This red velvet cake is super moist and it has such a light and fluffy homemade cream cheese frosting. I absolutely love making this cake every holiday. Definitely a crowd pleaser in my book.
I have been hooked on this bright red chocolate cake since I was a wee little girl. I have been watching my mom make this cake during the holidays my entire life. And when she makes it, she makes this special homemade frosting similar to a roux. It’s light, not too sweet, and has coconut flakes in it. I have to get this frosting recipe from her one day and attempt to make it myself….
Just like my mom, I have taken on the tradition of making red velvet cakes in my household during the holidays. For some reason I never got the family red velvet recipe from my mom, and stumbled across this recipe years back. I was sitting on the couch getting over a night shift I had just completed, and saw a rerun episode for Sara’s Secret’s on the Food Network. A man that goes by the name of Cakeman Raven was on the show sharing his Red Velvet Cake Recipe. His recipe didn’t look too complicated for a novice baker like myself, so I decided to give it a spin and see how this car drives..
When I came to after a few hours of sleep and slumber the baking begin. Made It…. Loved it…. Never Looked Back…..
This cake was super moist, and I was in love with the fluffy light cream cheese frosting. After making this recipe over and over, I have adjusted some of the ingredients to suit my family’s taste. I decreased the oil to only one cup, which still allows for a moist cake. I also increased the cocoa powder to get more of a chocolate flavor. When it comes to the frosting I decided to cut down on how much of the sugar I used in the cream cheese frosting. I use 3 cups of the shifted 4 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting. This gives me a lightly sweetened frosting that’s not too sweet and allows the cream cheese flavor to permeate through. When I make it for folks, this cake disappears quick. My new catering clients not just ate a sample during our tasting but took to go slices home because they loved it so much. (I even saw them eating the cake while they were walking to their car). It’s that good….
The only thing I have left to say before I go bother my hubby:
Dear Mr. CakeMan Raven if you ever read this, I want to say thank you so much for sharing such a delicious cake recipe that is so easy to make, and adjust for whatever needs one may have. I don’t even need my mom’s “secret box cake recipe” after finding you. 🙂
If you are in the Brooklyn area check out Cake Man Bakery and have a slice made by the CakeMan Raven himself.
Looking for more cake or dessert recipes?
Here are some Holiday Friendly Recipes (they’re also great for a sweet tooth craving):
Homemade Cranberry Orange Bread
Sour Cream Banana Bread with Toasted Pecans
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Older Photos:
Enjoying This Moist Red Velvet Cake? Try These, Too:
- Chewy and Fudgy Toffee Brownies
- Fluffy Champagne Strawberry Glazed Pancakes
- Fruit Salad with Peach Moscato Drizzle
- Blueberry Ricotta Waffles
- Bourbon and Browned Butter Pecan Pie
Moist Red Velvet Cake and Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- Cake Ingredients:
- (Make sure ingredients are at room temperature before you start the cooking process.)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons dutch pressed cocoa powder
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 pound cream cheese , softened
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Cake Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray three 9 inch cake pans with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, shift together the dry ingredients for the cake. (I usually use my blender mixing bowl for this part to decrease how many dishes I use.)
- In another large bowl use a whisk to mix all of the cake's wet ingredients together. These ingredients include the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- In a standing mixer, combine both the dry and wet ingredients for the cake. Mix the batter just until the mixture is blended. Scrap sides of bowl with flat spatula to incorporate all ingredients into the batter.
- Pour the batter into each greased baking pan, making sure to put an even amount of the batter into each pan.
- Place the pans in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick appears clean after inserted into the cake. At about the 16 minute mark, start checking for doneness. While baking the cakes, rotate the cakes halfway during the cooking process.
- When the cake layers are done, let them cool completely. Once cooled, frost the cake.
- Frosting Instructions:
- Place the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a standing mixer bowl. Mix the ingredients for about 5 minutes on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. While mixing the ingredients, occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that all the ingredients get mixed together.
- After the cakes have cooled frost the cake.
Notes
I used 3 cups of the shifted 4 cups of powdered sugar. Sweeten according to your liking by adding half a cup of the powdered sugar at a time. The more sugar you add, the thicker the frosting becomes. When the frosting or frosted cake is placed in the refrigerator, the frosting does thicken up, but once set out for about 5 to 10 minutes, the cream cheese frosting softens back up and has that light texture. If you don't like the light texture of the frosting, before frosting the cake, let the frosting sit in the refrigerator until it becomes slightly stiff. This frosting recipe allows for an abundance of frosting to either make a crumb coat, allow for quick fixes if you mess up during the frosting process, thicker layers of frosting, etc. As you can see, I have two sets of pictures in this recipe post. One cake picture has three layers, and the other cake pictures have two layers. When I make the three layer cake, I use 9 inch cake pans and follow the recipe directions I have posted. When I made a two layer cake, I used two 10 inch cake pans, and cooked the cake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 15 minutes. This recipe has enough cake batter to use either the three 9 inch cake pans, or the two 10 inch cake pans. For anyone that thinks a cup of vegetable oil is not enough: In the original recipe, he calls for 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable oil for the cake batter. Some think this is too much oil, and it makes the cake too oily. I like both his amount of vegetable and the amount I use..... Both amounts produce moist layers. You just have to make sure not to overcook you cake, start checking your cakes at the 15 to 16 minute mark....
Please note that I am not a nutritionist, and the nutritional information is an estimate only. It varies based on the products and brands used.
Recipe Inspired By: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/southern-red-velvet-cake-recipe.html
Thanks for stopping by! Welcome to the Savory Spicerack! In my kitchen, there is no such thing as a bland meal. Each of my creations are just the way food should be – packed with flavor and created with love. 
Hey Sharee,
Could this cake be made into a sugar free cake?
Going to try make this cake, have been trying to make a good red velvet cake for some time now the ones have tried have come out dry to my taste but some of my family members like them but the one who make must like (lol) Will see how it goes.
Want to make this for my son. But only have powdered buttermilk.
Wondering if you know how I would use it in this recipe?
Thank you
Miss J
Hello! I am not sure about powdered buttermilk in this recipe. You might be able to use it if the powdered buttermilk gives you directions or measurements for the right amount of buttermilk needed for this recipe.
You can make buttermilk… 1 cup milk and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar…mix and leave one side until it curdles… works fine when I do it that way
Can I use this recipe for cupcakes? Shall I keep the oven temp and cooking time the same?
New baker here 😉
Hello! Yes you can make these into cupcakes. I would keep the same temperature but change/decrease the cooking time- using something similar to cupcake recipe temperature times.
Can I substitute melted butter for the oil
Hello! I have only used oil for this recipe so I wouldn’t be able to say it would come out the same. Please let me know if you used butter and how it turned out. 🙂
Great recipe! Love how it came out. I wound up baking it in a 9.5 x 11 and it was the perfect amount of batter for what I then split in half and made a two-layer cake (perfect for 2). First time making a Red Velvet, and it was great. Thanks for sharing your family recipe!!!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe in cupcake form.
Great to hear!
Does altitude affect this recipe?
Hello! I personally do not live in a high altitude area to test this recipe to see how it affects the cake. But research states that altitude can affect cake baking. Here are some tips I found here – hope this helps >> https://www.allrecipes.com/article/high-altitude-cake-baking/
Hi there, do you think you can make this using cake flour?
Hello. The cake might not be as dense with cake flour and more on the light side.
Is there no baking powder in this recipe
This recipe only calls for baking soda. 🙂
I made this today for a bday cake, I used 3 8 inch pans but it wasn’t enough batter… we will see
Thanks for sharing!
I have made this cake on more than one occasion using your recipe because it’s delicious and your recipe made it simple. Thanks for including the room temperature statement. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes
Awesome to hear!
I need 3 8 inch payerswould that be the same as the 9?
This is the best red velvet cake ever! I have made it several times. Even my daughter who doesn’t like red velvet loved it!
Yay! So happy to hear that!! Thanks so much!
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
I am so happy that you enjoyed the cake! It is definitely my favorite type of cake! Thanks so much for sharing!
My family loved loved loved this cake! I’ve been baking since the pandemic started and this is the most moist, fluffy cake I’ve made.
On that note, could this be a white velvet version without the cocoa ? I would like to do a rainbow cake with different colors so I’m wondering if this recipe would work, with other colors?
Hello! I am happy to hear that! I am not sure how to not eliminate cocoa from this particular recipe to make it white velvet.
Can I make this in bundt pan?
This cake can be made in a bundt pan but you make have to adjust your cooking time to longer. Happy cooking!
would you bake the cake in a 9×13 dish for 30, 35 minutes?
I am not sure how long to cook this cake in a 9×13 dish – I would suggest a shorter time then check so that you don’t over cook the cake. Happy cooking!
Hi I was wondering if I made two layers instead of three . What would be the suggested cooking time?
Hello! Cooking this cake in two layers – I would suggest a longer time – start with an extra five to ten minutes and check for doneness at this time.
So glad to hear! Happy cooking! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Sorry for late response! I have been burning the late night oil with school right now. I have not tried chocolate frosting on red velvet cake before so I would not be able to tell you how that would come out.. Red velvet cakes are a thing in some areas.. 🙂
Dutch cocoa has a rich flavor when compared to other cocoas. Pecans have been used added to the frosted cake before when I have seen nuts added.
How did the cake turn out if you added chocolate icing?? Stay blessed!
Hello! No problem at all! Thanks for stopping by! This frosting can be in the fridge for a few days. I have frozen the cake layers for a few days but no longer than that, so I would not be able to give you a time longer than that.. Have a great one!