Red Velvet
Bakery / Cake
This cake looks bright and festiveб and it’s very easy to make! Even if you’ve never baked a cake before, this is the perfect one to start with. It’s tender, moist, and melts in your mouth. Not too sweet, with a pleasant hint of chocolate.
Recipe Ingredients
- 340 g all-purpose flour
- 300 g granulated sugar
- 5 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 g baking powder
- 3 g baking soda
- 3 eggs
- 300 g sunflower oil (odorless)
- 280 g buttermilk (or kefir or yogurt)
- 2 tsp food coloring gel
For the frosting:
- 100 g cold butter
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 5 g pure vanilla extract
- 300 g cream cheese
First, mix up the batter
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Then add the eggs and sunflower oil.
- Next, pour in the kefir and red food coloring.
- Now stir everything together until the batter is smooth.
Let the batter sit at room temperature for 10–20 minutes so the baking soda can start working.
Then, bake it
- You can make three 16 cm (6-inch) cakes or two 18 cm (7-inch) cakes. (I made three.)
- Grease the sides and line the bottom of each cake pan with baking parchment.
- Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 2 minutes, then remove them and let cool completely.
Next, make the frosting
- Cut the cold butter into cubes (about 5 cm). Add the powdered sugar.
- Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
The longer you beat, the whiter the frosting will be. - Add pure vanilla extract and cream cheese. Beat with a mixer until smooth.
I make a double portion of frosting since I add a large amount between the layers and on top of the cake.
Finally, assemble the cake
- Trim the tops of your cake layers to make them flat and even.
- Spread one layer with frosting, then place the second one on top. Repeat if you have more layers.
- Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake.
- Crumble the trimmed cake tops and sprinkle the crumbs over the sides and top for decoration.
- Refrigerate the cake for a few hours before serving — it tastes even better chilled!
NOTES
- It’s best to use odorless oil, such as refined sunflower oil — strong-smelling oils can affect the flavor of the cake.
- You can substitute buttermilk with full-fat yogurt or sour cream if needed.
- Avoid adding too much red food coloring — it can make the batter taste bitter. For a rich, vibrant red color, it’s best to use gel food coloring, not liquid.
- If you don’t have sunflower oil, you can use any neutral-tasting vegetable oil instead.
- You can color the frosting using fat-soluble food coloring (gel or powder-based) if you'd like a colorful finish.
- If the frosting becomes too soft during assembly, chill it briefly, then continue frosting the cake.
- You can bake the cake layers a day in advance and store them covered in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.
