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Red velvet cake is a favorite of many thanks to its moreish cream cheese frosting and its perfectly moist sponge, but so many of us are not able to cook a good red velvet cake that I thought I’d share this recipe, which pretty much guarantees a perfect, light, fluffy cake, and even more perfect frosting, every time. 

 

I’m a traditionalist, and I love to use cream cheese frosting on my red velvet cakes, but if you are allergic, or aren’t a fan, this boiled milk frosting (ermine frosting recipe) is a great choice, as is this American buttercream frosting, so prefer to use them if you prefer. One thing’s for sure, whatever the frosting,  this cake will be eaten far more quickly than you can make it, so be sure to snap up a piece before the family descends!

 

The Perfect Red Velvet Cake

 

INGREDIENTS

 

For the cake

 

• ½ cup room temperature butter
• 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract (not essence which can tast synthetic)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup room temperature buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ½ tbsp high-quality cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 ½ cups plain flour
• 1 ½ cups table sugar (granulated)
• 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 2 ½ tsp red food coloring, powdered

 

For the frosting

 

• 3 sticks unsalted room temperature butter
• 1 ½ pounds confectioners sugar (sift before use)
• 18 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Small pinch kosher salt 

 

METHOD

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease with a little butter.

 

2. Cream butter until smooth, then add sugar and beat until combined, Then, add two eggs and continue to beat before adding the vanilla extract.

 

3. Sift salt, flour, and baking soda and leave to one side.

 

4. Carefully sift cocoa powder into butter, sugar, and egg mix, and cream.

 

7. Mix buttermilk with apple cider vinegar and food coloring and whisk until combined.

 

8. Add half dry ingredients and half wet ingredients to the butter mixture and thoroughly combine. Pour in the red buttermilk and combine by beating. Pour mixture into the three-lined cake pans, leaving a small amount aside to make crumbs.

 

9. Place batter reserved for crumbs on a lined baking sheet.

 

10. Bake cakes in pans for 30-35 minutes and the batter for crumbs for 15-20 minutes, Let them cool for a few minutes before removing from pans and placing on a wire rack.

 

11. Cream frosting butter, a small amount of sugar, and cream cheese before adding vanilla extract and salt., beat until fully combined. Keep adding sugar until you get the consistency you prefer.

 

12. Place frosting into a piping bag and be sure to cut off the tip!

 

13. Crumble the crumb batter until it looks like…well crumbs.

 

14. Carefully pipe the cream cheese frosting between each layer of cake, and then do the dame around the sides and on top of the cake.

 

15. Use a spatula or bench scraper to smooth the buttercream, and then carwfully stick om the crumbs, for an impressive finish.

 

Enjoy this amazing red velvet cake!