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My Southern Red Velvet Cake is a showstopper and has been a reader-favorite for more than a decade. There’s a reason folks come back to this recipe over and over — this cake is always moist with a delicate, tender crumb, and it’s the perfect dessert for every occasion.

While the recipe is classic with a touch of vinegar, a subtle hint of cocoa, and the traditional tang of buttermilk, our taste test proved that this version is the best. Top it with my Cream Cheese Frosting, and you’ll have a dessert that everyone will love and request every time.  

A slice of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting on a white plate, with a fork and knife beside a red napkin on a wooden table.
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This has to be the BEST layer cake I have ever made. The batter was so silky smooth and beautiful! It baked up amazing and the color was perfect. Tasted out of this world. In fact, my daughter said if Lucy had a book, this would be the star recipe, and I agree. Such an incredible cake!! I doubled the frosting, and while it looked like a lot, I used almost all of it. Perhaps had about 1/2 cup left. Doubling it meant I could really fill the cakes with a nice thick layer of frosting, and having lots of frosting to work with made covering the outside of the cake really easy.

amy (email)
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My entire family loves this Southern Red Velvet Cake, and we have sampled quite a few. David used to think the moist red velvet cake recipe from Piccadilly’s was the best, but then he met me and tasted the one from Yoder’s Deitsch Haus Restaurant—known to those of us from Macon County as The Mennonite Restaurant or just Yoder’s—and he was converted.

But then…we had the red velvet cake from Gabriel’s Bakery in Marietta, and we thought, “Oh, this is the best!” For years, we would go back and forth on which was best because we never had both at the same time.

I decided a bake-off was in order. I had cookbooks with the two recipes, so I made two cakes at the same time and conducted a blind taste test with David, me, and 5 of our neighbors.

Guess what the results were? Six out of seven picked the Yoder’s red velvet cake recipe!

But we had no trouble devouring both because both are absolutely divine and very similar. What I love about both recipes is that they are uncomplicated.

Some red velvet cake recipes have you doing multiple steps to make the cake, like mixing the food coloring with the cocoa, or the vinegar with the buttermilk, or both, and it’s just not necessary. The cake is not that difficult to make.

Testing results for Southern red velvet cake

  1. I’ve made this cake using just oil, and I find that a combination of oil and butter gives the most moist cake with the best flavor.
  2. I like to double the frosting recipe for this cake. If you make a single batch of frosting, it will cover the cake, but it will be a little thin. We like a thick layer of frosting in between the cake layers and on top.

Note: Red velvet cake is NOT just a chocolate cake with red food coloring. If you’re looking at recipes that have more than a tablespoon or so of cocoa, then that’s a chocolate cake and not a true red velvet cake.

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I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!

Black cursive text that reads xo Lucy as a signature.

Of course, I’m covering this cake with my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting. And if you’d like to try your hand at a few more red velvet desserts, check out my Red Velvet Bundt Cake or my Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. They are both delicious!

A sliced red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting on a white plate, viewed from above.

Ingredient notes

➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.

Cake flour: Cake flour gives the cake a tender crumb. Don’t substitute!

Cocoa powder: You don’t need anything fancy. Regular old Hershey’s Cocoa Powder is just fine for this cake.

Vinegar: If you’ve never made a red velvet cake before, this ingredient may seem odd to you. But this is a key component to the flavor and texture of a red velvet cake. You will not taste the vinegar.

Full-fat buttermilk: For the love of Pete, do not add vinegar to milk and call it buttermilk. Buy cultured buttermilk from the store. That’s the closest you can get to real buttermilk, and it does make a difference.

Red food coloring: You can use a natural dye if you like. I use two bottles of red food coloring. I’m currently looking for a viable alternative.

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Frosting for red velvet cake

Let’s talk about the frosting for a minute. I use cream cheese frosting on my cake, but the original frosting was ermine frosting, a boiled-milk frosting.

I’ve tasted both, and I prefer the cream cheese version. I like the slight tanginess that pairs perfectly with the sweet cake.

How to make red velvet cake

  1. Sift together the dry ingredients.
  2. Cream the butter and oil, then add sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vinegar and mix.
  3. Alternate adding the flour and buttermilk to the egg mixture. Stir in the vanilla and the red food coloring.
  4. Pour the cake batter into prepared pans and bake.
  5. Allow the cake layers to cool before frosting with cream cheese frosting.
A close-up of a slice of red velvet cake with three layers of cream cheese frosting, sitting on a white plate.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!

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4.63 from 24 votes

Southern Red Velvet Cake Recipe

A guide to making the best red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. It's tender, moist, and always delicious.
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
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A slice of red velvet cake with three layers and white cream cheese frosting on a white plate, with a fork and red napkin in the background.

Equipment

9-inch round cake pans
9-inch round cake pans
stand mixer
stand mixer

Ingredients 

Cake

  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 cup full-fat buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1-2 ounces red food coloring

Frosting

  • 2 sticks sticks unsalted butter (16 tablespoons)
  • 1 8-ounce block regular cream cheese
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
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Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 9" round cake pans, then line the bottom with parchment paper and grease and flour the parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, sift together 3 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons cocoa powder. Set aside.
    A glass bowl filled with a light brown dry flour mixture sits on a wooden surface next to a red cloth.
  • In a separate large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and 1/2 cup vegetable oil for about 3 minutes then add 2 cups granulated sugarCream together until light and fluffy.
    A metal mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar sits on a wooden surface next to a red cloth.
  • Add 4 large eggs, room temperature and 1 teaspoon white vinegar and mix until just combined.
    A metal mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar, with an egg cracked in the center, sits on a wooden surface next to a red cloth.
  • Add flour mixture alternately with 1 cup full-fat buttermilk to the egg mixture, mixing after each addition. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1-2 ounces red food coloring, mixing well.
    A metal mixing bowl with red batter and dry flour mixture on top sits on a wooden surface, next to a red cloth.
  • Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
    Three round baking pans filled with smooth, unbaked red cake batter sit on a wooden surface next to a red cloth.

Frosting

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat 2 sticks sticks unsalted butter (16 tablespoons) until creamy.
    A white mixing bowl containing creamed butter and sugar sits on a wooden surface next to a red cloth.
  • Add 1 8-ounce block regular cream cheese and beat until mixed with butter and fluffy. 
    A white mixing bowl containing whipped yellow batter with a dollop of white cream on top, placed on a wooden surface next to a red cloth.
  • Add 4 cups powdered sugar a little at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl, beating just until blended. Add 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and a pinch of salt and mix well.
    A white mixing bowl with yellow batter and a pile of powdered sugar on top, sitting on a wooden surface with a red cloth nearby.
  • Frost the cooled cake, making sure you have at least 3/4 cup in between each layer.
    A hand uses an offset spatula to spread white frosting on a partially frosted red velvet cake on a plate.

Notes

Note: I double the frosting for this cake.
Tips for Making the Best Red Velvet Cake:
  • One 1-ounce bottle of red food coloring will turn the cake a light red, while two will give it a deeper red. I use two bottles. 
  • Imitation vanilla is clear, so you can use it for the frosting if you want it slightly whiter. I rarely have imitation, so I use regular. 
  • Be sure you use cake flour. It will give this cake the lightest, most consistent texture. 
  • Use full-fat buttermilk; don’t use a buttermilk substitute.
Slightly adapted from Favorite Recipes from the Clearview Mennonite Church, Volume II, Mrs. Miriam Brenneman’s recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 531kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 269mg, Potassium: 72mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 55g, Vitamin A: 801IU, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 0.5mg
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: American
Calories: 531
Keyword: red velvet cake
Leave a comment and ★★★★★ rating below!

Questions and tips

Storage

I like to store this cake in the refrigerator. It stays together better. I will serve it at almost room temperature.

Can I use a different flour?

Be sure you use cake flour. It will give this cake the lightest, most consistent texture.

Can I use vinegar and milk as a substitute for buttermilk?

Use full-fat buttermilk; don’t use a buttermilk substitute. I know everyone says you can use milk and vinegar, but when you’re making a recipe like this that calls for a whole cup of buttermilk, it’s important to use the real thing for the best flavor. Technically, what you buy in the store isn’t “real” buttermilk; it’s cultured, but it’s still a better option than adding vinegar to milk.

Tip: Butter and oil

The butter-and-oil combination is important! Oil makes a moist red velvet cake, but butter gives the most flavor. The recipe I adapted from used only oil, so I tweaked it a bit.

Cocoa

Don’t be tempted to use more cocoa. You’ll see recipes that call for more, but this is not supposed to be a chocolate cake. The cocoa is supposed to be a subtle complement to the other flavors, not the star of the show.

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About the author

Hi, I’m Lucy! I’m a home cook, writer, food and wine fanatic, and recipe developer. I’ve created and tested hundreds of recipes so that I can bring you the best tried and true favorites.

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Recipe Rating




4.63 from 24 votes (22 ratings without comment)

15 Comments

    1. Yes, but if you want a generous amount of frosting then you should do one and a half batches or even double.

      Reply

  2. Hello Stacey. Just curious. the picture of the red velvet cake that is not the recipe that you gave actually looks just like the cake at Picadilly’s that I’ve been looking for. What is the difference in the recipes? thanks.

    Reply

    1. Hi Eve, I don’t have the recipe for the Piccadilly red velvet cake, only for the Mennonite Restaurant and Gabriel’s bakery.

      Reply

      1. I am going to half the ingredients and make one layer and see how it tastes. I am still looking for the ultimate “red velvet cake” One thing I noticed is there seems to be to much food coloring. Most of the recipes I tried have 2 oz and the cake looks real red. I am reducing that but I am still looking for the moistness and a good flavor. Yours look good. Thanks for sharing.

      2. Hi Eve,

        I will be interested to now how the cake turns out once you cut the ingredients in half. Baking is so much science that I’m not sure exactly half of each ingredient will be the correct proportion but I hope it turns out great! You can certainly cut down on the food coloring—you could even leave it out altogether since it adds nothing to the taste of the cake, only color. Happy Cooking!

      3. No! No! No! Do not cut down on the food coloring! My southern mom made THE best red velvet cake I have ever had!! Her recipes were destroyed but I remember watching her make the cakes and she always used 2 bottles of food coloring!

  3. 5 stars
    I love reading your blog because the recipes are good old fashioned southern recipes that I have grown up loving. But then, I saw where you were talking about Macon County and read your bio. What a small world because my inlaws are from Montezuma and my Mother in law still lives there. What a small world!! 🙂 I especially love your blog now. (And Yoder’s!)

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Stacy! It is a small world! That is so cool. Who are your in-laws? I would be willing to bet we have mutual acquaintances…

      Reply

      1. My inlaws are Kenny Hayes and Angela Cromer. Angela still lives in Dooly county and works in Montezuma. 🙂

      2. Oh my, yes I did know them well! Angela and I were very good friends back in high school 🙂 What a small world!

      3. How awesome!! I will let her know about your blog when I see her next week. 🙂 She probably already knows about it though. Small world!

      4. Ask her about Rebecca Logue, that’s how she would know me 🙂 but don’t believe ANY stories she tells you unless it’s stories of the fun times we had at her mom’s house haha and then I will plead the 5th!

      5. I sure will ask her. I can only imagine what might have happened! Haha, I will be with her mom, Joan, as well next week. We are all going to the beach for the week. I know they will both have good things to say.

  4. 5 stars
    I love reading your blog because the recipes are good old fashioned southern recipes that I have grown up loving. But then, I saw where you were talking about Macon County and read your bio. What a small world because my inlaws are from Montezuma and my Mother in law still lives there. What a small world!! 🙂 I especially love your blog now. (And Yoder’s!)

    Reply