Southern Red Velvet Cake comes from an easy and moist red velvet cake recipe that will quickly become a family favorite!
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Servings: 16
Calories: 706kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer
Ingredients
Cake
3cupscake flour
1teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
2teaspoonscocoa powder
1cupunsalted butter, softened
½cupvegetable oil
2cupsgranulated sugar
4large eggs, room temperature
1teaspoonwhite vinegar
1cupfull-fat buttermilk
2teaspoonsvanilla
1-2oz.red food coloring
Frosting
2sticks unsalted butter
1 8oz.block regular cream cheese
4cupspowdered sugar
2teaspoonspure vanilla extract
Pinchsalt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. 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 the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and oil for about 3 minutes then add the sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vinegar and mix until just combined.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to egg mixture, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla and food coloring, mixing well.
Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
Frost with cream cheese icing or cooked white icing.
Frosting
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add cream cheese and beat until mixed with butter and fluffy. Add sugar a little at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl, beating just until blended. Add vanilla and salt and mix well.
Notes
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 to be a little whiter. I rarely have imitation so I use regular.
Be sure you use cake flour. It will give the lightest, most consistent texture to this cake.
Use full-fat buttermilk and don't do a buttermilk substitute. I know everyone says you can do the milk and vinegar thing, but when you're making a recipe like this that calls for one whole cup of buttermilk, it's important to use the real thing for the best flavor.
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.
Don't be tempted to use more cocoa.
Slightly adapted from Favorite Recipes from the Clearview Mennonite Church, Volume II, Mrs. Miriam Brenneman's recipe.