Southern Red Velvet Cake
Updated June 4, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½cup/115 grams butter, at room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons to prepare pans
- 3tablespoons/20 grams cocoa powder, divided
- 1½cups/300 grams granulated sugar
- 2eggs
- 2teaspoons/10 milliliters vanilla extract
- 2tablespoons/30 milliliters red food coloring
- 1teaspoon/6 grams salt
- 1teaspoon/5 grams baking soda
- 2½cups/320 grams flour, sifted
- 1cup/240 milliliters whole buttermilk
- 1tablespoon/15 milliliters vinegar
- Ermine icing (see recipe), or other fluffy white icing
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by buttering lightly and sprinkling with 1 tablespoon sifted cocoa powder, tapping pans to coat and discarding extra cocoa. (This recipe can also be made in 2 9-inch cake pans.)
- Step 2
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time and beat vigorously until each is incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
- Step 3
In a separate bowl, make a paste of the remaining 2 tablespoons cocoa and the food coloring. Blend into butter mixture.
- Step 4
Sift together remaining dry ingredients. Alternating in 2 batches each, add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture. In the last batch of buttermilk, mix in the vinegar before adding to the batter. Mix until blended.
- Step 5
Divide batter among 3 pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack completely.
- Step 6
To assemble, remove 1 cake from its pan and place flat side down on a serving platter. Drop about 1 cup of icing onto cake and, using a flat spatula, spread evenly over top. Remove the second cake from its pan. Place flat side down on top of first layer. Use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake.
- Measurements for dry ingredients are given by weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.
Private Notes
Comments
Really want to make this... Recipe says three 9" layers. The photo is 2 layers cake and the assemble instructions is 2 layers cake. Yet step 5 says divide batter into three pans??? Which is it ? 2 or 3 9" pans?
thank you
Use 1 Tablepoon of vinegar to 1 cup of milk to make buttermilk.
Hi Rachel,
Step 4 was very confusing, but I had used a similar red velvet cake recipe many times previously.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, then you add half of the buttermilk to the butter mixture (continuously beating). Next, add the remainder of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, BUT add the tablespoon of WHITE vinegar to the remaining half cup of buttermilk before adding the remainder of the buttermilk to the mixture. It makes the mixing go more smoothly.
Tasted great but I wouldn’t use the cocoa powder again to dust the pan, my cake stuck badly.
I used 1 Tbs of red food coloring to 2 Tbs of cocoa powder and the cakes I made turned out to be a plain brown. Not sure if the food coloring wasn’t strong enough or if it was too much cocoa powder…
Similar problems as others - insufficient butter to cream with sugar, batter on the thick side, and nowhere near enough for three pans - was barely enough for two. Opted for less food coloring as too much can upset my stomach, and I was okay with a less vibrant result. Limited rise. Would try a different recipe next time.
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