• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Savory Spicerack
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Copyright
    • Work with Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Me
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Desserts » Moist Red Velvet Cake and Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting 

    Moist Red Velvet Cake and Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting 

    Published: Oct 29, 2016 · Modified: Nov 9, 2020 by Sharee · This post may contain affiliate links

    264717 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Yummly
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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):

    Amaretto Bundt Cake

    Sour Cream Chocolate Bread

    Homemade Cranberry Orange Bread

    Sour Cream Banana Bread with Toasted Pecans

    Easy Banana Bread Cake

    ♥♥♥ Stay Connected – like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest!  ♥♥♥

    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 served on a white plate

    Moist Red Velvet Cake and Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

    A truly moist red velvet cake with a light fluffy whipped cream cheese icing.
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Southern
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 8
    Author: Sharee

    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

    Cooking Note:
    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.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Follow @savoryspicerack and tag #savoryspicerack!

    Recipe Inspired By:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/southern-red-velvet-cake-recipe.html

    « Fluffy Champagne Strawberry Glazed Pancakes
    Black Pepper Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nicole

      April 28, 2023 at 5:17 am

      Hey Sharee,
      Could this cake be made into a sugar free cake?

      Reply
    2. KW

      April 09, 2023 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    3. Janice

      February 08, 2022 at 8:16 am

      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

      Reply
      • Sharee

        February 12, 2022 at 7:42 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • Tasha

          May 13, 2022 at 12:37 pm

          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

    4. Marie

      January 20, 2022 at 2:21 pm

      Can I use this recipe for cupcakes? Shall I keep the oven temp and cooking time the same?
      New baker here 😉

      Reply
      • Sharee

        January 21, 2022 at 12:53 pm

        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.

        Reply
    5. Aretha Rhodes

      December 23, 2021 at 11:29 am

      Can I substitute melted butter for the oil

      Reply
      • Sharee

        January 06, 2022 at 2:28 pm

        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. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Leigh Ann

      October 23, 2021 at 10:08 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Sharee

        January 06, 2022 at 2:23 pm

        Great to hear!

        Reply
    7. Chely

      September 11, 2021 at 10:33 pm

      Does altitude affect this recipe?

      Reply
      • Sharee

        September 14, 2021 at 1:01 pm

        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/

        Reply
      • Amanda Buffery

        January 24, 2022 at 8:12 pm

        Hi there, do you think you can make this using cake flour?

        Reply
        • Sharee

          February 12, 2022 at 7:43 pm

          Hello. The cake might not be as dense with cake flour and more on the light side.

    8. N

      August 17, 2021 at 11:57 am

      Is there no baking powder in this recipe

      Reply
      • Sharee

        September 07, 2021 at 3:18 pm

        This recipe only calls for baking soda. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Stephanie

      July 30, 2021 at 9:17 am

      I made this today for a bday cake, I used 3 8 inch pans but it wasn’t enough batter… we will see

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        August 03, 2021 at 4:03 pm

        Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    10. Angela

      July 28, 2021 at 12:15 am

      5 stars
      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

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        August 03, 2021 at 4:02 pm

        Awesome to hear!

        Reply
    11. Stephanie

      July 27, 2021 at 8:17 am

      I need 3 8 inch payerswould that be the same as the 9?

      Reply
    12. Lisa

      April 03, 2021 at 9:02 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        April 05, 2021 at 2:44 pm

        Yay! So happy to hear that!! Thanks so much!

        Reply
    13. ashok

      January 17, 2021 at 9:54 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        February 01, 2021 at 12:33 pm

        I am so happy that you enjoyed the cake! It is definitely my favorite type of cake! Thanks so much for sharing!

        Reply
    14. Karen

      January 04, 2021 at 10:25 am

      5 stars
      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?

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        January 05, 2021 at 12:58 pm

        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.

        Reply
    15. Shanelle

      December 12, 2020 at 10:41 pm

      Can I make this in bundt pan?

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        January 05, 2021 at 1:01 pm

        This cake can be made in a bundt pan but you make have to adjust your cooking time to longer. Happy cooking!

        Reply
    16. Lynn

      November 06, 2020 at 11:55 am

      would you bake the cake in a 9×13 dish for 30, 35 minutes?

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        January 05, 2021 at 1:02 pm

        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!

        Reply
    17. Evelyn

      August 07, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      Hi I was wondering if I made two layers instead of three . What would be the suggested cooking time?

      Reply
      • Savory Spicerack

        January 05, 2021 at 1:06 pm

        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.

        Reply
    18. Savory Spicerack

      June 11, 2018 at 9:30 am

      So glad to hear! Happy cooking! Thanks for sharing your tips!

      Reply
    19. Savory Spicerack

      June 11, 2018 at 9:30 am

      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!

      Reply
    20. Savory Spicerack

      June 11, 2018 at 9:25 am

      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!

      Reply
    « Older Comments
    5 from 13 votes (8 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    Primary Sidebar

    Nice To Meet You!

    I’m Sharee, I am a culinary enthusiast who learned to cook, so my family would not have to survive on ramen noodles alone. Read More…

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    It’s Party Time!

    Browse Recipes by Category

    Main Dish Recipes

    Chicken in silver pan with gray napkin on white tabletop.

    Berbere Chicken

    Wings on white plate with parsley garnish with bowl on spices.

    Jerk Wings

    Shrimp garlic and lemon in bowl on white marble table with lemon wedges on table.

    Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

    Shredded pork with chopped parsley laying on white plate with black fork.

    Easy Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

    Cooked pizza with bowl of red crushed pepper on a white marble top.

    Detroit-Style Pizza Recipe

    Two bowls of chili surrounded by a napkin, glass of drink, and lime and parsley garnish.

    Easy Slow Cooker Chili (With Sausage)

    Affiliate Program Participation

    I use affiliate links on the Resources page of this website and occasionally in individual posts. If you click through these links and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

    As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    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. Read More…

    Copyright © 2025 · Savory Spicerack · Privacy Policy · Accessibility

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.