Making red velvet cake from scratch is surprisingly simple and the results are stunning. This cake is an old-fashioned reader favorite with a twist that my entire family loves--even the ones who don't normally like red velvet!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my carrot cake with pineapple filling, too!
Jump to:
- Is red velvet cake chocolate?
- ❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
- What You'll Need for this Recipe
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Soul Food Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
- Pro Tip #1
- Tips for Making Cream Cheese Frosting from Scratch
- Pro Tip #2
- Pro Tip #3
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Serve
- More Favorite Cake Recipe Ideas
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"O.M.G. Simple recipe. Perfect step by step instructions. And the PERFECT result: super moist flavorful "make you wanna slap yo momma" good! I made it for Valentine's weekend, and needless to say, it only survived for 24 hours. My boyfriend brought some to work (claiming he made it, of course!), and he was accused of buying it (because it was so gorgeous)...and was given a special request to make it for a coworkers birthday! Tried and true: this is a wonderful recipe! I'll be making it again...maybe today!"
-Dominique
Is red velvet cake chocolate?
In short, yes. Red velvet cake is just chocolate cake dyed red. It also incorporates buttermilk or vinegar for a bit of tanginess but is basically chocolate cake in disguise. I hope I haven't spoiled your day, but I felt it needed to be said that red velvet cake vs. chocolate cake is the same thang.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Is red velvet cake hard to make from scratch? This cake is much easier to make than it looks, so don't be intimidated at all. My simple red velvet cake recipe comes together with just a whisk and some mixing bowls, though you will need a mixer to whip up the cream cheese frosting but don't worry--I have some workarounds for that, too!
Beautiful Presentation - My twist on classic red velvet includes tangy cream cheese frosting that balances out the rich chocolatey cake flavor with a collar of red velvet crumbs and a crown of white chocolate-covered strawberries for a stunning treat that's surprisingly easy to pull off.
👉🏾 I firmly believe that it's not a party without cake--it's actually my favorite part of celebrating. Check out my Grandma's sour cream pound cake, bourbon birthday cake with funfetti sprinkles, peach cobbler pound cake, strawberry sheet cake, and southern caramel layer cake next!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Vinegar does heavy lifting in this recipe to help create a light, airy texture, deepen the vibrant color, and add just a touch of tang. Using white vinegar means you can make this cake without buttermilk.
Cocoa Powder for chocolate taste. You'll be surprised by how little of it we need here! I recommend unsweetened dark cocoa powder for the best results.
Cream Cheese is essential for the cream cheese icing. Be sure to use a block of full-fat cream cheese not whipped cream cheese and not cream cheese spread
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Eggless Recipe - You can make this recipe with two flax eggs instead of chicken eggs. To make a flax egg, mix one tablespoon of flax meal (ground flax seeds) in three tablespoons of water and let it sit until you're ready to use it.
Food Coloring - If you want to make your cake without dye, you can use beetroot powder instead. Some red velvet cake recipes use fresh beets puree, but that will throw off the moisture balance in this recipe.
Vegan - Make your red velvet cake vegan by using plant-based milk, cream cheese, butter, and egg products (like the flax egg above).
Shape and Size - This moist red velvet cake recipe makes two nine-inch cake layers, but you can use eight-inch pans instead--the cakes will just be thicker. Or you can turn it into a red velvet sheet cake by baking it in an oblong 9 x 13-inch pan. You can also use a jumbo muffin pan to make 12 bakery-style red velvet muffins, a standard cupcake pan to bake 24 red velvet cupcakes, or transform it into a red velvet bundt cake instead. For a small-batch option, cut the recipe in half to make a single-layer cake.
How to Make Soul Food Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
- Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls then combine them into a smooth cake batter.
- Step 2: Divide the batter equally between prepared cake pans then place them in the oven to bake.
- Step 3: Beat the frosting ingredients together until fluffy and smooth.
- Step 4: Slice off the domes of the cake layers and crumble them to use later.
Pro Tip #1
If you don't have a stand mixer or a hand mixer, you can actually make the cream cheese frosting in a blender or food processor! Just add all your ingredients and pulse until combined, pausing to scrape down the sides, as needed.
Tips for Making Cream Cheese Frosting from Scratch
Be sure to soften your cream cheese to room temperature. Cream cheese that is too cold will result in lumpy frosting because the cheese breaks up into little balls instead of spreading into the other ingredients.
For the same reasons, use softened butter as well. When I make homemade cream cheese frosting, I love this trick for softening butter quickly.
Sift your powdered sugar. This also helps prevent lumps and ensures a smooth texture. If you don't have a sifter or strainer, use a whisk or fork to find and crush any powdered sugar lumps. This is an important step for how to make cream cheese frosting smooth.
- Step 5: Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate, then set them aside to harden.
- Step 6: Frost one cake layer, then stack the other on top and frost all over the top and around the cakes.
Pro Tip #2
If you've never done chocolate-dipped strawberries before, it's very easy. Make sure the berry is rinsed and patted dry, then use the leaves as a handle to hold it. Dip the berry in the chocolate at an angle to coat about half of it, then repeat on the opposite angle. Set them on wax paper or parchment paper to allow the chocolate to harden. Here's my recipe for chocolate-dipped strawberries with decorations!
Pro Tip #3
The frosting doesn't need to be perfect by any means! Remember that we're covering the perimeter of the cake with cake crumbs and adding decorations on top so nobody will see how smooth and straight things are underneath.
- Step 7: Press the red velvet crumbs around the sides of the cake. Place the dipped strawberries on top, then sprinkle the remaining crumbs in between them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can bake, cool, and frost the cake up to three days ahead of time with great taste and texture using the storage instructions below.
Store it refrigerated in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap to keep the cake moist and the frosting soft. Keeps for up to five days.
Yes. To freeze just the cake (without frosting), wrap the fully cooled cake layers in a few layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil, and transfer to the freezer. To freeze the frosted cake, refrigerate it overnight first to allow the frosting to get firm, then wrap it and transfer it to the freezer. With either option, the cake will keep for up to three months. I don't recommend freezing the chocolate-covered strawberries.
How to Serve
If you're looking for a signature dessert dish to take to cookouts or present at the holiday table, my old-fashioned southern red velvet cake is the one, not the two!
Serve it for Juneteenth: Layered red velvet cake is perfect for Juneteenth celebrations due to its classic crimson color. Red foods are a mainstay of Juneteenth celebrations because the color symbolizes the bloodshed and resilience of our ancestors.
This red velvet layer cake makes a stunning centerpiece in any Juneteenth spread. Check out my full Juneteenth foods menu!
Make it for Valentine's Day Dessert: I originally published this recipe for Valentine's Day, and it has been one of the most popular and recreated dishes ever since, with very good reason. This two-layer cake combines two classic sweets that are often associated with romance: chocolate and strawberries, so the decoration ideas are spot-on.
Holiday Feast: The over-the-top presentation makes this a lovely red velvet cake for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, too. It looks amazing on the holiday dessert table! Here's how to build a southern Thanksgiving menu.
More Favorite Cake Recipe Ideas
Looking for more recipes like this? Try these:
I hope y'all continue loving and making the best red velvet cake recipe from scratch for yourselves and your loved ones. And make sure you pin this deep red dessert on Pinterest, too. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Old-Fashioned Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- parchment paper or wax paper
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 offset spatula optional
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted or fluffed (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup oil or melted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ounce red food coloring or one tablespoon beetroot powder
For the White Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
- 5 strawberries washed and patted dry
- 1 cup white chocolate chips melted according to package instructions
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup butter softened and cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- Make the Cakes: Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two round, nine-inch baking pans. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in one mixing bowl2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs with whisk then mix in sugar, oil, milk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and food coloring.2 eggs, 1 ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ cup oil, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ounce red food coloring
- Add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir until smooth with no pockets of flour to form cake batter. Divide batter equally between prepared pans and transfer to oven to bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.
- Dip the Strawberries: While the cake bakes, dip strawberries into melted chocolate and set aside on a sheet of wax or parchment paper to harden.5 strawberries, 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Cool cakes in pans for ten minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Horizontally slice the domes off the top of each cake to make them flat. Crumble these scraps of cake into a bowl and set aside.
- Make the Frosting: While the cakes cool, use mixer to cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, salt, and one cup of powdered sugar. Add remaining powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 4 cups powdered sugar
- Decorate the Cake: Spread a thick layer of frosting over top of one cake layer then stack the other cake layer on top of it and spread a crumb coat of frosting around the sides of both layers and over the top until evenly coated. Use the remaining frosting to cover the crumb coat then press the cake crumbs around the sides of the cake. Place strawberries in a circle on top of cake then sprinkle the rest of the crumbs in between each strawberry.
Andreia Lopes says
I just finished baking and cooling the cake and I am glad I tried it before assembling. It was almost inedible. It only tasted of oil, and didn't rise. I followed the recipe step by step and made no substitutions. Went straight to the garbage and now I have no birthday cake for my husband. What a pity.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi Andreia! I'm sorry to read that this cake did not turn out well for you. Based on your notes, it sounds like the baking soda you used might not have been fresh, which will cause the cake not to rise. Additionally, when using fresh, unflavored olive oil, the taste of the oil should not be overpowering in the cake. If you prefer not to taste any olive oil at all, you can substitute with melted butter, however the cake will not be as moist. I hope this is helpful.
Cynthia Crowell says
Can this recipe be made into a bundt cake?
Jazz says
Hi, Cynthia! You can use a bundt pan for this recipe as the batter capacity is very close to that of two round layer pans.
Sydelle says
This is one of my favourite combinations! This recipe sounds like it create a fluffy and velvety cake. I’m so excited to try this for Valentine’s!
Britney says
Red velvet cake is literally one of my favorite cakes so I was so excited when I baked this recipe! It was even better than the bakery up the street from us! And with those chocolate covered strawberries - utter perfection!!
Chenée Lewis says
This red velvet cake was to die for! I can't wait to make it again for Valentine's Day -- I just know it's gonna be a hit!
Marsha says
Red velvet cake is one of our favorite cakes and I'm so glad I know how to make it homemade now. This recipe was easy to follow and the chocolate-covered strawberries was a great addition! Thanks for the recipe!
Chef Mireille says
I love red velvet cake but this time I went full on decorating with your suggestions. I LOVE the crumbs on the side. I had never done that before. Not only is it pretty but made the balance better between frosting and cake
Marta says
I made this red velvet cake for my son "just because" he was having a bad day and it's his favorite. He said it really made him happy inside. I plan to make it again for Valentine's Day, it's that delicious.
Lilly says
This is such a decadent dessert! I loved the chocolate covered strawberries on top!
Renia Butler says
I've honestly never had red velvet cake but it is literally my Dad's favorite thing. When I shared this recipe with my mom (because that's who's going to make it for him) she mentioned how easy it was to make. Great recipe.
Dominique says
O.M.G. Simple recipe. Perfect step by step instructions. And the PERFECT result: super moist flavorful "make you wanna slap yo momma" good! I made it for Valentine's weekend, and needless to say, it only survived for 24 hours. My boyfriend brought some to work (claiming he made it, of course!), and he was accused of buying it (because it was so gorgeous)...and was given a special request to make it for a coworkers birthday! Tried and true: this is a wonderful recipe! I'll be making it again...maybe today!
MaKeshia Smith says
I love all the pictures you share with your recipes! I made this cake and let me tell you, nobody believed me because it was just perfect! The cake was moist and flavorful and the frosting was so soft and sweet. The strawberries on top were an awesome way to decorate. Loved it!
jazzmineama says
Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Robin says
I knew red velvet was chocolate cake but never knew white chocolate wasn't chocolate! I guess it lacks cacao. This cake is so decadently delicious!