Red Velvet Cake
A Southern classic that has become a British bakery staple. Definitely one to master for your baking repertoire!
Happy Valentine’s Day cuties! This is one of my most requested recipes but I’m about to share an unpopular opinion: Red velvet cake is not one of my favourites (shock horror).
It’s delicious in every way but as a general rule, I’m not super keen on using food colouring and Red Velvet cake tends to use quite a bit! This recipe uses a minimal amount of food colouring (so no nasty aftertaste) but honestly when I make this at home, I don’t use any food colouring at all and call it my Not-So-Red Red Velvet Cake and it is equally delicious!
Traditionally, the cake colour used to come naturally from the way the cocoa powder was processed back then. However nearly all cocoa powder is Dutch-processed (akalised*) now so we don’t get that same colour in the cake batter and we have to turn to food colouring. This recipe is adapted from Good Housekeeping. The frosting comes from the wonderful Cupcake Jemma and tastes incredible, I use it as my base frosting for pretty much everything!
Tins
3 x 8in/20cm Cake Tins (you can use 2 but it’ll be a thicker cake!)
Ingredients
cake
250g Butter or Stork
310g White Caster Sugar or Golden Caster Sugar
1/2tsp Red Food Colouring Paste (Sugarflair or Wilton, stay away from grocery store gels they won’t work very well!)
284ml Buttermilk
2tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp White Wine Vinegar
275g Self-Raising Flour
1tsp Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)
35g Cocoa Powder
frosting
125g Butter (room temperature)
200g Cream Cheese (from fridge)
700g Icing Sugar
1.5tsp Vanilla Extract/Paste
Method
cake
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/160 C Fan/180 c
Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and red food colouring in a bowl until light and fluffy. This should take 4 to 6 minutes if you’re using a stand or hand-mixer.
In a separate large bowl or jug, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vinegar until just combined.
Add the egg mixture to the butter-sugar mixture in two batches mixing well after each addition. The mixture should look like tubby custard (pale pink) in colour and very curdled but that is okay.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the main mixture in two batches, folding the mixture after each addition to ensure the dry ingredients are well incorporated.
Split the cake batter amongst your tins and pop into the oven.
Cupcakes: 18-30 mins dependent on your oven
Cake: 35-60 mins dependent on your oven
You can tell when your cake is fully baked if you pop a knife or skewer through the centre and it comes out clear. Alternatively I use The Pillow Test which slightly more subjective; press lightly on the centre of the cake or cupcake and if it raises back up (like a pillow) the cake is ready. If it stays imprinted, leave it in for another five minutes and check again.
Frosting
Whip the room temp butter, and vanilla extract until light & soft.
Mix in the cream cheese (straight from the fridge) and mix for 2-3 mins until well combined. Don’t overmix or the mixture may become too loose/runny. Don’t worry if this happens pop it in the freezer for a few minutes.
Add the icing sugar to the mixture in 2 batches, mixing well in between each addition. Mix again until pale & fluffy, about 5-8 minutes.
Have a bake and let me know what you think on Instagram @OsiBakes
* #CakeChemistry - possible new segment idea?! I’m down if you are
Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
- 3 x 6in/15cm Cake Tins OR 2x8in/20cm Cake Tins
- 250g Butter or Stork
- 295g Light Soft Brown Sugar
- 1/2tsp Red Food Colouring Paste (e.g Sugarflair, Wilton)
- 3 Large Eggs
- 284ml Buttermilk
- 2tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1tsp White Wine Vinegar
- 275g Self-Raising Flour
- 1tsp Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)
- 40g Cocoa Powder
- 125g Butter (room temperature)
- 200g Cream Cheese (from fridge)
- 700g Icing Sugar
- 5tsp Vanilla Extract/Paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/160 C Fan/180 C. Line your cake tins with baking paper OR grease and flour your cake tins.
- Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and red food colouring in a bowl until light and fluffy. This should take 4 to 6 minutes if you’re using a stand or hand-mixer.
- In a separate large bowl or jug, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vinegar until just combined.
- Add the egg mixture to the butter-sugar mixture in two batches mixing well after each addition. The mixture should look like pale pink in colour and very curdled but that is okay.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the main mixture in two batches, folding the mixture after each addition to ensure the dry ingredients are well incorporated.
- Split the cake batter amongst your tins and pop into the oven.
- You can tell when your cake is fully baked if you pop a knife or skewer through the centre and it comes out clear. Alternatively I use The Pillow Test which slightly more subjective; press lightly on the centre of the cake or cupcake and if it raises back up (like a pillow) the cake is ready. If it stays imprinted, leave it in for another five minutes and check again.
- Whip the room temp butter, and vanilla extract until light & soft.
- Mix in the cream cheese (straight from the fridge) and mix for 2-3 mins until well combined. Don’t overmix or the mixture may become too loose/runny. Don’t worry if this happens pop it in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Add the icing sugar to the mixture in 2 batches, mixing well in between each addition. Mix again until pale & fluffy, about 5-8 minutes.
Notes:
Bring out all your ingredients to room temperature before you bake (unless stated otherwise). It helps the ingredients to combine better!
Calories
342Fat (g)
6.97Sat. Fat (g)
3.28Carbs (g)
66.06Fiber (g)
0.79Net carbs
65.26Sugar (g)
52.67Protein (g)
4.03Sodium (mg)
329.06Cholesterol (g)
46.67
