Red Velvet Cake Recipe (VIDEO)
This homemade Red Velvet Cake is soft and moist with an irresistible Cream Cheese Frosting. This is the most requested cake recipe on our site.
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We love making cakes for special occasions and Red Velvet is a classic choice for Valentine’s Day, Birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make this bakery-quality Red Velvet Cake recipe.
Red Velvet Cake Video
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What is Red Velvet Cake?
Red Velvet Cake is said to have originated during the Great Depression and is known for its soft, velvety crumb and its signature red or red-brown colored chocolate cake layers. Red velvet cakes have common ingredients like cocoa powder, buttermilk, vinegar, butter, flour, and red food coloring.
Ingredients
The color in this cake relies on the natural reaction of 3 key ingredients (vinegar, cocoa, buttermilk) so you don’t have to rely on a ton of food coloring. P.S. Get exact measurements and print the recipe below.
- Cocoa Powder (not dutch process) – naturally turns a dark red when it reacts with buttermilk and vinegar.
- Vinegar – activates baking soda and adds extra acid to help maintain the red color in baking.
- Buttermilk – adds moisture, flavor, and keeps the cake light and fluffy.
- Butter and Vegetable Oil – Add moisture to the cake to form a soft crumb.
- Red Gel Color – makes the cake a more vibrant and bright red.
- Flour, Eggs, Sugar, Salt – cake baking basics
The Best Food Coloring
We highly recommend using gel food coloring rather than a liquid one. We purchased the 12-color starter kit which is great for any baking project.
- Gel is more concentrated so you need less of it. This cake calls for just 1/2 teaspoon of super red #120 gel color and you could get away with using 1/4 tsp and still maintain a nice color.
- Gel is thicker which means it’s less likely to water down your batter or frosting.
Common Questions
The cocoa in red velvet cake makes it a chocolate cake, but there is only 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder so it isn’t as chocolatey as a classic Chocolate Cake.
We do not recommend Dutch Process cocoa because it is an alkalized cocoa powder and won’t react correctly with baking soda. Stick with a natural cocoa powder like Hershey’s (not Special Dark).
Natural cocoa turns a dark red when it reacts with buttermilk and vinegar. Adding a little red food coloring makes it a more vibrant red color.
It was originally served with ermine icing (a flour-based, depression-era, cooked frosting). In recent years, Cream Cheese Frosting has become the most popular frosting.
To Get Even Cake Layers: Use a kitchen scale when dividing the batter into prepared pans to ensure they are even. This will ensure even cake layers.
How to Decorate Red Velvet Cake
The signature red color of the cake layers is what makes Red Velvet Cake famous so we keep the cake decorations simple.
- Reserve some frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (Wilton 1M) and refrigerate for a few minutes for easier piping.
- Crumb Coat the Cake with frosting which glues down the crumbs and seals in the moisture of the cake. Apply extra frosting with an offset spatula to fully coat the top and sides if desired.
- Apple red sprinkles around the top and bottom 1 1/2″ borders of the cake.
- Add red icing sugar in the same pattern to fill in some of the spaces.
- Pipe frosting in puffs or rosettes around the top border of the cake.
Make-Ahead
- To Refrigerate: You can fully assemble and refrigerate the cake for 3-4 days.
- Freezing a Whole Cake: You can freeze a fully assembled cake in a cake box (cover box with foil to prevent freezer burn).
- Freezing Cake Layers: You can freeze the layers and freeze cream cheese frosting separately. Cool cake layers to room temperature then place plastic wrap between layers to prevent sticking. Wrap completely in plastic wrap and a sheet of foil.
- To Thaw: Thaw a fully assembled cake or cake layers, in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature for 2 hours before serving.
Storing Leftover Cake: To store leftover cake, place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the sliced part of the cake. This will ensure the layers do not dry out. Bring the cake to room temperature for 2 hours before serving.
Red Velvet Cake is a show-stopping cake and it’s surprisingly easy to master at home. Plus, you’ll want that Cream Cheese Frosting on all of your cakes and cupcakes!
More Cake Recipes
If you love this Red Velvet Cake, then you won’t want to miss these top-rated cake recipes.
- Tres Leches Cake – so moist and satisfying
- Almond Cake – naturally gluten free
- Vanilla Cake – a class birthday cake
- Blueberry Cake – loaded with blueberries
- Cheesecake – a classic, failproof recipe
- Easy Strawberry Cake – with fresh strawberry sauce
Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust the pans
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more to grease pans
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 3/4 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk, room temp
- 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
- 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F with racks in the center of the oven. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
- Stir then sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.
- In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar for a few minutes until sugar is moistened and the mixture looks powdery like snow.
- Mix in two eggs, adding them one a time, and beating well to incorporate between each addition. Beat in 2 tsp vanilla extract until blended.
- With the mixer on, gradually add 3/4 cup oil and mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
- Stir 1 tsp vinegar into your buttermilk then mix it into the batter on medium speed until incorporated.
- Add flour mixture all at once and mix on medium speed just until well blended and no streaks of flour remain, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add 1/2 tsp gel red food coloring or add it to reach desired color and mix just until blended, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Divide evenly between prepared pans and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes. Let rest in cake pans for 20 minutes then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely to room temp before assembling with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi. I love your recipes!
Can I bake this in 9×11 pan if so for how long? Needing smaller portions for a birthday party.
Thanks!
Hi Rachel! I haven’t tested different size pans to advise on how to adjust the quantity of the ingredients and bake time.
Hey Natasha!
Your red velvet cake is so delicious with your cream cheese frosting, in addition to your chocolate cake (with choco frosting). Now, I am wondering if it will taste good too if you will be using whipped cream frosting on it? Have you tried it before?
Hi Eman. Yes, whipped cream frosting is very versatile and goes great with pretty much any cake.
I just made this recipe as blue velvet cupcakes. 350 degrees for 16-18 min did the trick. My color looks more like ocean water than the bright blue. I used 1 tsp Wilton royal blue gel dye. Super moist and so flavorful, just not an appetizing color. Any advice for making it the bright blue color? Thank you for another delicious recipe!
That’s great, Ashley! Thank you for the feedback. I have not tested any other colors in this recipe. Not sure if it needed more food color or a different shade of blue to get the color you are looking for. I would do some research online to see if you can find some helpful information about dying cake batters.
Does this recipe work for cupcakes? Baking time? My grandkids love cupcakes!
Hi Lorraine! I have not made this recipe into cupcakes but several of my readers have. You’ll just need to watch them in the oven because they will get done faster.
This tasted so good! I love how it wasn’t hard to make, Love your recipes and videos.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Bella! Don’t you just love easy recipes?!
Can you use cake flour for this cake instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Janet! I have not tested it to advise.
I love this recipe. Can you make cupcakes with this recipe?
Glad you love this recipe. I have not made this recipe into cupcakes but several of my readers have. You’ll just need to watch them in the oven because they will get done faster.
Hi Natasha,
I love all of your recipes and can’t wait to try your red velvet. Instead of using a 9 in pan, am planning to use 3 6 in round pan. Is the cake sturdy enough to stack? Or is it too moist?
Hi Nanette! It’s a moist cake, but you can stack it. Be sure to let the cake layers fully cool and maybe even refrigerate them for a little bit if you are wanting a tall cake. That way they are easier to work with.
It came out perfect and delicious! I refrigerated the cakes overnight and frosted it the next morning. My children loved it.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Hi Nanette! So glad to hear this worked for you because I was just going through the comments wanting to do the same. Did you find the baking times were the same?
Hey Natasha! Is it possible to bake the batter in a cake loaf pan instead of a round pan? Would you know how long it should be baked? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Paola! Yes, that should be fine but I have not tested it to advise on the baking time.
Hi Natasha, Will this recipe work, for cupcakes? I’m just wondering, that’s all.
I have not made this recipe into cupcakes but several of my readers have. You’ll just need to watch them in the oven because they will get done faster.
No Problem! I told my friend about this cake, and we made it together. She REALLY, loved it.
Glad to hear that you both enjoyed it!
I made this cake, a few times, and it’s SO, good!
It’s one of my favorites.
I’m glad you love the recipe, Elisheva! Thank you or the review.
Hi Natasha, Can this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Just because I’m having a bake sale with my friend.
Hi Sham! I have not made this recipe into cupcakes but several of my readers have. You’ll just need to watch them in the oven because they will get done faster.
Aloha from Hawaii. Love the vids, I’m also looking for a Red Velvet that uses beets for the coloring/moistening/sweetening. My first RVC in 1972 at a wedding on a boat, I was told it was made with beets. Hoping to find such a recipe. Also love the carrot cake recipe
Hi David, I have not tried that version yet but thanks for the idea and suggestion! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try from us.
Thank you so much for sharing! I really love Red Velvet cake and tried making it this time. It tastes delicious!! All of your recipes are incredible!! Do you make them up all on your own?
Thank you for your compliment! Much of the recipes I share come from my Mom and Mother-in-law, family, friends, and experience in the kitchen. I hope you’ll love them.
This is so delicious! Love all your recipes. I’d love to a see Red Velvet pancakes recipe. I can’t find a good recipe. Do you have one?
Hi Janae! So glad you love the recipe. Thank you for the suggestion. I don’t have a recipe for that at the moment. 🙂
Hello I love your red velvet cake so much. I would like to make a green velvet cake from your recipe. Do you recommend?
Hi Munsanda! I’m glad you love the recipe. I’m sorry, I have not tested that so I am not sure what the outcome would be like if you used green food color. Please let us know if you experiment.
Hi Natasha! Been following all your recipe and it’s been a hit. However for this cake can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? If yes how can a substitute the measurement?
Thank you.
Best regards!!
Hi Ann! So glad you’re loving my recipes. I have not tested cake flour to advise. Please let us know if you experiment with it.
Just soo good! I made cupcakes out of this, half the recipe made 12 cupcakes. 350 F for 18 minutes. Also i didnt use food coloring at all.
Thanks for great recipes always!
That’s wonderful, Lama! Thank you for sharing that with us. 🙂
Hi Natasha, you have another cream cheese frosting recipe with cream and granulated sugar for the cupcakes, will it be better then the original cream cheese frosting? Wanting to add raspberries and not sure which one to use
Hi Nadia! Are you referring to the cupcake frosting that I use on the vanilla cupcakes? I don’t use granulated sugar in that one but you can still use whichever recipe you prefer. One uses heavy cream for “whipped” frosting and the other uses butter so it’s not quite as light and fluffy but more like buttercream frosting. I sure do love the way the butter frosting pairs with this red velvet cake. I hope that helps.
Can I use my stand mixer instead of the hand mixer? I notice that you use an electric mixer in many of the recipes.
Hi Connie, we used a hand mixer, but a stand mixer should work well. Just be sure not to overbeat it.
This recipe is amazing! It is so moist and not overly chocolatey. I’ve been obsessed with finding the best red velvet cake recipe and this one is at the top of the list.
Love it! I’m happy that you loved this recipe a lot, Marilyn. Thanks for this awesome review!
Hi Natasha. Can you tell me how to make buttermilk or can you just buy it in the store? I have obviously never used it. I am making this cake for my daughter’s 16th birthday…she LOVES red velvet cake.
Hi Nickie! You can make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup of whole milk to 1 Tbsp white vinegar. Combine and let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use. I hope your daughter loves this recipe and hope she has a wonderful birthday!
I bake at 7,000 feet msl. Do you have an altitude correction, please? The leavening mechanism in this cake is a bit unusual.
Hi Joseph! I don’t have experience with high-altitude baking. You may find this article HERE on high-altitude baking helpful.
Natasha, will the gel food coloring give a bitter aftertaste? Thanks!
Hi Beverly, we did not have an aftertaste with this food coloring.
Has anyone ever made this without using food dye? I’m trying to stay away from artificial food coloring.
Can this recipe be used to make cupcakes? A birthday request has been made for cupcakes rather than a cake. Thank you!
Hi Melissa! I have not tested it myself but several of my readers have reported using this recipe for cupcakes. You’ll have to watch them in the oven, they’ll bake faster than the cake.
Hello Natasha!
Can I use lorann red velvet emulsion instead of red gel coloring? Thank you
I honestly haven’t tested that to advise.
Hello Natasha!
Can I substitute the red gel coloring with lorann red velvet emulsion?? Thank you
Hi Fatima, I haven’t tested that to advise. We’d love to know how it goes if you try that!
Thanks for replying!
Yes I will give a try and will let you know! 😊
I always use the Red Velvet Emulsion and it works perfect! I like it better than the gel food coloring and it has a slight strawberry aroma to it.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Your red velvet cake recipe was wonderful but I found my cake to turn out a little dry what could I of done wrong? I make many of your recipes and am never disappointed. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Cathy! The most common reasons would be over baking or using too much flour. Be sure to measure your ingredients correctly.
Also, do you recommend soaking the layers in sugar syrup before putting cream cheese frosting?
Hi Amita! This cake is moist enough on its own so I don’t feel the need to do that. I also don’t know how well it would hold up if it is soaked since the batter is fragile. If you want a soaked cake, you may consider a sponge cake instead.
Hello Natasha, If I reduce the serving size to 6 people, do I still bake for the same time since it will be a smaller cake now? Please advise.
Hi Amita! It will most likely bake faster so you’ll need to watch it in the oven.
I made this for my dad’s B’day and it came out AMAZING as expected. If it helps anyone, i added a tablespoon of liquid red color to the buttermilk mixture instead of gel color. Also, I substitute vinegar with lime in all the cake recipes you use and it works perfect.
Thank you for sharing with us!
Hi Natasha I want to make this cake, can I use red food colouring. Instead of red gel food colouring ? Thanks Lynn
Hi Lynn, the gel food coloring works best since it adds less liquid to the recipe. If you use liquid food coloring, ensure it isn’t enough to change the batter.
Natasha, I made this cake exactly like the recipe instructed. The problem was the cake did not rise. So I made it again with self-rising flour. It still did not rise.
Hi Charlotte. That has never been my experience with this cake. I have not tested it with self-rising flour to advise. Did you use a different size pan? I also advise the use of an internal oven thermometer. Make sure your oven is fully preheated. You may find some helpful tips in this article HERE. I hope that helps.
Thanks for taking time to respond to me and everyone else Natasha.
Thanks for the amazing recipes.
I love what you do,from Nigeria 🇳🇬
💜💜💜
Hi Ini! You’re very welcome! Thank you for trying my recipes. 🙂
Merry Christmas Natasha, I’ve searched your site and can’t find a red velvet cupcake recipe, are you going to drop it someday?
Hi Ini, I haven’t tried that yet, but it’s on my recipe list! One of my readers shared this: “Made this into cupcakes. I got 24 of them and I used an ice cream scoop (baked at 155 fan forced for 19 mins).” I hope that helps.
I was so excited to make this cake for Christmas. I just made the cake and cooked longer than 30 min but middle was mushy while sides became hard. Also when I removed the cake from pan it became mushy in the middle and fell apart. Any idea what could have gone wrong?
Hi Jeney! It could be the type of pan used (metals conduct heat differently). It could also be that your oven runs hot or bakes unevenly. Often times when this happens it’s because the side bakes faster and the middle is still raw. A couple of things to help, be sure to measure your ingredients correctly and I highly recommend the use of an internal oven thermometer to see how your oven heats. I hope that helps.
prepping to make this one today. Would it be ok to use a buttermilk substitute instead since I don’t have buttermilk at hand?
I’m also afraid of messing up in te conversations that I need to make.
Wish you a lovely and Merry Christmas Natasha and everyone!
Hi, you can make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp white vinegar. Combine and let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use. I would still add the additional Tablespoon of vinegar for the right reaction to occur.
Can cake flour instead of all purpose flour use in this recipe?
If so, how much?
I have not tested this with cake flour to advise.
Made this 2 days back and everyone loved it. It was soo soft and tasted extremelyy amazing.. I have never been disappointed with your recipes so far.. Tried vanilla and chocolate cupcakes as well and all turned perfect.. Thanks aloot for the recipes!!
That makes me so happy! Thank you for sharing.
Made this and it was aweful!!
I can taste the vinegar in it. I followed the recipe to a tee. Not sure what happened. I have made several of your recipes and they are all wonderful . I love watching you and your husband. You both do a great job.
Hi Shannon! That is odd. I’ve never had this experience. It you use a different type of vinegar or make any other substitutions?
Hi my name is Deborah from Trinidad. Can I make 1 10″ cake with this recipe?
Hi Deborah, that may work in a 10″ pan, but it will be a thinner cake. You can adjust the recipe if need be, if you do, I’d love to know how you like that.
Hello Natasha .Love your recipes so much. Can you plz tell me if I want to make cupcakes is it the same recipe to follow for red velvet cake or anything to alter ?
Hi! I have not tested this recipe in cupcakes but it should work fine without any alterations to the recipe. You will need to bake them for less time than the cake since they will bake faster.
Hi Natasha,I’ve made many of your recipes and all were great.My questions is,I want to make there’s velvet cake,the day ahead of company.Should I keep it refrigerated until then.Also would it be best to refrigerate it after it is cut.What do you suggest?
Hello Bob, I have provided some “Make-Ahead” tips in the middle part of the recipe. I hope that helps!
Natasha,
Where did ya get those red dot decorations, I can’t seem to find em?
Hi Olga, I linked them in the recipe notes above. Here is the link.
Is there a way to make red velvet cake without the cocoa I’m illergic to chocolate because of my heart I can’t have caffeine or is the a caffeine free cocoa thanks lynn bibbee How’s your book coming?Can’t wait Lynnbbee@aol.comlynnbbee@aol.com
Hi Lynn, the cocoa is an important part of the recipe so I don’t really recommend omitting it as it might not work well. The cookbook is under progress and will be ready in October of next year.
Hi Natasha. I saw that you replied someone’s comment on buttermilk substitution using one tpsb vinegar for every cup of milk. But the recipe also calls for one tsp vinegar. Do I still add the teaspoon vinegar after making the buttermilk substitution?
Hi Edima, I would probably still add the vinegar to the recipe to get the right balance of acidity.
Hi Natasha, approx. how many cupcakes would I get from this recipe?
Hi Chantelle. I have not made this into cupcakes to advise how many it would yield but based on a google cake to cupcake conversion chart, most likely up to 24.
Hello Natasha, I don’t take too much sugar, can I half the quantity of sugar used? That’s 150g
Hi Ini, I don’t care for overly sweet cakes either and believe we found the perfect balance here. Substitutions & changes may hinder the recipe outcome. I always suggest making a recipe as written the first time around.
Hi Natasha, i do not have buttermilk. Can it be replace by fresh milk? Kindly advise.
Thanks.
Hi Anita, you can also make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
Your saving the day again Natasha <3 My daughter wanted to make a birthday cake for her little sister who is in Heaven now and our original plans for the cake fell through. When we looked at your recipe for our favorite, Red Velvet, we had everything on hand, pantry staples! Thank you so much.
You’re very welcome, Natalya. 🙂
Hi I was wondering how you get the perfect softness inside the cake. Should I bake it a little under 30 minutes or more than 30 minutes?
Hi Leanna, it really depends on your oven, but I do exactly 30 minutes. Just make sure your oven is fully preheated (mine takes 10 minutes longer to preheat than when it says its preheated and I only discovered this after getting an in-oven thermometer)
Hi I just finished baking two 8″ cakes but the layers are quite flat, it seems it didn’t rise much if at all. Where did I go wrong?
Hi Roma, did you make any substitutions or miss any ingredients/steps? I would look over the recipe again. Also, be sure to measure your ingredients correctly and preheat your oven before putting in the cake to bake. If the oven is not fully preheated or if you wait to long after the batter is made to put it in the oven, it can affect the rise. Here is an internal oven thermometer to help you check the accuracy of your oven’s temperature. I hope these tips help troubleshoot the issue.
Hi Natasha. I tried the red velvet cake and it turned out to be very soft and tasty. Love your recipes. Thank you for sharing ❤
I have just one small question though. Is it necessary to prepare the pan with butter and flour? Could i use butter and baking paper instead?
Hi Ayesha, we found that yields the best results.
Hi Natasha. Thank you. If i want to make red velvet cupcakes, can i use the same measurement and method?
Hi Ayesha, I haven’t tried that yet but someone else shared this. “Made this into cupcakes. I got 24 of them and I used an ice cream scoop (baked at 155 fan forced for 19 mins).” I hope that helps.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha, love your recipes and videos! Do I have to adjust this recipe for high altitude? I live near Denver, CO so am about 5280 feet high. If I do, what adjustments would you suggest?
Hi Sue, I don’t have much experience with baking at high altitudes, I use this Altitude baking guide HERE if needed. I hope this helps!
Hi Natasha! So I dont have buttermilk and is planning to make one by combining 1 cup of milk and 1 tbsp vinegar. Do i still need to add another tbsp of vinegar based on your recipe?
Hi! I would probably still add the vinegar to the recipe to get the right balance of acidity.
SOOOOOO GOODDDD!! I make a quarter of the recipe as a test cake for my birthday, and OMG, it’s AMAZING!!!! I ordered some stainless steel pans to make the full recipe with, but they are like 91/2 inches (maybe a bit closer to 9 3/4). Will the recipe still make enough to fill the cake pans? Thank you sooo soooo much!!!
Hi Oona, that should work, although the cake may be a bit thinner in a larger pan.
Hi Natasha, if I were to use liquid food coloring how much would I use?
I haven’t tried using liquid food coloring but I saw someone else shared this ” tried an experiment with liquid food colouring and it worked. I divided the buttermilk by half and add 2 tsps of liquid colouring until the buttermilk turned a blood red. I first add half after the oil and the other half alternating with the flour mixture and after it was baked it was a brilliant red.” I hope that helps.
This was a life saver. It worked like a charm! Thank you, thank you Natasha and this cake recipe is splendid and yummy!☺️
You’re welcome!
Hi Natasha love love your videos and recipes as always but if I were to use normal red food coloring instead of the gel, how much drops would you advise me to use to get that great red color?
Hi there, I honestly have not tried liquid coloring to advise.
Hi Natasha, if I were to use normal red food coloring instead of the gel, how much drops would you advise me to use to get that great red color?
Hi Laucehele, I haven’t tried using liquid food coloring but I saw someone else shared this ” tried an experiment with liquid food colouring and it worked. I divided the buttermilk by half and add 2 tsps of liquid colouring until the buttermilk turned a blood red. I first add half after the oil and the other half alternating with the flour mixture and after it was baked it was a brilliant red.” I hope that helps.
Hi… Do you think i can use one pan and then cut in half the cake?
Hi Mary, I have not tested that to advise. You would most likely have to adjust the baking time depending on how deep the cake pan is. You could look up a cake pan conversion chart for advice, to see if there is an alternative size recommended in place of the two 9” pans we use in this recipe. You wouldn’t want to bake this in a pan that is too small or you will be dealing with other issues such as burning at the top or overflowing out of the pan, while still being a raw mess in the middle.
Perfectly awesome cake! Thank you for sharing this great recipe. God bless…
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sammy!
Hey natasha i was wondering
Why do you add the oil after the eggs instead of mixing it in with the butter
Hi Tiffany, It keeps the consistency smoother. It’s important to add ingredients in the order they are listed and as directed. I’ve messed up cakes before by not doing that and even though all of the same ingredients went into the cake, the batter was ruined.
Hi Natasha! Thank you for this awesome recipe.. am a very passionate and a regular baker…I love love the red velvet cake I have made it so MAny times so far..I just love it’s texture Soo moist it’s literally melts in your mouth..I would love to try it as a chocolate cake please can you advise how many tablespoons of cocoa should I add?I would omit the red color.
Hi Ramla, if you would like to make a chocolate cake I recommend one of these cakes HERE.
Hi Natasha,
If I use my kitchenaid stand mixer, which extension/ wand shall I use to mix this cake batter?
Thanks
You could still use the whisk attachment, just be careful to not overmix the batter.
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for the recipe and tutorial!!! You are great at explaining with detail!!
I would like to know if you would recommend to use fondant over cream cheese frosting.
Thank you very much!
Best,
Linda
You’re welcome, Linda. It is my pleasure to share these recipes with all of you who appreciate them. I haven’t tried using fondant as cream cheese is usually the frosting used for red velvet cakes.
I made the red velvet cake for my daughter’s 16th birthday and it was loved by many. Thank you Tanasha for such beautiful and delicious cake recipes! What I love about them most is how moist they turn out. I’ll be making your recipe for chocolate cake for Valentine’s Day. I love your fun personality too!
You are so welcome, Susana. Happy Birthday to your daughter and I’m happy that the cake was a huge hit!
Where are the “notes” you said you would link to on this recipe?
Hi Sheila, if you’re referring to the video notes, when you’re watching on Youtube, you can expand the notes section right under the video.
Hi Natasha
Love all your recipes
Can I use a bundt pan for this cake? How long to bake for?
Hi Rhonda, I haven’t tested this in a bundt pan to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Was wondering what would the time difference be to convert these to cupcakes??
Hi Michelle, I haven’t tried that yet but someone else shared this. “Made this into cupcakes. I got 24 of them and I used an ice cream scoop (baked at 155 fan forced for 19 mins).” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha,
Hope you’re doing good ♥️
Thank you for this amazing recipe. Have made this red velvet quite a many times and it never fails. This is the best red velvet recipe that I have come up so far.
Just wanted to understand, would the same recipe go for cupcakes?
And what would be the temperature settings then?
TIA💕
I’m so happy you love this recipe. I haven’t tried making cupcakes but someone else shared that they used this recipe for cupcakes and said they “got 24 of them using an ice cream scoop (baked at 155 fan forced for 19 mins).” I hope that helps.
Are you sure temperature is 155?
Assume it would be 350 for
19 minutes.
Hi, can you make a recipe for a real red velvet cake? This isn’t red velvet cake, it’s just chocolate cake with red food coloring. Not only because it’s not a real red velvet cake, but I just personally choose not to consume too much food coloring. I also don’t want to use beets or any other red fruit/vegetable because i’m afraid it won’t taste right. So I basically just want a real red velvet cake but still delicious lol. Thanks!
Valerie,
This is a real red velvet cake. That is exactly how you make one. All red velvet cakes use red food coloring and are cocoa powder based.
hi Natashia,
Im one of your millions followers and i love all the food and recipes your preparing, in fact i have tried most of them. im trying to make “RED VELVET CAKE”
I cant find any buttermilk here in my place, instead i will try a Buttermilk Substitute, combining 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon White Vinegar (or lemon juice).
in this case should i add more 1 tsp white distilled vinegar??
please do let me know.
thank you 🙂
Hi! I would probably still add the vinegar to the recipe to get the right balance of acidity.
My first time baking this cake! So moist and yummy!!
You make all your recipes seem so easy.
Great job, Diane! It’s great that you got it right on your first try. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Everyone liked the cake at the ofc. I added chopped pecans to the cream cheese, so yummy. I’m wondering if adding baking powder would have made it rise more?
Hi Elsie, the baking soda should make it rise nicely! I haven’t tried this with baking powder to advise.
so is it supposed to be baking powder? b/c the recipe says baking soda and my cakes did not rise at all, is there a typo?
Hi Olivia, we used 1 tsp baking soda as written on the printable recipe card. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha! Im so grateful to receive these awesome recipes of yours😍❤️ I have made some of them and always turned out well💕. My boys really loved them and Im going to try more, thanks for sharing! God bless you always and your family👨👩👦💖🌹🙏
You’re great and beautiful! 😘💓
Hello Nerissa, thank you for sharing that with us. I hope your family will love all the recipes that you will try for them.
Hello! Could I use another color? I was thinking pink. Would the cocoa powder mess with the color? Hope I’m making sense. Thank you!!
Hi Pam, it would be difficult to achieve a pink with the cocoa powder in the cake. You might have better success making the frosting pink rather than the cake.
Natasha’s can this recipe be double to make three layers
Red Velvet Cake.
Hi Debra, I haven’t tried doubling it to make a three-layer cake. You would have to modify the recipe. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes.
Hi Natasha. Can I substitute buttermilk with yogurt? This cake looks amazing. Definitely I’ll be making this soon.
Hi Riza, I haven’t tested that to advise on it wokring. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha, Can I use cake flour? If so would I not add the baking soda?
Hi Tara, I haven’t tested this with cake flour, so I can’t speak to that or if it would be too soft of a crumb. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes.
Hi Natasha, i made red velvet cup cakes using this recipe. The cup cakes were soft and moist and delicious. I had to use 2.5 tsp of red gel food colour to get that bright red. Will be using this recipe going forward.
Hello Roma, good to know that you loved making this into cupcakes! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha. I love red velvet cake and would like to try your recipe.
Will it be possible to have this recipe in grams instead of cups?
Thank you.
Hi Cathy, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Hi Natasha. I am Cathy from Malaysia. I love red velvet cake.
Will it be possible to have your recipe in grams instead of cups?
Thank you very much
Hi Cathy, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
hi Natasha I’ve been struggling to form the icing around the cake the way you do. mine seems to spread unevenly. any thing that I may be doing wrong. thanks
Hi Gerald! I recommend seeing the video for technique. But, I recommend an icing spatula. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha! Love your site and all your recipes! Do you know if I can make this using 8 inch round pans that are 3 inches deep? I have 3 of them and didn’t know if I should use all 3 or just 2 and how to adjust the cooking times. Thank you!
Hi Summar, I haven’t tested it that way so I’m not sure if that would be quite enough batter for 3 of them. I think 2 would be ok but you may need to bake longer. You will have to experiment.
When I was young we lived next to an old Italian lady who used to make red velvet cakes and she would invite me over for some… they were soooo good! I must try this recipe.
Please do and I hope it becomes your new favorite!
Can I use regular milk with vinegar to make buttermilk? If so, do I still need to add the additional vinegar?
Hi Stephanie, I would probably still add the vinegar to the recipe to get the right balance of acidity.
Hi Natasha, can I make a frosting that doesn’t have too much of a cream cheese taste to it ( not a super strong cream cheese taste)? Also, is there a way I can make a hardened chocolate coating around a whole cake? If so, can you tell me how? Thanks!
Hi Amirah, the frosting is balanced in flavor and we don’t feel it tastes too strongly of cream cheese. I haven’t tried doing a hardened chocolate coating, but we do have a great chocolate ganache that might work well here.
Hi Natasha, can this cake recipe be used for cupcakes? If yes, how would you alter the cooking time or anything else. thank you
Hi Elaine, I haven’t tried that yet but someone else shared this. “Made this into cupcakes. I got 24 of them and I used an ice cream scoop (baked at 155 fan forced for 19 mins).” I hope that helps.
This red velvet cake looks DEVINE! I cannot wait to make it. All I have is 10” pans, I see you used 9” pans. Would I have to modify the recipe for 10”? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, that may work in a 10″ pan, but it will be a thinner cake. You can adjust the recipe if need be, if you do, I’d love to know how you like that.
Natasha I tried an experiment with liquid food colouring and it worked. I divided the buttermilk by half and add 2 tsps of liquid colouring until the buttermilk turned a blood red. I first add half after the oil and the other half alternating with the flour mixture and after it was baked it was a brilliant red.
So wonderful to hear that it was a success! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Natasha can’t I use a liquid food coloring cause thats what I have
Hi Ranuth, I haven’t tested this with another alternative, and I recommend gel color, though, explained in the recipe. The liquid may still work, but you might need to use double or more to get the same color. Adding that much liquid may water down your batter or frosting.
thanks i will update how it goes
Hi Natasha,…I am from India..love ur recipes…..can I use Apple cider vinegar instead of distilled vinegar and curd instead of butter milk….what is the difference?
Hi Swapna, apple cider vinegar is usually a lower acidity than distilled vinegar. I’m not sure what you mean by curd. Without testing those substitutions, I’m not sure how it would affect the recipe.
Can this be made into a 9×13 cake?
Hi Bard, I haven’t tried doubling and baking in, say, a 13×9 for each layer. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes. I would probably try 1 1/2 times the recipe for a 13×9, though.
Hey Natasha!
Thanks a million for this recipe. It’s just perfect. So soft and moist that it actually doesn’t need any frosting to complement it.
I didn’t use olive oil as I find it leaves an after taste. I used sunflower oil instead.
I have loved every recipe of yours that I have tried so far. You just simplify everything to make one try it out at least.
Thank you once again.
Aww! Thank you for that lovely compliment, Asha! I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes!
I loved the recipe it was the perfect stable cake I needed to make my Deadpool unicorn cake it was nice and moist I just wouldn’t use olive oil cause it leaves that taste.
Wow! That sounds like an interesting cake! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
hi natasha! can i substitute the butter with neutral oil?
Hi Hillary, that may work too since it’s also okay to use vegetable oil. But I haven’t tested that substitute to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Will this work with regular food colouring instead of gel? How much would I add?
Hi Mona, I haven’t tested this with another alternative, but you might google that to see if there is something that would work that you can buy in Canada. I recommend gel color though and I explained that in the recipe. Liquid may still work, but you might need to use double or more to get the same color.
Thanks for the reply. My almost 8 yr old little baker made this recipe yesterday. Eyeballed it for the red food colouring. She used the batter to make 24 cupcakes. They turned out perfectly. So moist and velvety! Delicious!! We also made the cream cheese frosting. So good!! Thank you.
Aww, that’s the best and so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
Hi! I wanna make this but want to make it a red velvet CHEESECAKE. Could you tell me how to do that or make a recipe please? Thanks!
Hi Malinda, I don’t have a recipe for red velvet cheesecake yet but that’s a good idea and suggestion. Hopefully, I can try that soon.
Hi Natasha,
Could you please tell me how I could make this red velvet beauty for a celiac? And can I apply your reponse to what-ever cake recipe I use? Tried your cheesecake recipe last night, did everything to the letter but even after cooling for 70 minutes my cake was still oozing out. is that a sign that the cooking process wasnt long enough (also 70mins), I removed it at 70 because even though on such a low setting it was becoming golden brown over most of the cake, to be honest, baked cheesecakes are not my thing, too sweet for me, oh! thats right, I left half the sugar out! Anyway, was my sons birthday and he has a sweet tooth so reconsidered – was pretty nice today after actually refridgerating!
Thanks for any advice. Would like to bake red velvet for father-in-laws brthday, he is the celiac 🙁
June
Hi June, I haven’t tried this with gluten-free flour or a substitute to advise on the outcome. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how it goes.
Hi June, I haven’t tested this as a gluten-free cake so I can’t make that recommendation. I wish I could help with that more. Also when cooking cheesecake, make sure to refrigerate overnight. If you cut an unchilled cheesecake, it won’t hold together so that overnight refrigeration is critical.
HI Natasha!,
in the red velvet cake recipe, what happens when we add extra virgin olive oil in the cake batter
Hi Vishnu, I recommend making the recipe as written before testing with adjustments. Are you trying to accomplish a different outcome using more oil?
Hi! I was mixing in the wet ingredients but it came all liquid rather than smooth. I’m not sure what went wrong
Hi Angel, are you using gel food coloring? The gel is thicker, which means it’s less likely to water down your batter or frosting.
Hi Natasha, can i use one 9 inch pan and bake it twice as ,i only have one 9 inch pan 😉 ^_^.Thank youu 😉
Hi Shalini, I haven’t tested one pan at a time. I worry the batter will deflate of the one waiting. If you experiment, though, I would love to know how you like that.
alright thank you natasha,i will just stick to your recipe . ;)xD
Hi Natasha, I made your red velvet cake last week and it was delicious, Love watching your videos and looking forward to making your vanilla cake, thank you for such delicious recipes
Thank you for the compliment, Jean! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my videos!
can I bake it separately? bcs my oven can only fit one cake pan…
Hi Hillary, I haven’t tested one pan at a time. I worry the batter will deflate for the one waiting. If you experiment, though, I would love to know how you like that.
thanks in advance
Can I use regular buttermilk?
Hi Amy, yes, that will still work okay!
I am making a cupcake pull apart cake for my daughters bday and going to make the red velvet, vanilla and the easy chocolate cupcakes. I am debating which frosting to make? Cream cheese or buttercream?
Hi Kim, that sounds like a good plan. It really depends on your preference but I use cream cheese for red velvet and buttercream for the vanilla cake.
share recipie in grams
You may convert the ingredients to grams. If you are at the recipe, you may click on “Jump to recipe” and click “Metric” to see the ingredients converted to grams.
I have tried this cake before and oh soooooo good….but can any other kind of milk be used other than butter milk?
Hi Cyndy, buttermilk is important to create the reaction with baking soda and cocoa. You can also make your own buttermilk with milk and vinegar which should work.
Hi Natasha can this be used as cupcake recipe?
Hi Ais, I haven’t tried that yet but someone else shared this. “Made this into cupcakes. I got 24 of them and I used an ice cream scoop (baked at 155 fan forced for 19 mins).” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha,
Love all your recipes. I follow you on Facebook. I have a quick question about the red velvet cake. Can i use normal white vinegar instead of distilled vinegar? Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks,
Karshini
I love using distilled but I imagine the regular vinegar should work too. Please share with us how it goes if you give that a try.
Hi Natasha, made this over the weekend and my husband loved it very much he’s normally not a fan of red velvet cake…my bestir even said better than a cafe cake we used to go to…can’t wait to try other cakes. Thank you
That is awesome, so great to hear that he loved this cake. Thanks for sharing and I hope you and your family will love every recipe that you will try.
Made red velvet for the first time today but made it into cup cakes. What an easy and extremely soft moist cake. Topped with the cream cheese butter cream, will definitely be making this again. Thank you natasha. Xx
Isn’t it the best! I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Maria!
Did you use the same temp and time? Or less on both? I want to make cupcakes tomorrow too)
Hi Natasha
Will it change the moistness of the cake if I make it the night before and the cream cheese frosting the next day? As I will run out of time if I make both tomorrow… TIA
You’re welcome, Vicky! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
Made this cake yesterday for a friend’s birthday and it was a hit. I have also tried your chocolate cake & Brownie recipe and all have turned out to be divine. Not just cakes I have also used your Pizza recipe and the white sauce recipe has now become my regular white sauce for everything that calls for white sauce and have stopped buying the ready made ones from the store.
There isn’t one recipe that I can think of that has ever gone wrong for me. Thank you so much for your efforts and for sharing such wonderful recipes with us. May God bless you and your family in abundance always. Much love..
You’re so nice! I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment
Hello, there! Natasha, can I make my own buttermilk? And is it ok to use any kind of vinegar? Or can I substitute vinegar with lemon juice?
Hi Aasiyah, that will work with lemon! Several of our readers have made buttermilk with lemon juice.
I Always make my Buttermilk with Lemon Juice (as I’m allergic to vinegar)
In recipe it calls for Buttermilk PLUS 1 tsp. Distilled Vinegar.
Should I add another tsp. Of lemon juice to the Buttermilk. Or leave as is? Thanking you for ALL
U’R YUMMY RECIPES in advance!
Hi Blimey, yes, you would still need that since you’re using the lemon juice to make the actual buttermilk. The vinegar activates baking soda and adds extra acid to help maintain the red color in baking.
Hi nastasha i just have one question do i have to use food coloring ?
Hi, the cake will still work but will have a more brick red/brownish color.
i just wanted to say my aunt is a big fan
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hey Natasha! I wanted to try this recipe but I don’t have buttermilk with me, so if I made my own buttermilk, do I still add the additional distilled white vinegar?
Plain kefir will also work well instead of buttermilk. You can also make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use. I would probably still add the vinegar to the recipe to get the right balance of acidity.
Hi Natasha
Am Rashmi from India.
I made this cake today for my son’s tenth birthday.
It came out so well super moist and fluffy.
And tastes like heaven
I never ever had such a tasty homemade red velvet cake.
Your recipe is just out of the world
Thankyou Natasha
Keep posting
So wonderful to hear that, Rash. I’m happy that you and your family loved the cake!
I can hardly wait to try out your scrumptious-looking recipe! You were delightful to listen to and so full of energy! Thank you for very specific instructions! I love your tips!
Aww, you’re so nice! Thank you! I’m all smiles
Hi Natasha
I made this for my son’s 16th birthday, together with your cream cheese frosting. It was delicious. I’m in the UK but was able to get all the ingredients including red colour gel.
I’ve made quite a few of your savoury chicken and beef recipes too. All went down very well with my family but the favourite is your beef stroganoff.
Thank you.
Tracey xxx
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! Happy birthday to your son!
Hi Natasha
What will be substitute for vinegar.
Thankyou.
Hi Rashmi, I haven’t tried a substitution in this recipe. Vinegar – activates baking soda and adds extra acid to help maintain the red color in baking.
Hi Natasha, I used so much of your recipe, thank you for sharing.
I have a question, I live in Canada and I want to try your red velvet cake recipe but the gel coloring you used is not available in Canada, which other gel color would you recommend.
Hi Bebi, thank you for always trusting and using my recipes. I haven’t tested this with another alternative, but you might google that to see if there is something that would work that you can buy in Canada. I recommend gel color though and I explained that in the recipe. Liquid may still work, but you might need to use double or more to get the same color.
You can get the gel colouring at Bulk Barn.
Hi Natasha, I made this cake for my brother’s birthday and it was amazing! Everyone loved it! However, I do have a question, as I don’t like using artificial food coloring in my food, but I still want that nice vibrant red, so do you recommend any thing that would be natural and make my cake red (without changing the flavor or consistency)?
Hi, I haven’t tested this with a natural alternative, but you might google that to see if there is something that would work as well.
How much liquid food coloring would I need? I dont have gel and need to make this today. Thank you!!!!
Hi Summer, I can’t really recommend liquid for this recipe; please see my notes above for why I recommend using gel color. Liquid may still work, but you might need to use double or more to get the same color.