fact that it is RED.
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Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake;
- ½ Cup Butter, Softened (110g)
- 1 Cup Sugar (200g)
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar (100g)
- 3 Large Eggs
- ½ Cup Oil (125ml)
- 1 Tbsp. Liquid Red Food Colouring
- 1 Tbsp. White Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder (12g)
- 3 Cups All Purpose Flour (375g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Cup Buttermilk (250ml)
Cream Cheese Icing;
- 1 Cup Cream Cheese, Room Temperature (250g)
- ½ Cup Butter, Softened (110g)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 and ½-3 Cups Icing Sugar (320/380g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line a 24cm or 9" round spring form cake pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl and with a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar together until creamy.
- Add in the oil, eggs, vanilla extract and red food colouring and beat together.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until all combined.
- Finally add in the buttermilk and vinegar and stir until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out with a couple of moist crumbs attached.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the cake pan before removing from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool completely while you make the cream cheese icing.
Cream Cheese Icing;
- Beat the butter until smooth.
- Add in the cream cheese and beat together until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract and slowly add the icing sugar until all combined.
- If your cake has domed take a sharp, serrated knife and level the cake. Then using the serrated knife, cut the cake in half.
- Using ⅓-1/2 of the icing, fill the cake, you can pipe this or spread this. Then top the cake with the remaining icing. You can cover the sides, pipe like I have or however you like.
Notes
- You can bake this cake in two 8" cake pans. Reduce the baking time to 30-40 minutes if you do so.
- You can bake the cake one day and ice the next. Plastic wrap the cake and place in the fridge until you are ready to ice the cake if you do this.
- The cake can be frozen for 2-3 months.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. Beware the fridge can dry out the cake.
Nutrition
Tawnya
How much Food Red Colouring do you use? I didn't see it in the ingredients list. Thanks
Emma Burton
Thank you for pointing that out. I have fixed the recipe to include the red food colouring. It requires 1 tablespoon