Red Velvet Cake

 Classic Red Velvet Cake: A Timeless Favorite

This iconic cake features soft, velvety layers with a subtle chocolate flavor, complemented by a tangy cream cheese frosting and a touch of red velvet crumble.

Red Velvet Cake is a beloved classic that many ask for time and again. Its rich, eye-catching red hue, combined with the creamy tang of cream cheese frosting, makes it an irresistible choice.

I enjoy delving into the history behind iconic recipes like this one—exploring how they originated, gained popularity, and evolved over time. I can't resist sharing these insights with you, so if you're interested, settle in for a quick history lesson, or feel free to skip ahead to the recipe.

The Story Behind Red Velvet Cake

In the 1800s, the distinctive red color of Red Velvet Cake came from anthocyanin-rich cocoa (non-Dutched cocoa) that reacted with vinegar and buttermilk, creating a deep red or maroon hue. Today, most cocoa powders undergo Dutch processing, which removes some of the acid, preventing the red color from developing naturally. As a result, modern recipes often rely heavily on red food coloring to achieve that vivid red appearance.

The cake's rise to fame actually occurred during the Great Depression. Adams Extract, a company selling flavorings and colorings, used Red Velvet Cake as a marketing strategy to boost sales. Their version, which included shortening (a cheaper alternative to butter), Adams butter flavor, vanilla, and, of course, red food coloring, became a household staple. They distributed the recipe for free at grocery stores, making it an instant hit. In Canada, Red Velvet Cake was also famously served at Eaton’s department stores in the 1940s and 1950s, although the store claimed it as their own creation—something that didn't sit well with many.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I prefer using natural ingredients for flavor and color whenever possible. I’ve occasionally made bright cakes when the flavors called for it, but I tend to use natural colorants, like freeze-dried powders, instead of artificial dyes. Red Velvet Cake never quite appealed to me for this reason, but after experimenting and adjusting the recipe, I managed to darken the cake's color more with cocoa than with food coloring. However, to achieve that true red color, artificial coloring is still a must. While some people use beets for a natural red, I wasn't too keen on trying that route (though I do love beets).

How to Make Red Velvet Cake

Making this cake is relatively simple—unless, like me, you're prone to kitchen mishaps. I was in a bit of a rush (as usual), and my butter wasn’t fully softened. Trying to speed up the process, I cubed the butter and tried to mix it, hoping the friction would warm it up. Instead, it broke my KitchenAid paddle. This wasn’t the first time this has happened, and for some reason, I didn’t learn from my past mistake.

My paddle, which usually scrapes the bowl automatically (a huge time-saver), is made of plastic, and clearly, it's not built to withstand such pressure. While KitchenAid offers a metal version with a scraper, it’s not compatible with my model. Why it’s not a standard feature, I have no idea. Who wants to scrape the bowl manually?

After breaking the paddle, I had to toss out the butter and switch to my backup paddle, scraping the bowl by hand—a tedious task that I didn't enjoy. Even after scraping several times, I still ended up with unevenly mixed batter, which affected the finished cakes.

Despite these setbacks, making the cake itself is easy. The key steps are creaming the butter and sugar, adding eggs one at a time, then mixing in the cocoa powder and red coloring before adding the dry ingredients. If you add the color at the end, you'll likely overmix the batter, making the cake dense and possibly fragile. For best results, incorporate the color after the eggs but before the flour and milk.

Red Velvet Cake Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 1/4 cup regular cocoa powder (non-Dutch)

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp white vinegar

• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

• 1 tsp super red food gel coloring

Red Velvet Crumble (optional):

• 1 cup Red Velvet Cake mix

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• Red food gel coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

• 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

• 1 1/2 cups cream cheese (chilled, full-fat, cubed)

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• Cornstarch or meringue powder (optional)

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Instructions:

For the Red Velvet Cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans, and line with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the oil and continue to beat for another 2 minutes.

4. Reduce the mixer speed, and add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated.

5. Add the vanilla, vinegar, cocoa powder, and red food coloring, mixing until evenly combined. Add enough color to achieve your desired shade of red.

6. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of buttermilk). Mix until fully incorporated.

7. Bake the cake layers for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.

8. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn them out to cool completely.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Beat the butter in a stand mixer until creamy and pale.

2. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and mix on low until fully blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes.

3. Add vanilla extract and continue to beat for another minute.

4. Gradually add the chilled cream cheese, one cube at a time, ensuring it's well mixed.

5. If needed, add cornstarch or meringue powder to stiffen the frosting.

6. Run the mixer on low for a couple of minutes to remove any air bubbles.

Assembly:

1. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread about 1 cup of frosting over the top.

2. Repeat with the second cake layer, adding frosting between layers.

3. Top with the final cake layer, then crumb-coat the entire cake with frosting.

4. Smooth the frosting, creating a decorative swirl on top.

5. Optionally, sprinkle some red velvet crumble on top for added texture.

Now, your Classic Red Velvet Cake is ready to enjoy!