How to Make a Red Velvet Cake from Scratch

Make a homemade red velvet cake for someone in your life.

Red velvet cake is a classic Southern dessert that people have been making for generations. This cake is bright red with a white cream cheese frosting, giving it a nice contrast when you cut into it. While the cake is red, it is actually a chocolate cake dyed with food coloring. The cake should be moist with a rich frosting garnished with pecans. Consider making a red velvet cake for your next holiday get-together or simply when you have a craving for something sweet.

Things You'll Need

• Oven
• Baking spray
• Three 9-inch round cake pans
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• Two bowls
• Sifter
• Whisk
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Two large eggs
• 2 tbsp. red food coloring
• 1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Mixer
• Toothpick
• Cooling rack
• 1 lb. cream cheese
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• Two sticks unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Cake platter
• Crushed pecans

Instructions

Red Velvet Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray your three baking pans with a baking spray made of butter and flour.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.

3. Whisk together the oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, eggs and vanilla. Make sure they are fully mixed together.

4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gradually using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl occasionally to make sure that the batter becomes fully incorporated.

5. Divide the cake batter among the pans evenly. Make sure that the same amount of batter goes into each pan so that the layers are even. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out cleanly.

6. Take the cakes out of their pans and place them on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before assembling the cake and frosting it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Mix together the softened cream cheese, sifted powdered sugar and butter on low speed.

2. Turn the mixer up to high when the ingredients have become incorporated, and mix them for about five minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Add the vanilla and mix on high again for a few seconds, or until the vanilla is incorporated and the mixture is again light and fluffy.

4. Place the cream cheese frosting inside the refrigerator until it becomes stiffer and thicker.

Cake Assembly

1. Place one red velvet cake on the center of a cake platter with its rounded side down. Frost the top of the cake with a 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch layer of cream cheese frosting.

2. Place another cake on top of the first cake with the rounded side down. Repeat the frosting process.

3. Stack the final cake, rounded side down, on top of the second one.

4. Frost the top of the cake and its sides with the rest of your cream cheese frosting.

5. Garnish the cake with crushed pecans. Sprinkle the pecans only on the top or cover the sides of the cake with the pecans.

References

• Food Network.com: Southern Red Velvet Cake

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish