Best Red Velvet Cake

slice of homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting on white plate

This Best Red Velvet Cake is perfectly moist and delicious, bright red and chocolatey, and topped with fluffy sweet cream cheese frosting!

Course Baking, Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert, North American, Valentine's Day

Keyword Easy One Bowl Red Velvet Cake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings slices

Calories 540kcal

Author Chrissie

Equipment

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
3 teaspoons red food colouring paste
3/4 cup boiling water

For the frosting:

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
6 ounces full fat cream cheese at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar sifted to remove lumps
a few drops of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or half and half

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan with butter, lining the bottom with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk.
Measure the buttermilk and vegetable oil into a large liquid measuring cup.
Add the eggs, vanilla and vinegar to the milk mixture, along with the red food colouring, and whisk all the wet ingredients together with a fork.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together just to combine (until no streaks of flour remain and the batter is a smooth, even red colour).
Slowly add the boiling water, whisking constantly until the batter is smooth and everything is combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack in the pan until cooled completely to room temperature.

For the frosting:

Wash the large bowl and to it add the butter and cream cheese, mixing on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until a frosting forms.
Add the vanilla and one tablespoon of the heavy cream.
Whip on high speed until the frosting is pale in colour (almost white) and is nice and fluffy. Add the other tablespoon of heavy cream if needed to achieve a fluffy texture.

Assembly:

Once the cake has cooled, trim off any high points on the top of the cake to level it slightly. Reserve these scraps for topping the cake.
Smooth the frosting over the top of the cake with a rubber spatula or an offset spatula until evenly distributed, creating a smooth top.
Crumble the cake scraps leftover from levelling the top of the cake on top of the frosting, and serve.

Video

Notes

Storage Instructions

Store this cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days before serving. Although not totally necessary, it's a good idea to refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before you serve it. This will make it much easier to cut evenly and it will help the frosting to set.

Freezer Instructions

Freeze the cake wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Freeze the frosted cake whole, or in slices, in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Be sure to defrost to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition