• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
CakeWhiz
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • All Recipes
  • Seasonal
  • Books
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • All Recipes
    • Seasonal
    • Books
    • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Best Red Velvet Cake {From Scratch}

    Published: Mar 2, 2023 · Modified: Dec 11, 2023 by Abeer Rizvi · This post may contain affiliate links · 16 Comments

    Pin692
    Share
    Tweet
    692 Shares
    Jump to Recipe

    The best, easy, moist homemade red velvet cake recipe from scratch requires simple ingredients. Soft and moist. Pairs well with cream cheese frosting or chocolate icing.

    I have been working on this recipe for a few years now. Thank God! This cake has the perfect texture. It's soft but firm enough to not crumble and fall apart when you slice it. The flavor is phenomenal with a nice vanilla taste and hints of chocolate flavor too- the way it is supposed to be! Some other red velvet desserts you can try are: Best Red Velvet Cupcakes {With Cream Cheese Frosting}, Red Velvet Cookies {With Cake Mix}, Red Velvet Truffles, and Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies . Traditionally, this cake is paired with cream cheese frosting but I did something different. I spread ooey gooey chocolate marshmallow fluff all over this cake and covered it in mini pink marshmallows.

    Slice of Easy Homemade Red Velvet Cake on Yellow Plate

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
    Loading

    By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from CakeWhiz

    Table of contents

    • What Is Red Velvet Cake Flavor/Taste? Is It Just Chocolate Cake?
    • How To Make Easy Red Velvet Cake Recipe From Scratch?
    • Red Velvet Frosting
    • How To Make Moist Cake?
    • Why Is Vinegar Added To Cake?
    • Variations For Best Red Velvet Birthday Cake
    • Tips And Techniques
    • Storage For Homemade Cake
    • More Classic Cake Recipes

    What Is Red Velvet Cake Flavor/Taste? Is It Just Chocolate Cake?

    It's soft and moist but also very rich. It has a predominant vanilla flavor with hints of chocolate flavor.

    How To Make Easy Red Velvet Cake Recipe From Scratch?

    1. Cream butter and sugar- Until light and fluffy.
    2. Beat in the eggs- One at a time.
    3. Add wet ingredients- This includes sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, food coloring.
    4. Whisk dry ingredients- Including the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
    5. Combine dry and wet mixtures- Pour batter into prepped round cake pans.
    6. Bake- Until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
    7. Prepare frosting- Add the marshmallow fluff, cream cheese and cocoa powder and whip.
    8. Decorate cake- With this icing and stick mini marshmallows.

    Key ingredients

    • Flour- All-purpose is best.
    • Cocoa powder- This should unsweetened.
    • Butter- This should be unsalted.
    • Sugar- Regular granulated sugar is best.
    • Eggs- This helps make the cake fluffy.
    • Sour cream- This makes the cake super moist.
    • Milk- This also adds moisture and richness to the cake.
    • Red food coloring- You can use gel food coloring or liquid food coloring.

    Red Velvet Frosting

    The classic choice is Cream Cheese Frosting of course, but you can also use Chocolate Ganache Frosting, American Buttercream Frosting Recipe, Marshmallow Frosting Recipe, Chocolate Frosting, or White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

    How To Make Moist Cake?

    Different people swear by different ingredients that result in the moistest cake. Mine is full fat sour cream. Other people like to use buttermilk or Greek yogurt and some prefer cream cheese.

    Why Is Vinegar Added To Cake?

    Vinegar is usually used to make homemade buttermilk and the main purpose of buttermilk is used to make the cake moist. However, my recipe does not use buttermilk or vinegar and uses sour cream instead. I firmly believe this gives a better result.

    Partially Sliced Best Red Velvet Cake With Icing Dripping

    Variations For Best Red Velvet Birthday Cake

    Make a layer cake- It's a super soft cake but also firm enough for stacking and making layer cakes.

    Decorate it- With fondant or frosting for occasions like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Wedding, Anniversary and even Halloween.

    Make it in a jar- Bake the cake first and allow it to cool down. Use a circle cutter (same size as your jar) to cut out circular cake pieces. Place a piece in the jar and frost the top with cream cheese icing. Continue alternating with cake piece and icing until you reach the top of the jar.

    Add ins- Add dark chocolate or white chocolate chips, pecans and other nuts, or add a cheesecake layer (this one is INCREDIBLE!).

    Make cake balls/cake pops? Bake the cake first. When it cools down, crumble it and mix in some frosting to make a thick dough-like mixture. Scoop out small portions, make little balls, push a popsicle stick into each ball (if making cake pops) and chill in the fridge until the balls become firm. Dip them in melted white chocolate and enjoy.

    Spoonful of Velvet Cake on Yellow Plate

    Tips And Techniques

    All ingredients must be at room temperature- Because they mix together more evenly and that yields a better cake.

    Don't omit the red food coloring- Yes! You will need a lot of food coloring to get this vibrant red shade.

    Don't omit the cocoa powder- Because if you do, you are just making a vanilla cake.

    Don't replace butter with oil- Because in this recipe, the butter helps with the texture of the cake and also makes it rich.

    Use full fat sour cream and whole milk- Because they have a higher fat content and yield the best results.

    If you have time, I highly recommend baking your cake, letting it cool down, covering it in saran wrap and then freezing it overnight- Because this really seals in the moisture and makes the cake super soft. When you are ready to frost it, let it thaw (covered in saran wrap) on your countertop at room temperature for about an hour.

    How to make this cake without food coloring? Some people like to use beet juice or you can use natural food coloring which are made from dried fruits and veggies.

    Salted butter or unsalted butter? Use unsalted butter always because you can control the saltiness.

    Plain flour or self-rising flour? I always use all-purpose flour since I add baking powder and baking soda separately.

    Sour cream or buttermilk? I have tried both and feel that sour cream gave me the best results, hands down!

    Why is my cake brown? There could be 3 factors causing this:

    • Not enough red food coloring was used
    • Too much cocoa powder was added to the recipe
    • Cake was over-baked and the top and sides have become brown
    Tiny Kinds Hands Decorating Cake With Mini Marshmallows

    Storage For Homemade Cake

    Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 3 days.

    Freeze- An unfrosted cake can be covered tightly in saran wrap and frozen for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy it, thaw to room temperature and assemble, as per instructions below.

    More Classic Cake Recipes

    • Funfetti Cake/Confetti Cake {From Scratch}
    • German Chocolate Cake {With Cake Mix}
    • Moist Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Best Vanilla Cake Recipe {From Scratch}
    • Angel Food Cake Recipe

    Recipe

    Slice of Easy Homemade Red Velvet Cake on Yellow Plate

    Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe

    Abeer Rizvi
    The best, easy, moist homemade red velvet cake recipe from scratch requires simple ingredients. Soft and moist. Pairs well with cream cheese frosting or chocolate icing.
    5 from 4 ratings
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Decorating time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 Slices
    Calories 735 kcal

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
    Loading

    By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from CakeWhiz

    Ingredients
      

    Cake

    • 1 cup Butter Unsalted, Softened
    • 2 cups Sugar Granulated
    • 4 Eggs Large
    • 1 cup Sour cream Full fat
    • ½ cup Milk Whole
    • 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
    • 3-4 tablespoon Red food coloring
    • 2½ cups All-purpose flour
    • ½ cup Cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon Baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon Salt

    Chocolate marshmallow fluff/cream

    • 2 cups Marshmallow fluff
    • ¾ cup Cream cheese
    • 1- 2 tablespoon Cocoa powder

    Decoration

    • 1 cup Mini marshmallows

    Instructions
     

    • In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
    • Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
    • Add sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, food coloring and mix until smooth.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
    • Dump this dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
    • Pour this batter into two greased and floured round cake pans (Dimensions: 9x2).
    • Note: Since I was not planning on making a layer cake, I used an 8x3 round cake pan and filled it about two thirds and baked it for about 50-55 minutes (Yes! It took long!). I also had a little leftover batter for a few cupcakes. However, I highly recommend making this cake in two 9 inch round cake pans for the perfect red velvet layer cake.
    • Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
    • To prepare the chocolate marshmallow fluff/cream, add the marshmallow fluff, cream cheese and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl and whip everything until smooth.
    • Prior to serving, spread chocolate marshmallow fluff/cream all over the cake and stick mini marshmallows. DO NOT spread this chocolate marshmallow fluff until you are ready to serve or else it will drip off the cake.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Read all my tips above.
    • Instead of chocolate marshmallow fluff/cream, you can use cream cheese frosting instead. 
    • Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 735kcalCarbohydrates: 101gProtein: 9gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 566mgPotassium: 278mgFiber: 3gSugar: 64gVitamin A: 1170IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 3mg

    An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.

    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or rate and tag @cakewhiz on social
    Pin692
    Share
    Tweet
    692 Shares

    More Cakes

    • Easy Chocolate Brownie Cake With Chocolate Ganache (Layer Cake) on White Dish.
      Chocolate Brownie Cake (With Box Mix or Scratch)
    • Slice of Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Cake With Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting on White Dish.
      Chocolate Pumpkin Cake {Cream Cheese Frosting}
    • Slice of Wacky Chocolate Depression Cake With Frosting on White Dish.
      Chocolate Depression Cake (Wacky Cake)
    • Easy Apple Dump Cake With Cake Mix on White Dish.
      Apple Dump Cake (With Cake Mix)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ninna

      August 23, 2017 at 12:20 am

      I'm doing this cake, but i need to do 3 batches. Do you think it's ok if I just triple the ingredients or should I make it one at the time?

      Thank you.5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        August 28, 2017 at 12:59 pm

        I am personally not too fond of tripling recipes. I would make separate batches to prevent any errors.

        Reply
    2. Kits

      November 14, 2017 at 10:39 am

      Can i make this a cupcake?

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        December 15, 2017 at 10:52 pm

        Some people have tried it and said it works really well as cupcakes.

        Reply
    3. Karen G

      December 07, 2017 at 2:26 pm

      The best Red Velvet cake I've had so far! Makes wonderful cupcakes! Thank you for the recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        December 07, 2017 at 9:41 pm

        So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    4. Damaris Freeman

      December 26, 2017 at 2:35 am

      I made the cakes wrapped them in the pans with syran wrap once they cooled..they were super moist and perfect!!! Great recipe!!!! Btw...loved that I didn't need buttermilk...ty5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        December 29, 2017 at 1:30 am

        Awesome... So happy you liked this recipe!

        Reply
    5. Mark

      April 19, 2018 at 11:42 am

      This recipe was a triumph. I'm an amateur baker, with little baking experience. I followed your instructions precisely and the cake turned out just like your pictures. Thank you! 5 stars

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        April 19, 2018 at 1:58 pm

        Woohoo! Nice to hear you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    6. Ana

      May 01, 2019 at 11:36 am

      Hi - If I want to make 2 10-inch cakes (pans are 10x2) - would I double this recipe?

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        May 01, 2019 at 2:50 pm

        Yes, you will have to double this recipe or else the cakes will be very thin.

        Reply
    7. Brittany

      October 30, 2022 at 5:15 pm

      I’m wondering what food colour brand that you used and if it is more liquid or gel like. 

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        October 23, 2023 at 11:16 pm

        I like to use gel coloring (Wilton brand) because the color is more concentrated and vibrant but you can easily use any brand of liquid food coloring.

        Reply
    8. Kenisha

      January 18, 2025 at 10:33 pm

      I was wondering if I could substitute the milk for buttermilk and if so would it be the same measurement as the milk ?

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        January 20, 2025 at 12:18 am

        I don't recommend it. Th buttermilk gives these cupcakes their distinct red velvet flavor. I have included a homemade recipe for buttermilk in the post. It's very easy.

        Reply
    5 from 4 votes

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hello, I'm Abeer Rizvi, the author and founder of CakeWhiz.com—a cherished dessert blog dedicated to baking, cake decorating, doctored cake mix recipes, and all things sweet. As a skilled food writer, baker, recipe developer, and cake decorator, I take pride in wearing multiple hats.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Best Cinnamon Roll Icing Without Cream Cheese in Black Bowl
      Cinnamon Roll Icing {Without Cream Cheese}

    • Homemade Nougat Candy Recipe
      How to Make Nougat

    • Easy Homemade Black Icing in Glass Bowl on White Background
      How to Make Black Icing {Buttercream Frosting}

    • Easy Maple Frosting Piped on Black Background
      Easy Maple Frosting {4 Ingredients}

    4th of July

    • Easy 4th of July Cake on Black Background
      Easy 4th of July Cake {Tiered Cake}

    • Easy Oreo Bites With 4th of July Decorations on Yellow Background
      Mini OREO Bites {No Bake}

    • Easy 4th of July Cupcakes (Red White and Blue Cupcakes)
      4th of July Cupcakes {Red White and Blue Cupcakes}

    • Best Cream Cheese Pound Cake With Topping of Whipped Cream and Fresh Berries.
      Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Work with Me

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2024 Cake Whiz

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.