The Real Red Velvet Cake

  3.1 – 11 reviews  • Red Velvet Cake Recipes

Fruit smoothie with blended fruit at the bottom, topped with additional fruit, oats, and honey!

Prep Time: 50 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Additional Time: 2 hrs 50 mins
Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 16
Yield: 1 (3-layer, 9-inch) cake

Ingredients

  1. cooking spray
  2. 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  3. 1 ½ cups cake flour
  4. ½ cup cocoa powder
  5. 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  6. ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  7. 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  8. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  9. 3 ¾ cups brown sugar
  10. 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
  11. 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  12. 1 cup white sugar
  13. 1 cup whole milk
  14. ½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  15. ½ teaspoon salt
  16. 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  17. 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Line the bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Grease the sides with cooking spray.
  2. Make cake: Sift together flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. Microwave buttermilk just until warm, about 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla. Set aside.
  4. Beat together brown sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Blend in flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions until fully combined. Let the mixer run on low speed for 5 minutes, then divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely, at least 30 minutes. Cover cakes with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator, 1 hour to overnight.
  6. Meanwhile, make frosting: Combine sugar, milk, flour, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to simmer, about 10 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl and chill in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly add chilled milk-flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in vanilla.
  8. Assemble cake: Level cake layers evenly using a serrated knife. Spread about 2/3 cup frosting onto a cake layer; repeat with second and third cake layers, stacking layers as you frost. Cover the outside of cake with a thin coat of frosting to catch any crumbs, then place in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes.
  9. Spread remaining frosting over cake. Cut and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 639 kcal
Carbohydrate 80 g
Cholesterol 121 mg
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Protein 6 g
Saturated Fat 20 g
Sodium 304 mg
Sugars 56 g
Fat 34 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Kevin Hoffman
I made it and it came out perfect. It looks like the original picture. And yes it is not red! Taste great! You must follow the recipe to the tea. I am not a baker and I am surprised by all the bad comments. This is a timely cake so make sure you don’t have anything planned. Love ❤️ it!
Robert French
So~it’s definitely not RED velvet cake because it’s BROWN. It’s so dense you can’t swallow it without a drink. I’m sorry but who told you this was a good recipe? Or did you make the recipe up? I’ve made hundreds of cakes in my 60+ years of cooking and red velvet was always a favourite. This looked different, but I thought don’t knock it til you try it. This is like a big, dense brownie rather than a cake tbh. It didn’t taste bad~it was good, but when you expect a certain flavour and texture it’s really disappointing for it to be nothing like what you thought it would be. Especially w/out the colour!
Alice Adams
I recommend converting everything to grams for the most accurate measurements. When you measure the brown sugar, DO NOT pack it. I would also recommend using at least half white sugar and half brown sugar (if not more white sugar) or else you’ll end up with with a super dense cake. This recipe should also technically include white vinegar; I think I’ll add 1-2 tbsp next time I make it. I also was not a huge fan of the ermine frosting because it was SO rich. Next time I’ll stick with cream cheese frosting. The final product was delicious, I just wish it weren’t so dense.
Jennifer Fields
I followed this recipe to the T. I’m a great cook and a competent baker. This ruined my very long day. You need to reexamine this recipe.
Elizabeth Stevenson
This is the worst cake I have ever baked. It’s not red, because no coloring is added, and the cake sank into a thin, chewy mess. Find another option because I had to start from scratch.
Kathryn Miller
It was a plain dense chocolate cake.
Austin Lopez
I wasted my time making this cake. Awful recipe but if you still decide to make it atleast double up on the frosting recipe.
Veronica Bishop
I am going to make this recipe…I am curious about the frosting. It sounds delicious. I usually use a cream cheese based frosting. Also, to the person upset about the brown sugar–the recipe calls for white sugar.
Corey Adams
It was delicious, and everyone said it tasted amazing, and very dense. But, it didn’t turn out red. Still loved the flavor nevertheless.
Elizabeth Miranda
I had to start again with a different recipe. The brown sugar completely ruined the texture and made it as dense as a brick. I whipped the brown sugar and butter until it was as light as possible but the use of only brown sugar is definitely to blame. The basic ermine frosting recipe is fine though, classic ratios!
Nathan Miller
My mom used to make this cake every year from my birthday as a child, it is still my favorite. NO ONE makes it like she does!

 

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