Red Velvet Cake Recipe Layer

Red velvet cake…it has eluded me for so long!! You’ve been asking me to share my favorite red velvet layer cake recipe, and I’ve wanted to. I wasn’t procrastinating, I just hadn’t made a red velvet cake I was truly happy with.

I wanted moist, spongy, tender cake layers, sandwiched between generous layers of cream cheese frosting. So, I continued my red velvet experiments.

I tried tons of different recipes to see what ratios I preferred, played around with the amount of leavening agents, and went through 4 iterations of recipe testing.

Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Butter adds a lot of flavor to a cake, but oil adds a lot of moisture. Not to say that a butter cake is dry, but the texture is denser than a cake recipe made with oil.

Oil gives the cake a fluffier texture. While I love a good butter cake, that’s not the texture I associate with a red velvet cake. That’s why this cake recipe uses only oil.

When you make a red velvet cake, you expect it to have that gorgeous, deep red color when you cut in. I’ve found that it’s a lot easier to achieve that result using gel food coloring.

Vegan Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Layer Cake

I prefer Americolor or Chefmaster but any gel food coloring should work! If you don’t have gel food coloring on hand, you can also use liquid food coloring.

I’ve found that you need to use an entire bottle of liquid food coloring to get the deep red color, so be sure you have a full bottle if you go this route.

This red velvet cake recipe would taste great with just about any frosting, but I wanted to stick with the classic combination of cream cheese frosting and red velvet cake.

Red Velvet Layer Cake: Delicious Recipe From Scratch

My cream cheese buttercream is a dream to frost with. It’s thick, has great structure, and pipes like a dream. It’s wonderful on layer cakes because it is stiff enough to support the weight of the cake layers.

This cream cheese frosting recipe is also stiff enough to pipe a beautiful border around the top of the cake, which is exactly what I did for this cake!

While I love making challenging cake designs, sometimes it’s nice to just make a classic layer cake. I kept things simple with this cake and used crumbled cake tops to decorate the sides of the cake.

Classic Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

This recipe use quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have them all on hand. Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered.

One batch of batter is about 1300g or 6 cups, so I add about 440g to each of my cake pans when using 3, 6-inch cake pans.

You can also use one batch of batter to make 2, 8-inch cake layers. Bake time will be a few minutes longer at 350 F / 175 C.

Red Velvet Layer Cake Recipe < Call Me Pmc

If you want to make a tiered cake with this recipe, check out my cake batter calculator to see how many batches of batter you’ll need.

If you want to make red velvet cupcakes, bake them at 350F / 175C for 18-21 minutes. One batch of batter will make about 2 dozen cupcakes (yield will vary based on the size of your liners).

I highly recommend making the components of this cake in stages. It breaks the process up and makes it so much more approachable!

Red Velvet Double Layer Cake Recipe

Thecake layers can be made in advance and frozen. They taste just as great when they’re frozen as when they’re fresh, I promise!

You can make the frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or the freezer for a month.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

Small Red Velvet Cake (6 Inch)

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moistand store in the fridge for up to a week.

If you try my layered red velvet cake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts.

If you need to make any substitutions or swaps in this recipe, please check out the section on ingredient substitutions in the post above.

Easy Red Velvet Sheet Cake Recipe

If you want to make a tiered cake with this recipe, check out my cake batter calculator to see how many batches of batter you'll need.

Thecake layers can be made in advance and frozen. They taste just as great when they're frozen as when they're fresh, I promise!

You can make the frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Recipe Naked Red Velvet Cake

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.

[…] introduction sets the stage for what readers can expect from this article: exploring various ways to decorate a Red Velvet Cake that goes beyond just frosting it. It highlights why decoration for this particular cake deserves […]

Hi! I'm using this recipe for a 10 inch cake. Would I double the ingredients and be able to get at least 2 inch height in two 10 in pans?

Red Velvet Ice Cream Cake (with No Churn Homemade Ice Cream)

Because this recipe is pretty heavy on the oil, I don't know if I'd recommend making 10-inch layer with it! Sometimes the center sinks when I make it in bigger layers using this recipe. So sorry!

I tried this recipe twice and both times it sunk in the middle :(. My ingredients were room temperature, I didn't open my oven too soon. The taste was delicious, not sure what could be wrong...

I'm so sorry to hear that!! Is there any chance it might have needed a few more minutes in the oven? Sometimes that helps with sunken centers!

One Bowl Vegan Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting (sugar Free And Gluten Free Options)

This recipe did not bake well in 2 eight inch pans at 350*. I tried twice and neither time was great. The middle was sunken in and the texture was all wrong. If I were to try a third time I would either do 9 in pans or reduce the oven temp to 325*. Not trying to bash on your recipe. Just sharing my experience.

Hi! I just tried this and it tastes AMAZING but the cake came out more brown than red. Any tips on how to fix that next time?

So happy to hear your cake tastes delicious!! The type of cocoa powder you use can have a big impact on the color, and I'd recommend avoiding dark baking cocoa powders that are Dutch-processed. The lighter the color of the cocoa powder, the brighter red the batter will be.

Red Velvet Cake (three Layers) Recipe

You also can add slightly less cocoa powder next time, or add a bit more red gel food coloring. All of those should help brighten the color of the layers.You won’t believe how easy it is to make this classic Red Velvet Cake recipe from scratch! This cake is so incredibly soft, tender, moist and pairs wonderfully with my tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting. With its wonderful velvety texture and fluffy frosting, you won’t be able to get enough of this irresistible cake.

Whether you are looking for a stunning red cake for Valentine’s Day or just need a showstopping cake for birthdays, holidays, or any other occasion, this red velvet cake recipe fits the bill. More than just a red-tinted vanilla cake, this cake is tangy and buttery, with a mild cocoa and sweet vanilla flavor.

Red velvet cake is said to have originated during the Great Depression with the popularization of red food coloring and is a popular dessert in the Southern United States. It is such a unique cake that everyone will love. It’s definitely worth the effort to make from scratch as it’s far superior to any box mix. The cake’s dense and soft but still moist with a velvety crumb. It’s always a crowd-pleaser! Want to make another cake recipe from scratch? Try my lemon cake recipe, strawberry cake recipe, or naked cake recipe.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Layer Cake

Butter — buy unsalted butter to control the amount of salt added to the cake. Make sure the butter is at room temperature so it’ll be easier to cream.

Cocoa powder — this recipe doesn’t call for a lot of cocoa powder, so it doesn’t overpower the other flavors in the cake. Make sure to use natural cocoa powder and not Dutch-processed cocoa powder.

Buttermilk — this adds a tangy flavor and moisture to the cake. Also, the buttermilk activates the baking soda to help the cake rise and give it its light and fluffy crumb. Furthermore, as buttermilk is acidic, it reacts with the cocoa powder and turns it red!

Best Ever Vegan Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Vinegar — just like the buttermilk, the vinegar helps activate the baking soda and brings out the red tones in the cocoa powder.

Cream cheese — make sure you use full-fat blocks of cream cheese to make this frosting. You do not want to use the cream