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Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe with Buttercream Icing
In recent decades, the name “red velvet cake” has been applied to almost any vaguely red cake. This is a true, classic Red Velvet cake recipe, the way restaurants in the South used to make it.
In recent decades, the name “red velvet cake” has been applied to almost any vaguely red cake. Many of these impostors taste nothing like the real thing.
Below is my favorite red velvet cake recipe, based on the most original old recipes I could find. A true, classic Red Velvet cake recipe, made the way restaurants in the south used to make it.
Why Buttercream Icing?
The first time I had Red Velvet cake was for my birthday at a very old-school southern restaurant. They made it with buttercream icing, not cream cheese, and it was the best thing I’d ever tasted.
I’ve never liked it as well with cream cheese icing, so this recipe include buttercream instead. If you’ve never tried it, it’s worth it! Cream cheese frosting takes over and dominates the cake’s flavor while buttercream complements it.
The Taste
Red Velvet cake should be lightly sweet with only a hint of chocolate (so light that it’s hard to identify the cocoa flavor) and very moist. The icing should also be lightly sweet, not coated with coconut shavings or powdered sugar, with either a buttercream icing – by far my preference – or a cream cheese frosting.
Be sure to check out our collection of easy cake recipes of all sorts, plus our easy dessert recipes. Oh, and we also have a list of awesome cupcake recipes, perfect for parties.
A Very Old Recipe
This cake recipe goes back many, many years. Its exact origins aren’t certain, but it’s almost certainly 100 years old.
You may be surprised that the recipe originally called for beet juice. The beet juice doesn’t add flavor to the cake – just sweetness and its classic red color. Much of your grocery store sugar is made from beets in the US.
Early 20th Century Origin: Red Velvet Cake is believed to have originated in the United States in the early 20th century, likely between the 1920s and 1930s.
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Claim: One popular legend says that the cake was invented at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Their recipe included the buttercream icing instead of the cream cheese.
Adams Extract’s Role: Another story claims it came from Adams Extract Company, a food coloring manufacturer. In the 1920s, Adams Extract began promoting the use of food coloring, including red food coloring, in cake recipes.
Beet Juice vs. Food Coloring: Some earlier versions of Red Velvet Cake were made using beet juice to give the cake its signature red hue. But then food coloring became more readily available, and it was easier to work with.
Symbolism and Namesake: The “velvet” in the name may refer to the cake’s soft and tender crumb, which comes from the use of buttermilk and baking soda.
Cultural Significance: Red Velvet Cake gained popularity in the United States, particularly in the south, and became a symbol of Southern cuisine and hospitality. It was often served on special occasions, such as weddings and holidays.
Modern Red Velvet Cake: Today, the modern Red Velvet Cake is typically made with red food coloring, cocoa powder, buttermilk, and a cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting has become the most popular topping for it.
Why not cream cheese frosting?
Red Velvet cake with cream cheese is a modern invention. Cream cheese frosting only became popular in the 1960s when it started to be available at grocery stores.
Red velvet recipes go back to at least the 1940s, and probably much earlier. At that time, buttercream would have been the likely choice for this classic cake.
How many layers?
My preference for a Red Velvet cake recipe is a single-layer sheet cake. In my opinion, it tastes better. Each cake layer needs icing, and even buttercream icing overwhelms the delicate cake flavors when you use that much.
Second, it’s easier. While most people think you need to be fancy and make a layer cake, classy old-school Southern restaurants know: a single layer red velvet cake is fabulous.
But you can make this recipe in layers if you want. Just repeat the steps for each layer.
Is red velvet cake a chocolate cake?
Red velvet cake is not really a chocolate cake, even though it contains cocoa powder and you can taste a hint of it. The reason it has cocoa is that cocoa started a chemical reaction that broke down the coarse flour that people used for cakes a couple of centuries ago.
Flours today are much finer, but the cocoa is an important part of the flavor of the cake.
What Does Red Velvet Cake Taste Like?
The main flavor of red velvet cake is rich vanilla. But this is not your typical yellow cake in a bright red color. It’s moister and richer than any ordinary vanilla cake. Once you make this cake, you may decide never to go back to plain yellow.
Can You Make This Recipe As Cupcakes?
Absolutely. Instead of pouring the batter into a cake pan, you want to use a cupcake pan. Put cupcake liners into each compartment.
Fill them about two thirds of the way and bake them just how you would the cake. The best way to know they’re done is to insert a toothpick into one of them. If it comes out clean, they’re done.
Decorating tips
Traditionally, you don’t decorate the cake in any way. You just have this pretty white smooth cake, and if you serve it to someone else, the red interior is a complete, delicious surprise. That’s all the decoration it needs.
And because you don’t need to decorate it to make it gorgeous, the red velvet cake is as easy to make as any simple sheet cake.
If you really want to add a sprinkle of something to it, I suggest cocoa powder. I would not add any sweetness to it.
Some people add coconut shavings, but I think that clashes with the other flavors. Some people add nuts, and that works pretty well. But really, it’s best just as it is.
Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe
This classic, old-school recipe makes a perfect Red Velvet Cake with the best flavor. Part of the magic is the icing (see below) and part of it is the cake itself.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 cup (evaporated cane juice or plain white) sugar (use 1 1/2 cups if you're using food coloring instead of beet juice - see below)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened, unprocessed light cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Red liquid or gel food coloring (see Notes about beet juice)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature before you start.
- Grease one cake pan with butter.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl.
- Mix the food coloring and cocoa powder together in a smaller bowl until it forms a thin, smooth paste.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy.
- Beat an egg in next, and then the other egg.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and the cocoa paste.
- Add a third of your flour mix to this mixture and beat it well.
- Beat in half the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour mixture, and then the rest of the buttermilk.
- Finally, beat in the last third of the flour mixture.
- Mix vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl (it'll fizz, so don't use too small a bowl).
- Add this vinegar mix to your cake batter and stir well.
- Pour the mixture into a cake pan and bake the cake for about 20 minutes. Or pour it into a cupcake pan for delicious red velvet cupcakes.
- If you can pat the top and it springs back up, it's done.
- Let it cool before frosting.
Notes
As mentioned above, people used beet juice to color the cake before red food coloring was invented. It's extremely hard to find pure beet juice that hasn't been blended with fruit juices to make a drink product, so feel free to use the food coloring.
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Buttercream Icing
This buttercream icing is sweet and rich and perfect for red velvet cake. It also works with lots of other types of cake, too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
- 1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt (optional)
Instructions
- Cream the Butter:
Start by ensuring that the butter is softened but not melted. Beat the softened butter in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer or stand mixer. Beat it on medium speed until it becomes creamy and smooth, which should take about 2-3 minutes. - Sift the Powdered Sugar:
Sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. This helps ensure a smooth, lump-free buttercream. - Gradually Add the Sugar:
With the mixer on low speed, begin adding the sifted powdered sugar to the creamed butter. Add it about one cup at a time. Mix until well incorporated before adding more sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing. - Add Vanilla Extract and Salt:
Once all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is starting to come together, add the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt (if desired for flavor balance). Mix until everything is combined. - Add Milk or Cream:
With the mixer running on low, gradually add the milk or heavy cream. This helps achieve the desired consistency. Start with a couple of tablespoons and add more if needed to reach your desired thickness. - Beat Until Light and Fluffy:
Once all the ingredients are added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat the buttercream for about 3-5 minutes. This extra beating time will make the frosting light, fluffy, and creamy. - Adjust Consistency:
If the buttercream is too thick, you can add a little more milk or cream. If it's too thin, you can add a bit more powdered sugar. Continue to mix until the desired consistency is reached.
Notes
That gives you a light, buttery icing instead of the usual cream cheese.
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