Red Velvet Cake
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
4.93 out of 5 stars
(307)
Ingredients
10 servings
- 2 2/3 cups (400 g) plain cake flour (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp (10 g) cocoa powder (, unsweetened)
- 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda / bi-carb soda (, NOT baking powder (Note 2)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter (, softened (1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups (330 g) caster / superfine white sugar (Note 3a)
- 2 eggs (, at room temperature (around 2 oz / 60g each)
- 1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
- 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk (, at room temperature (Note 4)
- 2 1/2 tbsp red food colouring liquid (UK: use Gel, Note 7)
- 14 oz (400 g) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, block (, softened but not too soft (UK see Note 9)
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter (, softened (but not too soft)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups (450 g) soft icing sugar / powdered sugar (sifted (Note 3b)
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all oven types). Butter 2 x 21cm / 8" round cake pans (sides and base) and dust with cocoa powder.
Step 2
Sift the Dry Ingredients and whisk to combine in a bowl.
Step 3
Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with electric beater or in stand mixer until smooth and well combined (use paddle attachment if using stand mixer).
Step 4
Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between to combine. At first it will look curdle - keep beating until it's smooth.
Step 5
Add vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, buttermilk and red food colouring. Beat until combined and smooth (Note 5).
Step 6
Add Dry Ingredients. Beat until just combined - some small lumps is ok, that's better than over mixing.
Step 7
Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes on the same shelf, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Note 6)
Step 8
Rest for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.
Step 9
Frosting
Step 10
Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla for 3 minutes (this makes it really smooth and changes from yellow to almost white). Add icing sugar and beat for 2 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy to your taste. If your frosting seems too runny (depends on quality of cream cheese/ if the cream cheese was too soft), just add more icing sugar.
Step 11
Frost Cake
Step 12
Cut the top off the cake using a serrated knife (to make the layers neat).
Step 13
Spread one cake with 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the other cake. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting.
Step 14
Optional: Crumble offcuts and use to decorate the top rim and base of the cake.
Step 15
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