Fabulous Red Velvet Cake Recipes

THE BEST RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds and lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla in a second medium bowl.
• Beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer) on medium-high speed until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer still running, slowly add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Reduce the speed to low. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake until the cakes are slightly puffed, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the centers, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto the rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on high speed (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake, domed-side down, on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake, domed-side up, on top. Spread the top with 1 1/2 cups of the frosting. Frost the sides of the cake with another 1 1/2 cups frosting and smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's ok if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, swirling decoratively. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

THE REAL RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Line the bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the sides with cooking spray.
• Sift all-purpose flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Microwave buttermilk just until warm, about 30 seconds. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Beat brown sugar and butter together in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before each addition. Blend in the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions until fully combined. Let mixer run on low for 5 minutes. Distribute the cake batter between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center the cakes comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Let cool for 15 minutes in the pans. Turn cakes out and let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, whisk sugar, milk, flour, and salt together in a medium saucepan for the frosting. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to simmer, about 10 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl and chill for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Beat butter until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk and flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, beating in between each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Mix in the vanilla extract.
• Level the cake layers before assembling the cake. Scoop about 2/3 cup of frosting onto the first layer and spread into an even layer. Repeat with the second and third cake layers. Frost the outsides of the cake with thin layer of frosting to catch any crumbs and chill for 20 minutes.
• Finish frosting the cake with remaining frosting. Cut and serve.

RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of two 20cm cake tins with baking parchment - if your cake tins are quite shallow, line the sides to a depth of at least 5cm.
• Put half each of the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well. If there are any lumps in the sugar, squeeze these through your fingers to break them up.
• Mix half each of the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, food colouring and 100ml water in a jug. Add 2 eggs and whisk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until well combined. The cake mixture should be bright red, it will get a little darker as it cooks. If it's not as vivid as you'd like, add a touch more colouring. Pour the cake mixture evenly into the two tins, and bake for 25-30 mins, or until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the baking parchment and leave to cool.
• Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the remaining ingredients, so you have four sponge cakes in total. Can be made up to three days ahead and will stay moist if wrapped in cling film, or you can wrap well and freeze for up to two months.
• To make the icing, put the butter in a large bowl and sieve in half the icing sugar. Roughly mash together with a spatula, then whizz with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the soft cheese and vanilla, sieve in the remaining icing sugar, mash together again, then blend once more with the hand mixer.
• To assemble the cake, stick one of the sponges to a cake stand or board with a little of the soft cheese icing. Use roughly half the icing to stack the remaining cakes on top, spreading a generous amount between each layer. Pile the remaining icing on top of the assembled cake, and use a palette knife to ease it over the edges, covering the entire surface of the cake. Tidy the plate with a piece of kitchen paper. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days, but bring back to room temperature for an hour or so before eating.This recipe was refreshed in July 2018 based on user feedback. For the original recipe, see our beetroot cake.

CLASSIC RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms and sides of 3 (8- or 9-inch) round pans with shortening; lightly flour.
• In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pans.
• Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In medium saucepan, mix 1/2 cup flour and 1 1/2 cups milk with whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat until mixture is very thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. In large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and the butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture by tablespoonfuls; beat on high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Fill and frost cake, using 1 cup frosting between layers. Store covered in refrigerator.

RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, place the cocoa powder and food coloring. Stir to combine and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.
• In a small cup, place the baking soda and vinegar. Stir to combine and set aside.
• In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, place the shortening, sugar, and eggs. Beat on medium-high speed until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the cocoa mixture and beat on medium just until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts alternately with the buttermilk in 2 parts, starting and ending with the flour. Add the vanilla and beat on medium speed just until combined. Add the baking soda and vinegar mixture to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to fold it into the batter, gently scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure the batter is blended.
• Pour the batter into the pans. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and springs back when lightly pressed in the middle, about 30 minutes.
• Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the outside and turn out onto racks. Peel off the paper. Flip them over to completely cool right-side up on the racks. If not assembling right away, cover the layers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 1 day.
• When ready to fill and frost the cake, hold a serrated knife horizontally and use a gentle sawing motion to shave the domed top off each layer. Fill and frost the cake with cream cheese frosting, using a crumb coat (see box) if you have time.
• Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar 1 cup at a time, blending between each addition. Mix in the vanilla, if using, and beat until very smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Use at once or store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up 3 days. Let stand at room temperature until soft and spreadable before using.
• From Aunt Elsa's Kitchen
• If you have time after all the layers are filled, applying a "crumb coat" to the sides and top of a cake ensures that no crumbs get mixed into the frosting and mar the cake's appearance. To apply a crumb coat, place a small amount of the frosting in a dish and use an offset spatula to spread a thin coat all over the sides and top of the cake. Place in the refrigerator until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and frost the sides and top.

RED VELVET CAKE FROM THE BUBBLE ROOM

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together all dry ingredients.
• Mix together all wet ingredients.
• While beating with an electric mixer, slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture. Beat for 5 minutes.
• Spray three 9"" cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.
• Pour equal amounts of batter into each of the three pans.
• Bake 20 to 30 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.
• Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove layers from pans. Place layers on wire racks to cool completely.
• Make fosting by combining butter, cream cheese and confectioner's sugar. Beat until fluffy. If desired, add 1 1/2 cups pecans.
• Frost cake and decorate top with remaining 1/2 cup pecans if desired.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving but it is best if made the day before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

EASY FABULOUS RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pans or two 8x8x2-inch square baking pans or coat with nonstick spray for baking; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, and food coloring with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat mixture on medium speed for beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spread batter evenly into prepared pans.
• Bake cakes for 25 to 30 minutes for 9-inch pans or 30 to 35 minutes for square pans or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
• In a small saucepan, melt 4 ounces white baking chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently; cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a very large mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds or until smooth. Gradually beat in 2 c powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually beat in an additional 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in melted white chocolate until well combined.
• If needed, beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make frosting spreading consistency.
• Spread frosting between layers and over sides and top of cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Cover and chill cake to store. If you like, garnish with sugared cranberries.