This classic red velvet cake is surprisingly easy to bake at home! Topped with a creamy coconut cream cheese frosting, it's moist, buttery, and bursting with flavor. Perfect for Valentine's Day, birthdays, or any occasion that calls for a delicious dessert.
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How to Make Red Velvet Cake
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour three 9" x 1½" round cake pans. Sift the flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla extract, and clear vanilla in another large bowl.
Combine the sugar, salt, avocado oil, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed until lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Return the mixer to medium speed, slowly add the eggs, and beat until fully incorporated.
At low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.
Mix until just combined and a smooth batter is formed. Mix the vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl, and when it foams, add it to your cake batter. Fold it in just until it's combined, about a minute.
Be careful not to overmix the batter! Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans.
Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake the red velvet cake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the side of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the red velvet cake from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded sides up. Let cool completely.
How to Make Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated.
Increase the speed to high, and mix until just combined, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.) Don't whip! Reduce the speed of the mixer to low.
Add the vanilla extract, Malibu Coconut Rum, and shredded coconut, raise the speed to high, and mix briefly until smooth (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff before using. It may be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
How to Assemble
Trim off the domes of the cake to create flat surfaces and place the trimmed-away portion in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs and set aside.
Place one layer of the red velvet cake, rounded side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Spread some Cream Cheese Frosting over the Red Velvet Cake with a palette knife or offset spatula.
(Spread enough frosting to make a ¼ to ½-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire Red Velvet Cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the red velvet cake crumbs.
Related Recipes:
📖 Recipe
Easy Red Velvet Cake
Tools
Ingredients
For the Red Velvet Cake:
- 375 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 450 g (2-¼ cups) granulated sugar
- 20 g ( 1 tablespoon) baking powder
- 5.2 g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 30 (4 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 170 g (1 stick plus 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 62.5 g (¼ cup) avocado oil
- 425 ml (1-¾ cups) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons gel red food coloring or 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) white distilled vinegar
- 15 ml pure vanilla extract
- 10 ml clear vanilla or pure vanilla extract
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 452 g (2- 8 oz) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 500 g (4 cups) sifted confectioners' sugar
- 226 g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 160 g (2 cups) unsweetened shredded coconut(full-fat)
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) Malibu Coconut Rum
Instructions
How to Make Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour three 9 by 1 ½-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla extract, and clear vanilla.
- Combine the sugar, salt, avocado oil, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed until lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Return the mixer to medium speed and slowly add the eggs and beat until they are fully incorporated. At low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
- In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and baking soda, and when it foams, add it into your cake batter. Fold it in just until it's combined, about a minute. Be careful not to overmix the batter!
- Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
How to Make Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated.
- Increase the speed to high, and mix until just combined about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.) Don't whip!
- Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla extract, Malibu Coconut Rum, and shredded coconut, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until smooth (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
How to Assemble
- Trim off the domes of the cake to create flat surfaces and place the trimmed away portion in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs and set aside.
- Place 1 layer of the red velvet cake, rounded side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some Cream Cheese Frosting over the top of the Red Velvet Cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a ¼ to ½-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded side down, and repeat.
- Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire Red Velvet Cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the red velvet cake crumbs.
Notes
- Homemade Buttermilk: Make this substitute if you don’t have buttermilk on hand. Add 20 ml (4-½ teaspoons) of fresh Lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup. Then, add enough milk or heavy cream to equal 280 ml (1- ¼ cups). Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until thickens and curdles before using.
- Room Temperature: The eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients must be at room temperature, so you can mix them evenly and form an emulsion that traps air. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands, producing a light and tender cake.
- Cupcakes: Here is my recipe for RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
