“Easy, moist red velvet cake recipe full of Southern charm with a secret ingredient! Frosted with Cream Cheese frosting!”
Watch me make this Easy, Moist Red Velvet Cake from start to finish!
There is something so elegant about a red velvet cake. Maybe it’s the name or that beautiful, bold red color. Or maybe it’s the delicate crumb and light chocolatey flavor with a tad bit of tang from the buttermilk.
Whatever it is, I’m totally present for all things RED VELVET!!! Red Velvet Pound Cake anyone??
I’ve been getting a lot of requests for red velvet cake. Being from the south my recipe options were endless. I swear everybody in my family has their way of making red velvet cake and to them, it is the best!!
Hooooowever, I still knew that the perfect red velvet cake was still out there somewhere.
I have been on the search for the best homemade red velvet cake recipe for a while now actually. I wanted one that was easy, super moist, melt-in-your-mouth soft with that signature light chocolatey buttermilk red velvet flavor.
I’ve tried a few recipes that were…OK. Nothing that really blew my heels off though. Until I played around with merging three recipes (God I love chemistry when it cooperates) and out came THE MASTERPIECE!!! Or at least we think so in my house!
What is red velvet cake?
Before we talk about what red velvet cake is, it’s important to establish what it’s NOT! Red velvet cake is not just a chocolate cake with red food coloring. Traditional red velvet cake started as a buttermilk chocolate cake that is has a signature reddish hue from the cocoa powder. The modern take on classic red velvet cake uses red food coloring to enhance the natural redness of this cake and turn it into bold red color.
What does red velvet cake taste like?
Red velvet cake tastes like a light chocolate cake with vanilla buttermilk notes. It’s a signature flavor that is well-loved in the south. Velvet cakes have a tender crumb and always consist of buttermilk and distilled vinegar. Check out this lemon velvet cake below for a different spin!
This red velvet cake recipe is SUPERB!!!! And it passes the stick to the back of the fork test like a champ!
Adding a bit of coffee to the batter isn’t “traditional” for red velvet cakes but it adds another layer of flavor and really hypes up the chocolatey taste to perfection. Not to mention the extra liquid makes this cake do doggone soft so don’t skip it!
Even if you have to run to Mickey D’s or the gas station to get a cup of coffee! I prefer flavored coffee. When I make this cake for people I always use vanilla biscotti or chocolate-flavored coffee. But plain will do just fine too.
Oh and don’t worry, you can’t taste the coffee.
Want cupcakes? Check out these red velvet cupcakes!
How To Make The BEST Red Velvet Cake
- Be sure to generously grease your pans (with shortening) and give them a light dusting of flour. This will ensure that the cake doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Use plain prepared coffee. Yep just brew up a cup of coffee. No need to add sugar or cream. I normally use a light or medium roast Alternatively, you can use hot water but…coffee is so much better.
Helpful Red Velvet Cake Supplies
What Cream Cheese Frosting should I use?
Originally I used THIS cream cheese frosting! It’s light, airy, simple, and delicious!
But then I switched to THIS cream cheese frosting and it’s my new favorite!
I love a tangy frosting so it’s packed with cream cheese and much thicker in texture. However, if you beat it like crazy it does fluff up quite nicely. If you aren’t a fan of this bold cream cheese-flavored frosting then go with the first recipe.
I hope that you guys enjoy this red velvet cake as much as I do. Lord knows I didn’t want to make this cake AGAIN this week…but I have to give my readers what they demand…..and now I have all this cake…. that I have to eat all by myself…..*sigh* oh well….life is tough like that sometimes. : )
Watch me make this Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe from start to finish!
The BEST Red Velvet Cake Recipe. Easy. Moist. Homemade
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil or canola
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-2 oz. red food coloring more or less depending on how deep you want the color
- 1/2 cup plain hot coffee prepared (don't skip this ingredient)
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Generously grease and flour (2) 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
- Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and red food coloring until combined.
- Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing after each addition, just until combined. (Batter will be thin)
- Pour the batter evenly into each pan.
- Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake as the cake will continue to cook as it cools.
- Let pans cool on a cooling rack until the pans are warm to the touch.
- Slide a knife or offset spatula around the inside of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan.
- Gently remove the cakes from the pan and let them finish cooling. (The warm cake will be very delicate)
- Frost the cake with cream cheese frosting when the cakes have cooled completely.
Video
Notes
Be sure to not overbake! Check the cake at 30 minutes as some ovens run really hot.
The cakes are really moist and delicate. You may need to refrigerate them to firm them up before stacking and frosting.
To bake cupcakes, bake for 18-20 minutes, checking at the 18-minute mark.
Want more red velvet recipes?
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Pound Cake
Red Velvet Cookies
This cake is my favorite one cake everyone loves it.
Can you line the pan with oil and parchment paper?
The absolute BEST red velvet cake recipe ever!!! I have used it SEVERAL times!
Stop searching. This is it. This is the BEST red velvet cake recipe ever. I don’t leave comments on recipes, ever. But this one is too good. My husband is obsessed with red velvet, so I’ve made many many red velvet cakes in our 11 years together. We both agree that the search is over, and this is the best one we’ve ever had. He said it’s better than his favorite bakery!! So incredibly moist with a great flavor. The cream cheese frosting recipe goes great with it too. Thank you for such a great red velvet recipe!!
I accidentally used coffee grounds (dunkin original blend medium roast) instead of brewing it. Should I start over?
YEP!
Hi. I’ve made this reciepe before and it was stunning as red velvet. Well I’ve tried twice tonight as a green velvet cake and the cake is just not cooking properly. It rose high almost to the top, but it was cooked after an hour. It has a gummy texture and it’s not edible. I didn’t over mix so I don’t understand. Do you think it’s the powdered food coloring.
Love this recipe sooo much!! What would be the cooking time if we split this into 3 layers instead of two?
Hi Diva I want a bigger cake with your red velvet cake how do I do that to make big 4 layer cake thanks
you could double the recipe
This red velvet cake and your cream cheese frosting is so good! So tasty!
I used your recipe, including the cream cheese frosting, to make red velvet cake in cups for my brother’s and sister-in-law’s birthday party. Everyone loved it.
I have made your red velvet cake many times. This last time I made it, it was bland. My coffee wasn’t as dark as it normally is. Would that affect the flavor?
Can I use butter instead of oil ?
Ik would love to try it gluten free since I love your carrot cake so much! Is there anything else besides the flour that I should change of add?
I’m our of buttermilk and need to make cupcakes last minute. Can I use homemade buttermilk?
Hi Monique,
To make the coffee, what is the ratio between coffee powder and hot water?
How can I make plain coffee?
Please, give me an answer.
Thank you in advance!
By far one of the easiest and best tasting red velvet cakes I have ever tried.
Cake turned out moist and delicious! I made a few tweaks. I used gluten free “one for one” flour, subbed avocado oil for canola oil, and didn’t add in red food coloring (didn’t want the Red 40). Even with these changes the cake came out beautiful (light brown and moist!
Only problem was that a big chunk did stick to the bottom of both of my well-greased cake pans, but I was able to piece it together fine. I also probably made my coffee too strong as the coffee taste came through. But it was very tasty!
It really is the best red velvet cake ever!! I have made it many times and it is always perfect. So moist and delicious. My daughter and granddaughter request it for their birthdays. Thanks for sharing your awesome recipes Monique.
Made this one for my sons birthday. Absolutely delicious and very easy. Love this recipe and will make again.
My family hated Red Velvet Cake until I made this one. The said, this cake was hands down the best Red Velvet Cake they ever ate, it’s a keeper and the only one one I will make from now on. I followed the direction and the ingredients, no changes, came out perfect. thank you.
Hello,
Can I use cake flour instead of AP flour? Thank you.
You can’t because cake flour is not directly equal in measurement to ap flour. In addition to this, it will ruin the cake’s texture and crumb by making it far too delicate. Definitely stick with ap flour or the cake may be ruined.
Hi,
Just finished baking this cake – and while it smells great, I noticed that it didn’t rise very much in the pan. Used a 9” pan…just wanted to double-check that is what you used in your video. Your cakes look thicker….not sure what I did wrong.
Check and make sure that your baking powder and baking soda are still potent.
You can check the baking POWDER by putting 1/2 tsp in a bowl and adding a 1/4 cup boiling water to it. If it bubbles youre good to go.
You can check the baking SODA by putting 1/2 tsp in a bowl and adding a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to it. If it fizzes aggresively your good, if it doesnt its gone bad.
Hope this helps!
Monique I enjoyed making this red velvet cake for my family, it was super moist, my husband and sister in law love it, thank you for sharing with us! I am trying to get the red color just a little light red though, but I enjoy baking, it’s my therapy now!
Can I use this recipe with a 9×13 pan? If so, how long would you cook it?
Hey
Does anyone have flor lumps when they combine the wet and dry?
Heyy
Does anyone have flour lumps when they combine the wet and the dry ingredients?
I just made this for the first time on Saturday and while delicious and moist, I also noticed lots of little clumps of cocoa and flour once I added the dry ingredients. Just now I mixed a new batch up and same thing, and this time I sifted the flour and cocoa. So many clumps. I didn’t pay attention the first time I made it to see if the baked layers had any clumps. I’m going to dissect one of the layers tonight and we’ll see. I may try with a hand mixer next time instead of the paddle attachment on the Kitchenaid to see if that makes any difference because I didn’t notice crumbs in her video.
I’m 14 so I never, ever, ever, have commented on these blogs but I had to for this recipe because :O. I’ve made a ton of cakes, and specifically two red velvet cakes but this is the best cake I’ve ever made. My family has an eastern palate for less sweetness so I used 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, but it was still soooo good. It was extremely moist and fluffy and the only thing I regretted was not making it bigger. Even my parents who don’t really like “American sweets” that much ate a lot. If you’re looking for a red velvet cake recipe or any recipe use this one! Kinda soft and crumbly tho so definitely wait for it to cool all the way before assembling.
Absolutely looked this cake. I halved the sugar, and subbed a 1/4 of the oil for butter. I also used almond flavoured coffee.
Red velvet is my sons favorite cake so I decided to make one last night for his birthday. I followed the recipe to a T and it was perfect. Only changes were I used dark chocolate cocoa powder and tried a vanilla/butter emulsion instead of vanilla extract. I also used your cream cheese frosting recipe but I didn’t put in a full 4 cups of sugar so it was not as stiff as it should have been. I was afraid it would be too sweet with 4 cups. But my family loved it. Thank you!
Love this recipe. Definitely use parchment paper in your pans. The first time I just greased and dusted them with flour, and they completely fell apart. The recipe is fire though!
Can you use butter instead of vegetable oil?
This is the best red velvet cake I have ever eaten and baked. It’s a hit. Its very moist and delicate to handle. I found that I have to line my baking tins with baking paper and I put them in the fridge for an hour before icing. Its so moist and soft. Wow. Thanks for this awesome recipe. Also makes divine cupcakes. Stick to the baking times
I baked in a single 8″ pan as that’s all I av….its a delicious cake but a little dry bcos it baked for exactly 1 hr .definitely need to get some pans so u can av better results next time.
This cake tasted good but upon trying to remove the fully baked cake from a well greased pan the bottom of it just fell apart. Was it too moist so it fell apart? I don’t know a lot about baking so wondering why this happened. Also used low fat buttermilk as that’s what was left at the store. Is that the issue?
@Jess, use parchment paper in your cake pans. It’s a sanity saver! Trace your pans on parchment paper and cut a bit smaller so the paper lays flat in the bottom of the pan. When your cake is baked & cool, slide a knife around the edges and flip the cake onto a plate. I don’t grease or flour my pans. If the cake is crumbly it helps to freeze the layers prior to frosting. (Make sure to separate cake from the plate and other layers with parchment paper or plastic wrap so nothing sticks together.)
Your buttermilk should have been fine. I’ve never used anything but low-fat.
Adding an extra egg might help. I’ve had the same issue if making this recipe with smaller eggs and found that using three eggs instead of two helped.
Do you think one batch would be okay for a 10 inch pan? I’m trying to make a double layer 10 inch cake. Thanks in advance.
Can you just bake this in a 9×13 pan?
Thank you..
This was the best red velvet cake recipe I baked so far! Adding the coffee really makes the cake moist! My family loved it!
Thanks for sharing!
Can this recipe be doubled?
I made the cakes today (Wednesday) for a birthday party on Friday. Should I leave them in the fridge or put them in the freezer until Friday?
This is the best red velvet cake ever. I’ve made it several times now, and it’s turned out perfectly every time. It can be difficult to find a cake recipe that turns out well using egg substitute, but I have even made this one with Bob’s Red Mill egg substitute (for a friend who doesn’t eat eggs), and it still turned out as good as the “normal” version. Thanks Monique!
Question?? Can this cake be made in a doll cake mold? And if so how long for cooking time? I will be making this cake for my sister’s 59th birthday. She has requested a red velvet cake. And I always use this recipe it’s delicious & diffenitly a KEEPER!! I’m going to take my sister back to when she was a kid and always asked for a doll cake. I thought this would be a nice surprise for her to get her favorite cake in a doll shape
Awesome recipe!!!!
This has been our ONLY Red Velvet Cake recipe for years. So good!
Can I use a 13×9 pan and how long do I cook it ?
hey there this looks so good but can I add Splenda instead of white sugar? will it still be moist? And can I substitute the buttermilk?
The cake was a disaster. It was for May daughters birthday/. It spilled over and collapsed
Oh my! I’m so sorry that happened! I’d love to help you troubleshoot what could have went wrong. What size pans did you use?
Can I make it in a bundt cake pan? If so what’s the baking time?
Hi Monique,
I just discovered this recipe. What’s not to love, OMG, it’s wicked! Thanks a million! I am just making my third batch now.
Thanks again,
Annie
I tried your recipe. Everyone loved it. It was very moist, but also crumbly. Is that because I used cake flour? I thought it would be better since it has a lower gluten.
This is a wonderful recipe and people were pleading with me for the recipe! Important to note – as a CAKE. I thought I knew better than the author that this would be ok for cupcakes, but NOPE! The texture as a cupcake is not cohesive to the normal eat a cupcake without a fork and plate. Still delicious, but follow her wise advice and go with the actual cupcake recipe. Still delicious, thank you for sharing!
Help! Step 5 isn’t coming out clear for me. It says”
Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring until combined.
Can you please clarify what this says?
if using instant coffee, how much coffee do you recommend adding?
Literally the best cake I have ever made! This cake is so moist and delicious. I was worried that it would become super dry after a day or so in the fridge, but it is still just as moist as after I took it out of the oven. I am so happy I used this recipe! 10/10 recommend.
Just made this cake and it was a huge hit! Very moist and tastes fantastic. Used two 8 inch cake pans and baked for 40 min total. Made only half of the “real cream cheese frosting” and ended up with just the right amount. This will definitely be my go-to red velvet cake recipe 🙂
Hi
I’m going to make this cake in a few days. Donypubthinkno can make a 3 layer 10″cake by doubling the recipe?
Thanks so much, looking forward to making this cake!!
Can we use coconut oil instead of vegetable or canola oil?
This cake was super good, but not the southern red velvet cake I’m use to and more burgundy than a true red. Red Velvet is my favorite cake but this is my first time trying to make one. My family doesn’t share recipes lol
Your red velvet cake is moist and delicious this is my new red velvet cake recipe
I have made many Red Velvet cake recipes, and everyone said this was the Best onnnne!!! They said this was the moistest red velvet I know ever made, thank you fir this recipe, made it for Christmas, was such a hiitt!!!
This was one of the best cakes I have ever made! It was delicious and didn’t last beyond a day when I made it for Thanksgiving. Thanks for this recipe!
Merry Christmas!
I made this cake this Christmas and it was a hit. By the end of the evening not a crumb was left. Heyyyy! Comments about “how moist”, “the frosting was not to sweet” and “it taste amazing”.
Only thing was that I planned for 3 layers but it turned into 2. I lost a layer when it came out the pan it was too moist and delicate. Should I have placed cakes in the fridge prior to releasing from pan?
Tried this recipe to make a three layer 6″ cake after my previous recipe kept coming out a bit dry. I was a bit nervous about the texture of the cake when I removed it from the oven (still had bubbles in it), but it’s so moist that it was hard to over bake it ha ha. A few tips from my experience: sift the cocoa powder (mine clumped up a little, and left little brown dots in the bakes cake), and use parchment paper in your cake pans to avoid sticking and breaking.
Verdict: The cake was a success! It was flavorful and moist, I will be using this recipe again!
I’ve made this cake several times and it’s always AMAZING! I’m going to attempt to make it as a sheet cake this year, fingers crossed it translates well!
This is the BEST Red Velvet Cake recipe EVER!!! I don’t even like Red Velvet Cake usually, but this is AMAZING and I use it all of the time!! Well done to whoever came up with this recipe!!!!!
Hey there! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I was following another rv cake recipe and its thee exact same as yours(which it was still good but I was told that I was missing something) minus bp and 1/2 cup of coffee. Hopefully by adding the other ingredients this helps. I’m making it now as I typing this message…Thanks again
Hi Alexis the recipe states that you can. Just check your cupcakes at the 18min mark. But if I were you I would try within 15mins and if additional time is needed then do so
This is a great cake l have been using this recipe for the pass 3 or 4 years. Now I’m trying to make it with 13in round pans. I need to know how much more ingredients l need to use to make it more batter ?
You would have to at least double it – probably triple to be safe. The area of a 13 inch pan is more than double that of a 9 inch pan.
Just make 1 1/2 recipe
This is my “go to” recipe for red velvet cake, this cake is so moist and flavorful, it’s a crowd pleaser for sure, thanks for sharing.
This is one of the best red velvet cake I have ever made. Also I tried it without the red colour and it makes an awesome yummilicious chocolate cake
Thank you sooooo much.
I just wanted to know can I use this recipe for three 6inch cake??
I always do three 6″ cakes. It comes out perfect.
Can I use 10 inch pans for this recipe?
I used this recipe last weekend to make three 6″ layers, and it was enough for my cake plus one 4″ cake. Unfortunately, I didn’t note the baking time – but I remember I started checking it around 25 minutes.
Hi Monique! Can’t wait to try this delicious looking moist cake. Question: Can it be frozen? If so, for how long? Would love to be able to make a double recipe,bake and freeze one.
Thanks!
Yes!!!
You must use parchment in bottom of pans mine all stuck to it. Even though I greased and floured the pans.
You shouldn’t bake a cake with Oil. Instead use real butter and then coat with flour. My cakes flipped right out!
Hi Monique,
Im a total fan of your Red Velvet cake and it is super delicious. The best cake EVER. Every time I make it, its a HIT. So moist and flavourful.
Can I use the same recipe for a cake donut. Please advise.
can this recipe be used for cupcakes as well?
Hi Alexis the recipe states that you can. Just check your cupcakes at the 18min mark. But if I were you I would try within 15mins and if additional time is needed then do so
This cake was amazing! Super moist, super flavorful. Just how a red velvet cake ought to be! I made it for my Dad’s 60th birthday party. Everyone said how delicious it was. Some of the guests even got seconds! I used a simple cream cheese frosting I had. Just mix together 2 sticks butter (unsalted), 2 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, 4 tsp. vanilla, and 5(ish) cups powdered sugar (add more powdered sugar to thicken it, less to make it thinner). Half of this frosting recipe would’ve probably covered a 8 inch round cake. I made too much! Let me reiterate though, this cake is glorious! I will keep it as my only red velvet cake recipe! Thank you, Girl!
Just made this cake, and it may be the best cake I’ve ever made. It is tender and I had to put it in the freezer to ice it. But oh my gosh so delicious. I used the original cream cheese frosting recipe, had to keep in fridge, but again delicous. Expect the batter to be thin.
Love this recipe!
I have been making this cake recipe for years. It is so moist and delicious. My daughters all time favorite cake! Follow recipe exactly as it says and do not over bake! You will not be disappointed!
Monique, I need an answer quickly. If I only had your phone number . Just kidding! Any who…. Do you think I can use your red velvet cake recipe for a 2 or 3 tier wedding cake? It is my go to red velvet cake recipe, and the bride wants red velvet cake. The cake is so soft and I do not want it to collapse. The bride and I would both be devastated.
You MIGHT be able to use this recipe for a 2-tier cake, assuming you used PLENTY of cake supports and a very lightweight cake board under the top tier, but it is very moist and tender…I think it would depend on how much and what type of frosting you used (more decorations obviously means more weight) and whether or not the cake is going to be sitting in any sort of heat for any length of time, as freezing or refrigerating it will obviously give it more structural integrity… Honestly, I’d just do a small test cake first! Make a prototype and see if the first layer can handle the extra weight or not. There’s also Monique’s red velvet cupcake recipe to consider; that recipe is pretty much identical to this one in terms of taste and deliciousness, but it’s slightly denser. From one baker to another, good luck!
I’m sooooo looking forward to trying this recipe. Can you substitute the buttermilk? If so, with what?
Hey! You can substitute buttermilk with by adding one tbsp of vinegar per cup of milk in any recipe. (Found the trick online, been using it with waffles and it works great) 🙂
I use yoghurt but not sure how much you’d need for this recipe. Every time a recipe asks for buttermilk I use yoghurt and they always turn out well.
Can this recipe be baked in a bundt pan?
Yes it can. I do it all the time.
Do you know the recipe of a perfect and moist gluten free red velvet Cake ? Thank you
I’ll definitely get to posting that one soon!
Hi Monique
This cake is great always a hit. Can I use this recipe to make Blue Velvet Cake? Just change this food coloring. Thanks for your recipes
Can I use this receipe for Blue Velvet Cake just change food coloring
Sure can!
Omgosh! This cake is HITTIN!!! The cake is unbelievably moist while the crumb is fluffy and soft just the way I like it. And the flavor is so rich just like a red velvet cake should be. Thank you so much for this recipe. I can’t wait to try making the Pound Cake and Brownie versions of this!!
I love this recipe! It’s always moist and delicious.
Am I able to make this recipe in 3 8” pans?
This is the best red velvet cake recipe EVER!
This is the ONLY red velvet I’ll ever use. I’ve made it several times and even made it for my wedding cake. I’m currently baking it again for our first anniversary ❤️
I just made this today, June 21,2020. It is so pretty and so moist. I can’t wait till it fully cools so I can Frost it then tear it up. Thanks for your recipe. Going to add this to my repertoire. ❤️
Has anyone made this at a higher altitude? I’m about 5500 here and just curious how it turns out
Hi Diva :-))
I have made this cake “several times” and never took the the time to thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. This cake is just AWESOME !!!, so fluffy, juicy, yummy
Any Nutrition info would be appreciated thx
The best cake ever, my company took the leftovers!! Followed the recipe and used your cream cheese frosting recipe. I will definitely make this again ❤️
Girl I’ve been making this for my then boyfriend for 4 years! Today is our anniversary and STILL…..turns out perfect! I absolutely LOVE this recipe and because there is no meringue involved….makes this practically fail-proof! Thank you!
I made this last week and it blew my mind. I learned a lot, too, about how buttermilk and vinegar make the cake so moist. Thank you 🙂
Such a disappointment. Really bland and the structure is terrible.
You didn’t make it right then. I’ve made it numerous times and each time it was a HIT! Lol
Absolutely! There’s no way! Lol
This means you didn’t follow the recipe nor made the cake correctly. I’ve been using this recipe for YEARS, and it has always resulted in moist and delicious cakes.
made this recipe and ate the entire cake by myself. Perfectly moist and so tasty.
Was the cake dense? Like hard to swallow .. kinda?
No. This means you didn’t follow the recipe and didn’t make the cake right. I’ve been using this recipe for YEARS, and not one time has this cake turned out far from moist and delicious.
Can you use white vinegar of the distilled vinegar? Or skip that step? Don’t want to have to buy it if it’s not necessary.
I have just made this cake but one of them fall in the middle. Can you tell me where I went wrong.
If your cake fell in the middle, it probably came out of the oven just a little too early. Did you bake both layers at the same time? Many ovens have “hot spots”—some parts of the oven are cooler while others are hotter. Your layer that fell might have been sitting in a cool spot. You can check if your oven has hot spots by using an oven thermometer! As someone with a finicky oven, I’ve had success putting this cake back in for a few minutes until it puffs up in the middle, even after it’s fully cooled. As long as you monitor it and go slowly, it doesn’t dry out at all!
Love ur site!!! Thank u for sharing your amazing recipes!! Made this and it was huge success!!!! Everyone loved!!
I love your recipes. I recently heard of an icing called Ermine. Have you ever made or tasted it? I would appreciate your thoughts before I attempt to use it.
Instant espresso powder or if you have coffee grounds just brew a 1/2 cup.
Hi, what is the substitute of egg here?
I am out of coffee can I sub that out for something else?
Hi!
Is this cake sturdy enough to stack and cover with fondant and Decorate with gumpaste decorations? (I need to make a red velvet stranger things cake!)
Thanks in advance!
OMG I LUV STRANGER THINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi! Can you post measurements in metric system?
King Arthur flour’s website has an ingredient chart with grams and volume.
Monique,
I made your Red Velvet Cake for my son this year because he said he hasn’t had a good one since his nana died. She made them every Christmas but did not leave a recipe when she died. The pressure was on! I choose yours because it looked and sounded more like hers than any of the other recipes I looked at, and you looked like you knew what you are doing. I am a great cook but I am not a baker so it was my first time trying to make one. Well let me tell you something, it was wonderful! I actually made 2 cakes and gave my son one for himself. He took it to his office to share and the other law partners almost had a fight over who was getting the last piece! He said everyone just raved about it! Thank you for posting it and explaining EXACTLY how to make it right. You, my dear, are a genius in the kitchen!
I agree. My granny did the same thing and Her shoes are hard to fill, but this cake is AMAZING. I made it gluten free for some friends and they almost cried because they hadnt had a GF cake that tasted like this cake. This recipe is hands down the best cake ever!!
I’ve come here from the uk, trying to find the red velvet recipe I use, which is yours in the hope that you have a key lime pie recipe. Anyway, this is my go too red velvet cake. Everybody adores it, so thank you! Though I didn’t write down the coffee bit for some reason and have missed this out on every one I made! So will add it to the next one to see what it’s like. But it’s awesome without the coffee too.
Off to find a lime one now x
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? I’ve made this recipe of yours once before and it was AMAZING! A friend told me to try “cake flour” instead but I wanted to see if it would mess up the recipe if so?! Thank you for posting such an awesome recipe because it truly is AMAZING!
You’ll need to know the amount of 2 cups of all purpose by weight and then replace it with the same weight of cake flour if you want to swap one out for the other.
Hey, how can i reduce the sugar in it?
Use half the amount of sugar.
You can use Monk Fruit instead of sugar and it will taste the same. The monk fruit granules is a 1 to 1 swap. Good thing about Monk Fruit is it bakes the same as sugar, it is a natural sugar but our body’s don’t have the enzimes to break it down. It’s zero on the glycemic index. I use it instead of sugar after my gastric bypass surgery and haven’t gained any weight using it. The human body won’t absorb Monk Fruit so it passes through your urine. Hope this helps.
Very good recipe
The cake was awesome, but the frosting was runny.
Hi there Monique. I baked 5 of these red velvet cakes yesterday. I received so many complaints on how moist, dense this cake really is. Keep those recipes coming.
This is my second year making this cake for Christmas for my family. It has now become official Christmas cake. It is delicious and moist and easy to make. The only thing I tweaked was using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour, mostly because I had so many boxes and didn’t want them to go bad. Also, I keep reading cake flour makes cake even more moist. All you have to do is add an additional 2 tablespoons of cake flour to each cup of AP flour. Thank you for sharing this Delicious recipe.
I made the recipe exactly as written. The cake is definitely moist, great color using the minimum needed. I used AmeriColor soft gel paste food coloring: Red Red.
The taste was okay. It was on the oily side. During the baking it did rise nicely but out of the oven deflated bad. In a two inch pan, what started out almost a two inch thickness ended up almost a 1 inch cake. I had to bake a third cake and layer it three times to get a decent height.
Frosting the cake was a challenge. I used a buttercream frosting as I needed a stable cake and had to cover with fondant. Even after refrigerating it was very crummy. The crumb coat had a lot of crumbs, more than usual.
Thank you for the recipe. It has some good qualities and some I will try and tweak to my liking.
I’ve tried different red velvet cake recipes and this was hands down the easiest recipe for red velvet cake that I’ve found and it was perfect!! What was extra helpful was the video. This will be my go to recipe for red velvet cake from now on!
Hey Diva,
When I tell you that not a single recipe of yours has failed me, God bless you and your talented self! Now, I would like to switch things up a bit by making a bundt red velvet cake instead of 2 layer; would this recipe work as a bundt cake?
I made these and as they taste really well, they did not rise! What can possibly be done so this doesn’t happen? Thank you
forgot to rate
This is the best. Tried it a few times now. Didn’t know coffee was such a great cooking ingredient. Thank you!
Awesome recipe!!!! I absolutely love this recipe and so does my entire family and friends. The cake is super soft, moist and tasty. Thank you for sharing an amazing recipe, I’m a fan.
So I don’t use cake flour? Just regular All Purpose?
This cake was amazing. I made it for my husband’s birthday/anniversary and he loved it. I wanna add a 3rd layer, how would I adjust the recipe without doubling it?
Hi..
I am trying to make this this weekend but can i leave the coffee out without ruining the taste ? The reason is because some kids will also be having the cake …thanks
You won’t even taste any of the coffee in the cake. It will just enhance the overall flavor of the cake. My wife also adds coffee to all her chocolate cake recipes.
Hi Diva,
I was never a fan of red velvet cakes…always thought they were overrated. I decided to give this recipe a try after trying some of your other recipes and had amazing results. This really is the red velvet cakes of all red velvet cakes. Totally moist and DELICIOUS. My 6 yr old son has already placed his order for me to make him one for his birthday next week. Keep up the great work Monique!
The best red velvet cake recipes!!! Love it so much!!
This is by the far the best recipe for Red Velvet Cake I have ever made! I have tried lots of different variations of making a red velvet cake and always come back to this tried-and-true recipe. Thank you so much for this gem!! You did your thing with this one ma’am! The only thing I do differently is “sweat” the cake. It’s requested every year for Christmas and Thanksgiving by my whole family. The cake is moist, packs lots of flavor and is a favorite amongst my children!
This really is an awesome recipe. I made a sheet cake of this recipe and cut out 2 inch circles, topping each with the cream cheese frosting. We also devoured the remnants of the sheet cake! Thank you so much!
This is the best cake ever. Made it for my Pastor he swore that it was bought. Every time I make this cake it gets great reviews. I love your recipes. You are my go to for all recipes. Keep them coming.
This is what I just shared about this recipe. I’ve heard good things about this from a cake group I was in and when I found out my niece loves red velvet I knew I could make it
Ok, I’ve never had red velvet before, but hold the freaking phone, run to the kitchen and make this now! It is so easy and let me tell you about moist (sorry to those of you who can’t stand that word), but moist, moiST, MOIST. I will look for reasons to make this again!
That cake was awesome my daughter made it now I’m going to make it
Hi Diva,
This recipe is the best one. I’m using it since more than 5 years and every time it is as good as the first time.Their is no single person who said it was not okay.
Thanks for the amazing recipe ♥
Whew lawd. I made this red velvet cake for thanksgiving and it was an absolute HIT. I used my round cake pans for something else, so I put it in a Bundt pan and made a cream cheese glaze instead. If I could upload a picture I would. It was AMAZINGGGGG and now I have to make another one and send it to my best friend and her husband.
Hello beautiful I haven’t tried the red velvet cake recipe yet but I will most definitely use it during the Christmas Holiday. I have tried several of your recipe and they all have turned out just wonderful continue to keep the recipes coming and good luck to you your website and your business have a blessed and wonderful Christmas Holiday and a prosperous New Year’s with you and your family.
How much teaspoon if i use a gel color paste?
This cake missed the mark for me. It was moist but the flavor was off. The batter tasted good so I had high hopes. Also once I added the coffee, the cake turned brown. And I added quite a bit of food coloring. The cream cheese icing was too much cream cheese. I had to add about 1.5 more cups of powdered sugar and then it was perfect.
I have made this red velvet cake before, and I was lucky to get a slice each time I made this cake. Thank you very much for a real velvet cake that is out of this world.
Omg this recipe is the .com its soooooo moist and full of flavor I love love love this recipe.
Can you use cake flour in this recipe?
I have been making this red velvet cake 5 or 6 years and it alway come out so good. Everyone in my family,friends love this cake always want me to make it for them
I’m planning to cook this for my sister-in-law for Christmas and send it from GA to Washington State next week. I’ve not had good results with Red Velvet Cakes in the past. This one seems pretty straightforward, so I’m going to give it a go. I’ll report back on the results. Thanks so much for this recipe. I’d looked at other RVC recipes. Yours has the best step-by-step process. Wish me luck.
I used this recipe for my daughter’s wedding cake. It was a HUGE hit! I did a few test runs to see how it froze and then repeated this process with layers. The cake stays moist, freezing a layer cake with cream cheese icing between the layers works. This is now my go to Red Velvet cake recipe. Thank you!
I am super curious if this can be tweaked to make a 3 layer cake?!?!
I made this cake recipe to make cupcakes and a Mini Bundt for a friend’s birthday and it is definitely DA BOMB! Super Moist and Velvety!!!
I’ve made many red velvet cakes and this by far is my favorite! Wish your blog had a way to up upload photos they were perfect.
Thank you for sharing
I would like to use this recipe in a 12×12 square pan. Do I just double the recipe as is?
Hi! Thank you for this recipe, I am excited to try this. I had 2 questions and would appreciate if you could help out!
1. Can I reduce the sugar in this? Generally, I use recipes that call for half the volume of sugar to flour, as we don’t like things that are too sweet in my house. Would 1 cup of sugar, or 1.5 work?
2. I live in Pakistan and we don’t have brewed coffee as easily available. Can I prepare my coffee with water and Nescafe coffee mix on a stove and have that work for me as well as brewed coffee does? I’ll be experimenting with that but what do you think?
TIA! 🙂
I made this recipe for Halloween in a Nordic Ware skull cake tin and it was an absolute hit! Exactly 18 minutes with cooling for cupcakes worked for us. I paired it with the Divas Can Cook (updated) cream cheese frosting recipe. Extremely moist with just a splash of vinegar. We decorated the skulls and ate it all up! Thank you so much for the delicious recipe.
Just made these into cupcakes and they were soooo good. My husband brought home red velvet cupcakes from a bakery and they were so dry, and I’d made this once before as a cake and I enjoyed it then. I swear it’s even better than I remember. I used a chocolate frosting.
I have made this used this recipe twice for my husband who loves red velvet cake. So moist and delicious! The only problem I have is that both cakes have fallen apart because they are so moist. Any suggestions?
this is the crappiest cake recipe iv’e ever seen. never using this again or any other recipes from here.
I remake this again the next day and tweak it to make cupcake-ing possible but still retain it’s moist/wet nature without the cake sticking to the paper. I added 3 cups of flour total, use 3 eggs instead of two. Also I reduce the amount of coffee liquid to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup and bake it at 350 for 20 minutes. The cake naturally doesn’t dome but it a flavorful and very moist cake indeed with large air bubble structure and tender crumbs.
I think flavor and mouthfeel it is a great cake recipe. It is really moist, have a tender crumb and in general a very delicious cake recipe. But it would not make a good high stack cake or cupcake recipe because of its wet nature. My cake didn’t have a nice rise and is generally flat and when cooled, had a slight sinkage. No, I did not underbake it if anything I added 3 more minutes at 330 instead of 325 because of high altitude. After cooling, the parchment still felt so wet that it have a sticky peel. And in general the cake did not look pretty. I think this cake is best baked in a 9 by 13 pan or a simple 2 stack cake. I love stacking high cakes but this cake is too tender and wet that the bottom will not be able to support any extra cake in top.
My husband loves Red Velvet cakes. He found your recipe afew years ago and this is the ONLY one I ever make.. Its perfect evertime..
Even his friends request it often!!
Thanks alot for a wonderful, moist and super delicious cake recipe..
Hi,
Is there a particular brand of coffee that should be used? Also should it be caffeinated or decaffeinated? Thank you.
I’ve made this cake several times and everyone loves it! Although it tastes great it is a bit on the oily and dense side not light and fluffy. Am I doing something wrong? I’ve measured everything correctly and I’ve even tried reducing the amount of oil to 2/3c. instead of 1c. Please help! I really love the flavor of this cake! I’m rating it 5 stars because it’s that good and I just know I’m doing something wrong.
Does this cake hold well under fondant?
Thank you in advance.
My Husband said this is the best cake he has ever had! Moist and delicious!
Can I use a cup of butter instead of a cup of oil?
I love this recipe and I’m an advocate for baking from scratch. I just can’t figure out for the life of me WHYYYYYY does it sink in the center…cake and cupcakes. Could adding more food coloring be the reason???
Hi,
Can I use 2 6-inch cake pans instead of the 2 9-inch cake pans?
Thank you,
Laura
I followed the recipe to the letter and was so disappointed. The cake was most definitely moist, but flat and falling apart. The cream cheese icing was too runny. I’ve been baking cakes and decorating them for over forty years and this has been the worst disaster ever!
Hi Diva. Made this red velvet cake today and everything turned out excellent. Cake so moist, it don’t make know kind of sense. I luv all your recipes. Omg that lime pound cake knocks people off their feet. When will your cook book be available? Luv ya gal
Thanks: Patricia
Hi Diva!
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe! I made my first Red Velvet Cake ever and it was very moist and delicious!
I look forward to trying other recipes of yours!
Thank you,
Sandra
I made my very first red velvet cake using your recipe. Oh my!!! This recipe is a hit!!! So moist and lovely. Thank You so much for sharing.
How many cups of batter does this recipe make?
This Red Velvet cake recipe is truly the BEST!! However, because of it’s moisture content, I’m concerned about stacking it for a wedding cake. I have an order for a 3 tier wedding cake. The first tier, red velvet, 2nd, chocolate and the 3rd, red velvet. I will dowel the cake, but still concerned about crumbling when the cake is moved. The red velvet will be frosted with cream cheese frosting. Do you have some suggestions?
I’m not a fan of coffee so I would like to know if this cake tastes like coffee.
Thanks
I have made this cake for years now. this is the best Res velvet Cake. I have ever tasted It comes out great every time. Im sorry but I don’t share this recipe with no one If they ask where I got the recipe from I tell people I’ve had it for years.I have tried just about all your recipes and I must say they are the BOMB
I want to bake mini cupcakes with this recipe, any suggestions on how long I should bake them for? Do I need to adjust the temp?
can you use cake flour instead for the all purpose flour with the baking soda and baking powder
I love this cake. I’m curious to know if any one has made it in a rectangle pan and how it turned out
Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Tried many red velvet recipe.
But this is superb
This is the third recipe of urs I’ve used and it was a hit as to be expected. It’s super moist and soft and people can’t get enough of it. I’ve had to make this cake 3 times this week already.
Made this yesterday as a birthday cake. I Used the cream cheese frosting with the 4 blocks of cheese and 2 sticks of butter! Everyone raved about this cake! By far, the moistest cake I’ve made. This was the 2nd time I made it. It’s amazing! Worth the extra time to make a “scratch” cake. LOVE the texture.
If I wanted to add a liqueur such as Chambord Liqueur, do I do this with a filling (ie raspberry jam), or in the batter or in the cream cheese frosting?
THIS RED VELVET LAYER CAKE
IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST I’VE EVER MADE. NO OTHER RECIPE WILL DO.
OMG AWARD WINNING
THIS IS IT ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I haven’t tried your recipe to bake a cake yet, but would like to know how I can adjust your recipe to make Red Velvet Waffles please and still get it to taste as delicious as a cake? Thank you!
This cake is my number one cake everyone loves it
Just wondering if the buttermilk can be substituted..?
Hi
Would white distilled malt vinegar work for this recipe?
I keep using this recipe, as cupcakes, cake pops and it’s always a hit! Everyone tells me it’s delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hoooooly moly! My partner made this cake for me for my birthday and it was honestly one of the most delicious cakes I have *ever* tasted. If it wasn’t for the fact that I want to still fit into my pants, I’d happily eat this every day.
I am so glad I came across this recipe! I made it for my friend’s birthday and it was so delicious! I can’t believe how moist this cake is. Surprisingly, the cake was not dense at all. I doubled the recipe and made a 3-tier 9in and a few cupcakes.The addition of coffee definitely added more depth of flavor to the cake without making it taste like coffee. I just used plain black coffee. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
For everyone who is looking for a great red velvet recipe, THIS IS THE ONE!!! please give this a try and you will not regret it! Follow the recipe and you will not go wrong.. Like the instruction says…. DON’T SKIP THE COFFEE.
Hi. I just baked this cake but instead of using 2 9″ pans, I used 3 6″ pans. The flavour is amazing, but it took me almost 50 minutes baking it at 325 degrees. And even now it still seems undercooked in the middle. I even used baking strips. Is there something I did wrong? Should I have adjusted the bake temp and time? I definitely want to try this recipe again, but with the proper adjustments.
Fail.. sunk in the middle overflowing cpcake when only filled half way. 1/2 cup of oil may work better. I’ve had much better flavored red velvet
This red velvet cake is the best recipe I have ever made. It is so moist and delicious. I’ve baked many red velvet cakes but I could never find one with just the right texture and flavor! Just make it and you will see!
I have been making this cake for several years now and it is the best cake I have ever had. When I share it with friends, they can’t believe how good it is. Best tip is Do No Overbake. It is so moist that I cook it the day before, cool, wrap in plastic wrap and then frost the next day. The cream cheese frosting is terrific, I won’t use any other recipe. I have been baking since I was 12 years old and am now 67 so I had my share of pies and cakes and believe me, this cake is stellar.
Do you use regular all purpose flour or cake flour?
The cupcakes turned out brown and they didn’t come out of the cupcake wrapper easily at all. The batter was far too wet! They taste great, but they sunk in the middle and look hideous.
Sounds like you may have used too much coffee. It should be 1/2 cup. I made the mistake of using a whole cup of coffee one time, and I had the same result you described. I’ve made the recipe correctly 10+ times with no issue. It’s always a hit, whether I do a layer cake, bunny cake or cupcakes. 🙂
I was looking for a different red velvet cake to match ingredients I had at home and found this. My regular recipe is more dense. This was fluffy and extremely moist. Delicious! Now I’m torn! Saving recipe so I can have a choice when I’m baking my favorite cake. I did not make cream cheese icing – I prefer a cooked icing for my red velvet cakes.
Omg made this cake at the weekend and its simply amazing!!! Melts, moist, delicious… eat me more type of cake! Thank you
On this midwestern snow day, decided to make your recipe after many online fails, and not to mention paying for a baking book with a RVC recipe that needed tweaks. Anyway, the texture, feels like I am biting into a cloud, the moisture level is off the charts! Thank you for sharing your delicious expertise.
Does this cake need to be refrigerated? I’m assuming so with the cream cheese icing??
Fantastic recipe! My nephew and I love cooking this together, and have had heaps of fun messing around with different food dye colours when making it.
Just wanted to say that I have made this cake twice now and it has been a family hit! The cake comes out so moist! Thanks Diva!
Hey beautiful what is the quantity of this. I used a 9in round pan and make a mess in my oven? is there a certain pan size you recommend?
Did you use 2 pans? Or just one? You’d. Need 2 and not overfill the tins.
I love, love, love this recipe. It’s quite a few steps but WELL worth the reward of watching my family’s faces as they take that first bite! I’ve made so many red velvet cakes and this recipe far exceeds any I’ve tried in the past. You truly are an amazing cook and I thank you for sharing your recipes with us. The negative comments on this recipe are a little concerning. I’ll just kindly say that baking from scratch isn’t for everyone…much of it is common sense….sometimes buying a cake is much easier. ?
Can I use this mixture for cupcakes? if no, why? Thank you!
Sooooo good!!! We loved this. I baked three cakes in 7 inch round pans instead of 2 9 inch to get more layers. Thanks!!!
Hello someone asked about the amount of coffeee to use when prepering your plain coff ee please answer because i want to know
Also after preparing the plain coffee should i leave it to cool down before adding it
Hi Pam. Yes, let it cool. If not, you will cook the batter 🙂
Hello! I’m excited to try this recipe. I want to make a two tier cake with it, do you think this recipe can support that with the correct dowel structure inside? I could make a few smaller cakes instead of one tiered cake if needed. This recipe has come highly recommended, both by those I’ve talked with in person and based off online reviews!
Want to make this a sheetcake. Quantity of ingredients?
I made this last night everyone loves it thanks for the recipe
Hello please how much is 2 cups of flour in grams
I’m making a 6” 2 layer cake as well as 3 dozen cupcakes with this recipe for my sons 1st bday. Should I double the recipe? Or will it be enough? I’ve never made your recipe before, so excited to try it!
This is the very first comment I have ever made so here it goes. I made your cake and though it was good mine came out not quite done. My oven is a year old so it gets HOT. When you say 30-40 minutes, I took mine out at 32 minutes and it really needed more cooking time. I could tell by looking at it. It needed a total of 35-37 minutes at 325 degrees. I did test it with the toothpick and it seemed totally fine nothing stuck to it. All I’m saying is 30-40 minutes made me second guess myself. Change your recipe cooking instructions to 35-40 minutes, trust me. My newer oven proves it. This is what baking is all about. Trial and error. Then we do it again bc we love it! Thx for the recipe. It does taste very good.
Omg!!!! So true. It needs 36-37 minutes with my new oven. I’ve made it several times. This is an amazing cake so do it again and you’ll see. The coffee is the secret ingredient. I actually just use instant espresso bc that’s what I had in the pantry. Freaking good BUT the instructions need to change Diva! Love it!!!
This is by far the best and moist red velvet cake I’ve ever baked! I will totally be doing this cake again on Christmas day when my husband comes home. Thank you for this recipe!
Love lots from Plaridel, Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines!!
1st time making a Red Velvet cake. I did a lot of research and went with yours. WOW, best red velvet cake my family and I have tasted. I followed it exactly and it was just as you said.
I made up my own Cream cheese frosting, so I cannot comment that. My only advise, double up on the recipe. The cake was just not enough for how amazing it is. I made it for 7 people and I got 8 slices out of it. No leftovers 🙁
The best Red Velvet ever! So soft, fluffy, rich… Honerun. Thank you for your invention
How many tsp of coffee do we need to add to 1/2 cup water to make 1/2 cup coffee for this recipe?
Hi , Going by the reviews I am tempted to try this recipe, however I was wondering how much coffee to use in 1/2 cup water to make 1/2 cup coffee? Do we use 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp coffee?
Just go buy a cup of coffee from fast food restaurant.
I just baked these as cupcakes. I was a little sceptical about the coffee and lack of butter at first but I’m so glad I did everything according to the recipe..it has a very interesting taste..considering I don’t actually like red velvet..this is actually quite nice..haven’t made the frosting yet though
How do I turn this recipe into a one layer 10 inch cake?
I did everything what ever in your recipe. Cake comes good in teste but the cake is not red colour. What I do??? I used red gel food colour
Thanks to you I successfully made a Red Velvet Cake! I’ve tried several recipes over the years and they never turned out right. Your recipe is perfect! I served it as a dessert at Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! Once again, thank you!
The icing was far too much. You could halve it and save yourself the expense of all that extra cream cheese. The batter was also not enough for 2 x 9″ tins, I ended up with two very thin cakes. This was after it had risen, it’s fluffy and moist so I know I used the right amount of baking powder and soda, it was just too little batter. Also, the batter ended up a dark purple colour and cooked brown, even though I used the max recommended amount of red food dye. The more I added, the more purple it went. Havent tasted it yet but was a little frustrated for not only wasting an unnecessary amount of money on an icing I ended up having to throw most of away but also because it doesn’t look anything like a red velvet, more of a chocolate cake. I used measuring spoons and followed the recipe to the “T” and still I had no luck. I watched the video too, to make sure o hadn’t missed anything. Am not sure how the recipe looks so lively bright and red when I followed exact instructions.
Hello! What brand of coffee did you use? And did you use caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee?
Thanks!
Krista
I’m keeping this little secret to myself! I tried a different recipe and it was terrible, had to trash it. So I looked online through a million different (but same) recipes until I come across this one, which had no bad remarks. Good grief this cake is good! I added just a tad more chocolate, just cause I wanted to. I’d much rather make my own than buy one. This was super easy to make, and so good.
Have been looking for a good moist recipe for so long. Your cream cheese icing recipes are all delicious also. I baked this cake yesterday for Thanksgiving and it’s already almost gone. I follow a lot of your recipes and am always happy. Thank you so much. You are a wonderful cook.
By far the best red velvet cake I have ever tried. That coffee makes all the difference. Super moist and delicious and I definitely recommend this. The only problem I have is that here in Europe I don’t really know what food coloring brand to buy, so mine has always turned out ‘not so red’ that’s why when I make it, I call it ‘the-not-so-red-velvet-cake’.
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe.
I have uses this cake as part of red velvet cheesecake cake… the bomb.com! But I wanted to try something simple. Can I use bundt cake pan or tube pan with removable center?
Diva can you please answer this Question cause I wan to know the same thing??♀️??♀️?
Hey Angela, I used a bundt cake pan while making this recipe for Thanksgiving last week. It was a hit and the texture was perfect. Just bake it for 50-55 minutes and make sure to grease and flour the pan well so that the cake doesn’t stick.
Can chopped pecans be added to the frosting?
Can i convert this to vanilla cake? I tried this recipe couple times and love the texture. Waiting for your reply. Thank you
Hi, I don’t know why but every red velvet cake I make turns out like a really dark red almost brown colour… what do I need to do to get a vibrant red like yours? I’ve tries different brands of food colouring, I’ve tried liquid and gel, nothing seems to make a difference! Thank you
This cake is fantastically moist and super yummylicious.. had a lot of good feedback.. a recipe to keep for sure..
For the frosting, I used 2 blocks (8ozs each) of cream cheese with 113gms of butter and abt 2.5 cups of icing sugar.. no milk. The frosting was just nice, not too thick, spreadable stage and not too sweet..
Thank you Monique for sharing this recipe..
What does the hot coffee do to the cake?
A couple of people have mentioned freezing to stack to make it a tiered cake. How long do you pop them in the freezer for? Is it until frozen or just for a shorter period?
Thanks!
being southern have you tried Picadillys red velvet? OMG its my all time fav so far…no one has cracked it yet been searching the net for years lol
It was too wet. It didn’t work for cake but was great as torte.
can i use a homemade buttermilk (either milk&vinegar or yogurt&milk) for this recipe? 🙂
This is the best red velvet cake ever! I have been using this recipe for the last few years and my kids (32, 26, 25) can’t get enough of it. In-fact I am making it for my grandsons birthday in a couple of days. So very glad I found it. Thank you!!
Hi could you advise if i substituted blue colouring for red if this cake recipe would produce a blue velvet cake? I’ve never been asked for blue velvet before.
I love this recipe as a layer cake! But for a big crowd I would like to turn it into a sheet cake. Would you say double the ingredients and bake for 18min would do the trick? Do you have other suggestions?
Ya know Erina, I have never turned this into a sheet cake but will be doing so on Saturday for a family function. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’ll be leaving the recipe as in and baking in a large jelly roll pan.
Good day, can this red velvet cake recipe be used for a half sheet cake
How did the sheet pan experiment go? This is my go to red velvet and I love the idea of making it a traybake.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! Did it several times and it worked every time!
My question: I want to bake it for a larger crowd and wanted to turn it into a sheet cake. Any recommendations how to change the amounts for that?
Love it
We made this as 3 tier wedding cake with lemon cream cheese ‘barely there’ icing. It was delicious and held up beautifully. We froze before icing, iced, transported and then put tiers all together and finished decoration at the reception rooms the night before. They held it in cold storage until the next afternoon. Perfect cake.
That is awesome!!!
I have always made my kids’ birthday cakes from scratch. I refuse to purchase a cake already made for special occasions. My kids never really seemed to care much, but this year, my 23 year old daughter specifically requested my red velvet cake. I made your recipe instead of mine. What a hit! Everyone raved. This is my new go-to red velvet recipe. My next attempt? Cupcakes to take to work for teacher munchie day. My cakes and cupcakes are famous at my school, so I can’t wait for them to taste this one!
That makes me so happy Kelly! Thanks for sharing!
Does this cake freeze well?
Hi there!
Love this! Question, Can a few nuts be added to the batter? If so, will this change the baking time?
hi there..im going to try making this as a 3 tier wedding cake covered in fondont. My question is if it will hold up okay considering how moist it is.
I wouldn’t use this as a wedding cake. I’ve heard of people having luck with freezing the cake first for more stability, however, I’ve never tried it.
I’ve made this cake for weddings, but only two tiers. Also I once made it with a layer of cheesecake in the middle and it held up. It’ is a very moist cake, but it holds up for me. I do not use fondant, so I can’t hep there.
What cheesecake recipe did you use? I want to make red velvet cheesecake for Thanksgiving!
This is hands down the best red velvet cake recipe ever! I have been looking for a decent recipe forever. I have been through too many recipes that leave you with a dry cake with a not so great texture. I don’t know what magic you have conjured for this cake but the texture is just perfect. Nice and moist but with a lovely bounce back. But the best part is the crispy edges. The first batch I had a little trouble getting out of the pan. I made a second one with parchment paper on the bottom and sides and it is quite simply a masterpiece. Bravo! Bravo!!!!!
I want to make this for Thanksgiving, but is there any way I can make the cake a lighter red without ruining the recipe? I LOVE it as is, but my aunt likes her red velvet bright red not dark red. If I use half of an ounce would that matter? Help!
This will be the fourth time I’ve made this cake. It’s extraordinary. I use chicory coffee because my husband is allergic (weird!) to coffee and it’s still good.
My only question: Will this cake be amazing tomorrow if I bake it in advance? I never had any leftovers, so I don’t even know.
This is the only red velvet cake I have ever attempted homemade, and it’s the only one I’ll ever need! I pair it with your cream cheese frosting, and we are in Red Velvet Heeeaaaaven!
Now, I’m prepping a big party for my husband’s birthday (he’s the RV lover) and I would much prefer to do cupcakes, much easier and more user-friendly. Would it ruin the moisture-factor? And if you’ve tried it, how would cooking time change? Thank you SO much for this awesome recipe!
This is downright, the best and easiest Red Velvet recipe I have come across! Thank you so much for sharing! (Perfect at 30 minutes too, thanks for the tip)!
I made this into cupcakes for a coworker’s birthday and everybody RAVED! These turned out so amazing, I am printing this recipe and will keep in my arsenal to make again and again 🙂 Thank you for sharing such a fabulous recipe.
I made red velvet for the first time today using this recipe and it was PERFECT! So moist and flavorful. It was for my fiancé’s birthday and everyone went crazy over it. When I tried it right out of the oven it didn’t taste that great somehow, but once it was frosted and complete it was heavenly!
I made this cake last night. It was delicious. Very moist. I also made the cream cheese icing. It was a hit with my family. My daughter said this was even better that hers (and she bakes delicious). So it made me feel very proud, in a nice way.
Just FYI. I made your devils food cake for a friend and wowza. They were in awe. ( so we’re we I made a test recipe first). So thanks and I will try this one too. ???
This recipe is awesome. Tried it and I am so sticking to it for henceforth. Thank you for sharing.
Omg this was soooooooo good!!!!!! And that fluffy cream cheese icing was life!!!!!! Will definitely be bookmarking this fir the holidays!!!!!!!!!
This is the first time I ever seen food prepared like this since I left
home thank you.
This recipe is followed to the spot produces a very fluffy cake. Its my all time recipe and it never disappoints. I rate this 5 star
Hey diva! Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t over looking the butter?? No butter for this recipe?
Fabulous cake. Very moist. Frosting rocks.
Best Red Velvet cake I ever made
Best advice follow Monique’s instructions and do everything she does in the video and your cake will be perfect. Oh only thing to do differently is hand whisk in the flour mixture.
Thanks is a keeper recipe. Such an amazing turnout.
Hands down the best red velvet. I don’t bake often, but when I do this is my go to.
It’s never failed and I’ve no need to tweak it.
Perfect every time
I will try this one. But can I ask question, how many tsp or tbsp of coffee in a 1/2 cup hot water to make it 1/2 cup hot coffee?
I tried a couple of red velvet cake recipes and this one I think is the best I have ever made or tasted. Just some friendly tips though start with all fresh ingredients old baking powder, old baking soda, old flour, and etc can ruin your cake. Follow Monique steps exactly do not change the way the ingredients are added. Mix oil and butter with silicone spatula not with the blender. After adding coffee and vinegar stir with ladle spoon not with blender. Hand mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients with a whisk and not the blender to avoid over mixing. To make coffee if you have a Keurig put a regular standard coffee make 8 ounce cup and then just measure out 1/2 cup of this coffee pour it in while it is hot. Check your cake at 30 mins as mentioned above and if it isn’t cooked all the way through check every 5 mins afterwards until it is done.
Hi guys, I love this recipe but everytime I make it, the icing is too soft, almost kind of runny. What am I doing wrong?! I live in Australia if this makes a difference. Right now it’s winter so it’s pretty cold most days.
This recipe was garbage an the cat was DRY! Girl go to school to learn the correct process of making a good formula dum ass!
Hi! Tried this recipe – and while it came out mostly AMAZING (soft, moist, delicious!) I found that I couldn’t get it to go red! While I used almost double the amount of food colouring the recipe suggested, it did not overpower the brown colour given by the coffee and the cocoa powder, and my cake came out brown. Any suggestions?
When you said moist, you were not kidding! This has to be, hands down, the most velvety and rich red velvet cake I’ve ever tasted. I made it for my husbands birthday and he, and the rest of the family couldn’t stop eating it. The only drawback was that there were little leftovers. Thanks for sharing such a delicious and perfect recipe.
for my son Jonathan
I added a bit of my own flavor to this recipe and it turns out AMAZING every single time. A friend tasted it and said “This is the most moist Red Velvet cake I have every tasted, and I have tasted a lot of them.”
This recipe is totally a keeper ? Make it 2times on our family gatherings my family Loves it ? I Love it better with chocolate Ganache fillings&covered in chocolate ganache totally rich&delicious ?❤
Your red velvet is yuummyy. It’s my signature cake!! ? Thank U for this diva. From the above recipe, how many cupcakes does it produce. Thank U.
i sorry but i would omit the coffee cuz i dont drink it. and would use water instead
can i decorate this cake recipe with fondant?
Yes you can. Used this recipe for my son’s wedding cake and covered with both white and black fondant. Worked great.
Hands down the greatest southern red velvet I ever had in my life. Question for you diva can I cover this cake with fondant made from marshmallow puff? My daughter wants to play with fondant but this is the best cake we ever baked together she and I so she wants to make it butt decorate it with fondant can this be done being that it’s so moist?
Wat if i use corn oil, instead of vegetable oil, is it a taste difference
I wanted to share with you the success I had with your recipe. I made this cake for my niece’s wedding last year. They recently celebrated their first anniversary and got to eat the anniversary cake. She told me it was just as moist and delicious as it was on their wedding day! Thank you for taking the time to workout the perfect recipe.
Cheri Powers
I would like to make this, but I want to make mini Bundt cakes. Should the time or temperature be adjusted for the smaller cake pans?
Can this recipe be used for a naked wedding cake? Or will it crumble?
Wonderful!!!! Just baked this for my daughter’s 20th Bday. Red Velvet Cake is her favorite, and I finally found the right food coloring with the right consistency and depth of color. This recipe is very easy to follow and the cake came out amazing! The only thing I did was use only 140 grams of powdered sugar and added 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. It turned out amazing! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the video.
Sorry… the modifications were for the cream cheese and butter frosting (-:
This recipe is AMAZING!! This is my go to recipe and everyone always raves about it. I’ve taken to another level and added a cheesecake layer to this cake and everyone loves it. I’m baking two as we speak. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Hi I really love this recipe but it tends to sink on me a lot is there any suggestions. I am following to the T
I do not have much experience with baking cakes. I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out amazing!! My whole family was raving about it. I baked it for a birthday and have been trying to come up with an excuse to bake it again. I have decided the fact that it’s a Saturday is enough reason. ha!
Thank you for sharing such an amazing, easy recipe. This is by far the best red velvet cake I have ever had, and I am picky when it comes to my treats!
If no beet puree it’s not a red velvet cake.
Hi , do you think I can make either a 10” cake or a 12” cake with this recipe?
How many cupcakes does this exact recipe make?
hi i am trying to make red velvet cake pops how do i modify this recipe so it is not so moist so the cake pops can hold their shape
Can you say delicious. This cake was absolutely moist and just perfect on taste. I will definitely be making again.
This is the best recipe that I’ve tried and it guarantees moist velvety cakes that taste amazing. It’s quite like the texture of a gateau it’s so moist! Don’t leave out the coffee as it enhances the chocolate flavour without tasting of coffee. We are in the UK and I followed the cup measures too. Sadly we can’t get the block cream cheese so I make buttercream very thickly and add cream cheese at the end to make the right consistency. Refrigerate between stacking and crumb coat. Fabulous cake!
Have made this a few times with great success. However if I wanted to use Dutch process cocoa should I remove the baking soda and double up on the baking powder?
Made this cake for a birthday cake I had to make. I used inspiration from the comment above me and used cake flour and part butter (not whole).
The flavor is dreamy. Its absolutely delicious and chocolatey and super moist. I will try the original recipe the next time and see how that performs. (I changed it out as I was limited on oil, was lazy to go and buy)
Hi!!!! Tried this for my sister’s birthday cake. It was huge success!!!!! This cake is so moist and delicious!
Thank U for sharing this recipe!!! <3 <3
My cake came out brown and tasted like chocolate cake. I couldn’t find the red food coloring but found the gel and had a little bit of red left from cookies last year, it seems that’s what most stores are selling. I read about it and the difference per Wilton’s says it takes a lot less to color since it’s concentrated. I put in enough to make it dark pink because it also said the color will darken when it cooks. I also added a few of the regular food coloring.
However-Aside from the color being brown, why would it taste like a chocolate cake? I’ve lived in GA my entire life and I’ve never heard of cocoa being put in it. But, I did see a few recipes that calls for it so I went ahead and made it, especially after reading the reviews as well. I made it for my husbands birthday today but I didn’t tell him it was supposed to be a red velvet cake. I told him it was a chocolate cake lol. Fail on my part. I just watched and followed your video to a T. What did I do wrong for it to taste like chocolate?
I loved your red velvet cake recipe…..what cN I substitute the buttermilk with…if I don’t have it.
This is the best recipe! I have made it so many times and it always turns out perfect. So moist and delicate, yet firm enough for frosting. Very easy for new bakers! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Very tasty recipe.
Hi monique!!! I’ve made this cake twice before and they have come out perfect each time. How can I make this into three layers?
Such a great moist recipe. I made this into cupcakes using a printed version of this recipe before noticing you had adjusted the recipe slightly specifically for cupcakes. They turned out great; I just used a fork to get the rest of the cake off the liners. ???? Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I got an order of red velvet cake , so i was looking for the beat recpie , I tried another one, that does not work well. So i tried this one with little changes. I used butter instead of oil. Secondly i used cake flour. And result was amazing. 3rdly i used my own method of mixing all the ingredients ( first i cream butter and suger to fluffy cramy texture, then i add egg yolks, one at a time, add color, vinegar and coffee. Add dry ingredients and mixed until combined, then added buttermilk. Lastly fold in egg white mixture( egg whites were beaten until soft peaks formed).
How did it turn out, WAFA?
Did you just use 2 eggs as well for folding
How much butter did u use?
One of the best cake recipes I’ve ever tried, and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing ????
When I use the cupcake recipe version, for some reason it calls for hot water instead of coffee but I use coffee anyhow, still turned out well.
Hi, I tried this and by far it’s the beessttt red velvet recipe ever, i made it into cupcakes. I want to make it again today but I don’t have baking powder, should I just add more baking soda instead?
Hi the recipe is very nice but I have few doubts in it the upper layer turned crusty whereas beneath it’s very soft n moist why it happens n the cake turned brown color instead of red
Ok I love red velvet cake and this recipe is easy and on point. My family loved it, Thank you for sharing!????
I’ve been using this recipe for years. It’s by far the best red velvet cake I’ve ever made. Thank you!
this is the best red velvet cake recipe ever!!! i have been using this for 6 years and it never failed me! thank you so much
Thank you much!! I don’t bake but I tried this recipe and nailed it. And I love your voice in your tutorials. Ciao!
This was a great recipe! One question: would it be okay to replace the all purpose flour with cake flour? Thanks!
Hi, i am currently making this cake and picked up cultured buttermilk i stead. Will this still work? Should i add the ginegar?
Many thanks ! Ps love your videos
Made this recipe for red velvet cake yesterday. Was surprised at how thin the batter was. Great color. Super moist. Taste…well I guess it is supposed to taste that way. Almost melt in your mouth, with a hint of chocolate. My problem was that I made cupcakes and they didn’t rise very much. Filled cup 3/4 full. They rose just to the top of the paper. No dome at all. Any suggestions?
Made it for the first time and it’s amazing! Super moist, easy to make and tastes great. Perfect!
Can I use the Wilton icing color for the red colour I need for this cake?
Regards
Made this today… soooo moist…. very yummy …. definitely addidng this to my cook book as i bake cakes for order… thanks fie the wonderful recipe
Any substitute for buttermilk?
I am excited to try your recipe! But my husband and I don`t drink coffee, so we don`t even have it in our home. Can we replace the hot coffee for hot water?
HI,
How would i adjust this for high altitude? I live in Colorado
About how many cupcakes do you get from this recipe?
I got 29
I made this cake last night, and I had an issue, if fell in the middle. It taste great, but wondering why it fell? I did use a mixer was I suppost to mix all my hand?
Hi, I just wanted to know how i should change this recipe for 3 x 9” tins.
Hey! I wanted to make these as cupcakes, and I was wondering how many cupcakes a full batch makes? Thanks!
I made this cake and people could not stop raving about it! Best red velvet they ever ate!
I am very disappointed in this recipe. I made it 2x and following the directions both times, the cakes stuck to the pan, broke, and were way too soft even after refrigerating to be frosted and worked into a birthday cake. The flavor was good, but the recipe is lacking.
This is an amazing recipe (someone be made it for me) I want to make it for my daughter, but am wondering if it will take like coffee? Can someone email me back as son as possible? Thank you so much!!
HELLO, how long will this cake last outside ?Will it stay for 3 days ?
Thanks!
Just baked this cake and I must say it was the best Red Velvet Cake I have ever tasted and the 1st Red Velvet Cake ever baked. No one believed it was my first cake. I did have to refrigerate the cake layers to firm up a bit due to the cake being extra moist. I attempt to frost and the layers start to slide. The refrigerator took care of it. I also refrigerated the icing for about an hour. Great recipe. I already have orders for it. Thanks a lot!
This is my go-to recipe now! Diva, you can really cook! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Great recipe! I made it for my sister’s birthday and it got raves.
I didn’t have regular coffee so I used creme brulee flavored coffee and it obviously didn’t take away anything from this delicious cake. I’m making it again for another birthday party today. Thanks for sharing.
Your website is my absolute favorite. I go to it for all of my cake recipes. The yellow cake is so good that one of my friends who is a professional pastry chef uses it!
What type of coffee do you suggest?
I didn’t realize how strong my coffee was until too late. Made batter bitter. Taste coffee first!
I love this easy recipe. I wanted a recipe where I didn’t have to use butter and cake flour. I just used a whisk to mix because it was a thinner batter . This is now my go to red velvet recipe.
I made cupcakes, they did not rise much at all. No dome, filled cups 3/4 full. Any ideas why?
Best cake ever!! I made this for a birthday party at a restaurant. We gave a few slices to our server. She came over to the table and said whoever made this cake is very talented and it was by far the best cake ever! Other servers cake by to thank us and tell us they were all fighting for bites! Only problem I had with this cake is there’s a long family red velvet recipe in my husbands family and I kinda hurt their feelings because I’m now the official red velvet cake maker! They’ve all asked me to make them now instead of her… oops!!
Hi ,just wanted to know if I could use anything else instead of distilled vinegar.
Thank u
I’ve never been a fan of red velvet cake…until this recipe. It’s so moist and tasty. It’s filled with flavor far beyond any red velvet i’ve tasted in the past, which are typically dry and void of flavor. I followed the recipe exactly and used the recommended frosting. Thank you for sharing.
Being from New Jersey, I had never heard of red velvet cake until I moved to Virginia in the late 80s. I found a recipe that “doctored” a cake mix version. I’ve tried numerous recipes and I had a great one… At least until I lost the recipes. My family has come to expect my RV cakes at holidays and birthdays. I was at my wits’s end when I couldn’t find my best recipe on Christmas Eve. I popped open my laptop, began my search and I saw your recipe. I read the rave reviews and gave it a try. I doubled the recipe because I need a huge cake… It really is the BEST,moistest, most flavorful red velvet cake I’ve ever had. Needless to say, my family loved it as much as I do. This will be my go-to recipe. Easy and delicious. Thank you so much. Happy Holidays!
Finally! I have been trying to make a Red Velvet cake for years. This was so delicious!!! Thank you!
I took this cake to Christmas dinner. It was a hit! When I went to get a slice to take home, it was all gone! My folks don’t eat sugary things like that, but they ate all of the cake. Thank you for the recipe.
Do yourself a favor and do not make this cake. I followed the directions exactly. It is moist, but so moist that it falls apart when you flip the pans. After being generously greased and floured. You can’t even frost it without the cake cracking and crumbs everywhere. I am SO disappointed. Now have to take a butchered cake to my family’s Christmas because I have no other ingredients.
I really love this recipe I made it for my husband for Christmas and it came out awesome ????????
I’ve used this recipe countless times for cakes, cupcakes and cake pops over the last 3 years. They are ALWSYS a hit, even for people like me who typically don’t like red velvet cake. This cake is delicious! I’m making red velvet cupcakes tonight per request by my brother. He was hooked from the first time he tasted them.
Well, I never! What a disappointment! After reading all the hype, subsequent comments and propaganda in the preamble to this recipe, I couldn’t help but believe this cake was going to be the best red velvet cake I ever put in my mouth! I was so excited to try it! Following all the instructions to the letter, then watching the video proved I had been diligent and accurate. So, when I bit down into the dried out sticky texture, I could not have been more let down. My son said, “These need frosting or something!” Right? Something to hide the flavor and make the texture tolerable. The warning to “…Don’t skip this ingredient!” is the worst. Leaving out that ingredient is the very thing you should do. There’s too much liquid to make a fluffy cake. Without frosting to cover the horror inside, it’s just not edible. Honestly, this recipe is an insult to my Southern roots.
I had a terrible experience with this cake, it’s way too crumbly and moist it wouldn’t set even though I cooked it for an hour! It totally sunk I could not decorate it and it crumbled I spent seven hours making it and had to throw it away!! I used a different recipe last week one and it was as fine!! Never never again ruined Christmas!!!
I have made this cake twice and it never fails to impress.
Thanks you
Can you do this as a bundt cake rather than a layered cake?
This is the best red velvet cake ever! By nature this is a dry cake but this one is very moist. Thanks for sharing!
Been making this red velvet cake for last 5 years n really exceeded in it over timr.. very good my whole family loves it!! ????????????????????
Can this be baked as a bundt cake as well? Thanks
This recipe is FANTASTIC! I’ve made it several times. Can the cake portion be made ahead of time and frozen, then assemble and ice later?
Yes, wrap it up good and it should be fine in the freezer!
Jackie yes this cake can be frozen I did it a few years back and it was still just as moist!
Yes. To freeze cakes after putting on icing, set in freeze for abt 30 munutes to harden a bit. Take out of freezer, spray with Pam then cover with plastic food wrap. Wrap well. Place back in freezer. I’ve frozen for up to 3 weeks. Take out morning of or night before cake is needed. Take off plastic wrap and let unthaw. Place in cake container. Cake is excellent
How much ever I thank you wouldnt be enough! This recipe is a rockstar.. I have been baking with this recipe for last one year.. And I have fan followers for my red velvet cupcakes.. And honestly I had never really liked red velvet as much and once I decided let me try baking one and while hunting the recipes I found this and decided to try because I saw coffee in the ingredients which I adore.. ???? And voila!!! Magic! This recipe is a complete treasure.. Thanks a million! Stay blessed!!
Ps-i have stopped eating red velvet cupcakes from shops.. They never taste like these ????????
Best cake ever….I made it for my friends birthday……everybody their praised me for this cake .theys said you open up a cake shop….thanks Diva….love you
Would this recipe convert to a bundt cake pan and still turn out fabulous?
Hi there! This cake looks lovely! I’d like to make it as a square cake. If I am using 9 inch square glass pans, would I still follow the same instructions?
This cake is AMAZING. Made it as a bundt, so I adjusted the oven temp to 350 and baked a bit longer. Fantastic with cream cheese frosting.
Can this be made a day ahead?
GIRL! This cake is to die for!! My first time making a red velvet cake from scratch and it was knocked out the ball park! My family and friends don’t know I used your recipe. It’s my secret, lol.
Hi, can anyone explain why whenever I make this recipie (delicious as it is) I end up with a slight red but definitely brown coloured sponge as opposed to a bright red like in the shops.
Need some help, I want to to this cake for a birthday, but I don’t know how much is a cup in a recipe. Help?
My son wants to make this cake for a boyscout Christmas contest. Will let you know if he wins.He is 12 and has to do it all himself.
Tasted great moist cake tasted like la Rocca cake superb!!!!!!
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years. My whole family looks out for it for birthdays and holidays like Christmas and thanksgiving. I follow it exactly as stated and I can’t think of a time it has ever failed me. I even forgot the coffee once (oops!) and it still turned out awesome, my husband couldn’t tell the difference. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
What can I use for a substitute for the
coffee? We don’t drink !
Looking for the best recipe.
Hello. Please help. Can I use regular white vinegar????
It is not a cream cheese frosting! Why do people keep putting cream cheese frosting on Red Velvet Cake! It is Waldorf Astoria Frosting – the most amazing frosting ever! An amazing home cook introduced me to this frosting (and Red Velvet Cake) 37 years ago and I can’t help but get annoyed every time someone puts cream cheese frosting on Red Velvet! If you put this icing on Red Velvet – you will never, ever again tolerate the cream cheese frosting – I promise!
I just want everyone to know that this is literally the best red velvet cake recipe I have ever made- and I have tried quite a few as it is my husbands favorite! The cake is so moist and flavorful and the cream cheese frosting is fantastic. Thanks for such an amazing recipe!!
I made this for my chemistry midterm and my teacher loved it! Thank uuuu
I made this cake yesterday for my daughter’s birthday and it is absolutely amazing! Thank you so much! I’ll definitely be making it a tier of my wedding cake next year.
This cake is great. I have made it several times. I will not share the recipe with anyone. My sisters where down for the holidays and I made this cake , the chocolate and the sweet potato pie from your site. I watched everyone sit and enjoy the table of deserts that I had made.
I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been making this cake for three years no and am just now expressing my thanks. I lived in the South for 10 years and tried many red velvet cakes — this is by far the best. It’s moist and level without the overly crusty exterior of some. I’ve made this recipe and they’ve sold for hundreds of dollars at charity auctions. Thank you for giving my family their favorite red velvet cake recipe!
what does plain coffee means?
Can I use butter instead of vegetable oil.. wish me luck am trying this out today… And the recipe looks wonderful by the way
We are always trying red velvet cake recipes to find “the best” one. This may be our favorite, thus far. The key ingredients are the coffee and the oil that add complexity to the flavor and improve the moistness over butter. And for those worried about using coffee, the cake doesn’t take like coffee – just like it doesn’t taste like cocoa, either. I used cold coffee, not hot coffee. NOTE: DO NOT use Neufchatel cream cheese/lower fat (1/3 less) Philly cream cheese in the icing recipe. The icing didn’t set up well.
This cake was awesome. Not a single crumb left. Everyone loved it!
I’m making this cake for thanksgiving! But I would like like a 3 later cake. What extra to add ?
If you want a 3rd layer would u have the ingredients to get that
I love this cake it is always very moist
How do I get my red velvet cake to stop caving in the middle?
Can I use brown sugar instead of granulated?
I have made this cake on several occasion and it has been a hit!!!! Thank you for the recipe
I made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday, red velvet is his favorite, and he ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! His only complaint and mine is that the cake isn’t Red. I put tons of coloring in it but no matter how hard I tried it was a DEEP dark brown with red tent. The bright beautiful red is what we both were expecting to see so I was a little disappointed in that. Any tips on how to make sure it is RED?
Hello, I’m going to try this recipe, however, I’m using 8 inch pans. What would the temperature and bake time be?
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Cake came out super moist even without the coffee added into it..I also cut back on 1/2 teaspoon of the coco powder to fit my liking.I am from Southwest Georgia and this is definitely your Grandmother’s recipe…
I have been making red velvet cake for my daughters birthday for years since it is her all time favourite. Came across this recipe a few years ago and it truly is the best red velvet cake. I had some reservations about the coffee because I didn’t want the cake to taste like coffee but tried it Anyway and it liftster the taste of the chocolate so don’t skip it. Thanks so much for posting it!
Belinda,
The Netherlands
I came across this recipe by accident…. and WOW it is the best cake ever!!!! My daughter and I made it for the first for a friends birthday and they all were amazed a thing how fluffy and moist the cake was. My friends wanted the recipe for her daughters wedding cake… can you believe that. She was wanting to make a red velvet cake for their wedding but did not have a recipe yet. This is the one she said… the 150 guests will love it….
I have made this cake several times now and everyone’s that has it just adores it… BEST CAKE IVE EVER TASTED. thanks to your grandmothers recipe. ????
Is this instant coffee you used?
I just love your video on how you make your cake I’ve try it and it work perfect Thank you in sharing it
This recipe makes a delicious cake, but impossible to work with. Cake falls apart SO easily. Serving tonight as a 60th B-Day cake and it’s completely lop sided. It is super yummy but not conducive to beautiful presentation.
God bless you and the family
I’m making it too this weekend but I forgot to add coffee ☕️ see what happen when it comes out in the oven
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on red velvet cake. Regards
My cake fell in the middle what did I do wrong? I need to make this on the 17th for a birthday. I followed the directions exactly and watched your video as I made this cake. I used all purpose unbleached flour, is this the problem should it have been bleached or does this matter? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi, just wondering if this means plain black coffee?
Thanks
Hi, I’m making this cake this week for our family and was wondering what you meant by flavored coffee. Is the coffee itself flavored or are you adding a flavored creamer? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it.
I made this last year for Thanksgiving (making it again this year). I used a caramel flavored coffee – Green Mountain Caramel Vanilla Cream. It was delicious.
I’ve made this a million times based off of this recipe and I’ve always made mine with Folgers coffee, the red one, with no sugar or any creams. Literally just brewed plain coffee
Just plain coffee
It’s just plain hot coffee. You brew it ahead of time but it still has to be hot when you mix it in. Hope this helps!????this IS the best red velvet cake I’ve ever tried????
Just use black coffee , no cream. I just use my favorite coffee with no favor.
hi!
will coconut oil work with this recipe?
I’m so excited to make this cake.
I actually just started and realized I dont have enough canola oil.
Thank you!
Made this Red Velvet cake this is the best recipe I’ve I followed the recipe but I changed the sugar quality, I added a little less sugar.
Everyone loved it.
I am so happy to have found this recipe, it’s legit. Super easy to follow and there’s no way you can f*** this one up.
If I wanted to make three 8 inch tiers how much recipe will I need and how many people does your recipe serve
Hi, I made the recipe and whilst the cake was moist and tasty, it was oily. Maybe I need to use less oil as 1 cup was too much. need ot to wow the judges for a competition
Hello – I just wanted to say that I have made this cake SEVERAL times and it it positively the single most amazing Red Velvet cake in the history of ever!! No other recipe t comes even close. It’s perfectly moist and I even converted someone who said she didn’t like Red Velvet cake (all shed’s ever had was that bad restaurant stuff that is simply regular cake with red food coloring). Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the receipe. It’s always a hit for the holidays:)
When you bake cupcakes, 325F works or 350F?
LOve thus recipe! It is my ” go to” now and my daughter’s favourite birthday cake. Awesome for cupcakes too!
If I wanted to do 3layers how would I do the ingredients would I do 1 and a half ingredients please let me know.
Dear Diva, I will be getting this perfect cake together for Thanksgiving and I would please appreciate if you could help me in making a 3 layer Red Velvet Cake
The cake tuned out really well and was delicious but my cake was brown! Did I add too much coffee?? Help!
Help, please! I have tried to make cupcakes 3 times with the recipe, and always have trouble. I love the taste and texture, but I always end up with little bits of dry ingredients on top that aren’t incorporated. I have tried reducing the old and sifting dry ingredients together before adding to wet, and still have the same problem. I have also tried cooling the coffee. Am I not beating the batter enough? I am using my Kitchen Aid. I really, really want to make this work, specifically for a wedding tomorrow! If anyone can help, I would appreciate it so much.
*oil, not “old,”
I can’t tell you how many times I have used this recipe. I have made wedding and birthday cakes and cupcakes with it, and It turns out perfectly every single time.
Looks delicious. and I want to make it but I am just checking something. I am in Australia and we use metric cups/spoons etc. Can I use my measures or will they affect the end result? Thanks in advance, my son has requested Red Velvet for his birthday cake.
Good flavor but too moist. So moist that I would say it was wet.
There are so many amazing reviews for this so I’m tealkysure excited to make it but I was just wondering how essential using oil is? Because I’ve never mad a cake with oil before as I normally use butter and the only oil we keep in is olive oil. Would using melted butter give me the same results? I hope you see and reply to this! 🙂
Cannot wait to try this!!! I can’t find distilled white vinegar anywhere in the U.K. Is it ok to use either white vinegar whish is not distilled or distilled malt vinegar. Thanks in adnaveb
The best recipe yet
If I were to make a sheet cake out of this recipe, how should I tweak the oven temperature and baking time?
Can I use powdered buttermilk? I read the buttermilk used in most grocery stores isn’t real buttermilk. Doesn’t it matter.?
im surely going to make this…!
This is the best Red Velvet cake ever!! I have made 6 of them in the last 3 days. Thank you for your grandmothers Recipe . When my grandmother died someone got her recipes and now we have no idea where they are but I’ve kind of picked up some things by memory definitely not the red velvet couldn’t remember what it was but once again thank you so much.
Is the recipe correct? Way too much liquid….total flop!
This recipe is similar to the one I learned from my grandmother over 50 years ago. except we did’t use vegetable oil. This was a recipe passed through several maids in Columbus, GA and I remember some scandal where some of the employers had to later pay a large amount of money for the recipe. We used an a hard boiled icing made with a double boiler and I use a plan white icing, never used the cream cheese.
This recipe is the best recipe. I am making it, again, for the third time! It gets rave reviews from me and all of my friends and family ????
Hi. This cake recipe is a-ma-zing!!! Now, I am wondering if I could make it purple. My daughter’s favorite color is purple and would love to have it be purple and this moist.
I am needed to make this purple as well… did you attempt purple?
Thanks! Kim
Please, can I use cake flour instead of AP flour?
I was looking for a different Red Velvet cake to try, since I always use our own family recipe. After researching several different recipes I decided to try this one. I was asked to make a cake for a baby shower, and I know that the new mommy to be loves Red Velvet cake. I wanted to make it special looking so I decided to bake up two , 6 inch round cakes with the rest of the batter making the cupcakes. I only had dark chocolate cocoa powder on hand, I ended up that since the recipe only calls for 2 TBLS & used “2” of the red food coloring.
These are delicious, they are light, fluffy , rich deep red in color, and OH SO GOOD!!!
This recipe is definitely a keeper in my book!!
This looks so good. Can’t wait to make it. One quick question on the coffee…the recipe calls for “hot” coffee…does that just mean coffee from a freshly made pot of it? Or would it need to be slightly cooler than that? The reason I ask is it is going into the batter with eggs, and curious if the temperature, if too hot, will affect them?
It was the first red velvet cake I made and the fourth iteration is in the oven.
I use a red velvet bakery emulsion instead of red food colouring.
This cake is awesome!!! I used the Red Velvet Emulsion and I feel that it was better than the food coloring…I also use different flavored coffee’s . My favorite is the Jim Beam Bourbon flavored Coffee. This cake is fantastic and is now my favorite cake to make.
This is the BEST red velvet cake I have ever had! I have made this recipe three times with cupcakes and they are divine! I now refuse to buy red velvet cake from a bakery because I have yet to find one this good!
I’m so glad it was a hit for you Lynda!
I just used this red velvet recipe for my friend’s 4 tier wedding cake and it was the bomb! It looked and tasted awesome and stacked like a dream. Thank you for making my first wedding cake a success!!!! I even got an anonymous text message stating that it was the best cake they EVER tasted! I have since subscribed to your site because your recipes are awesome…my kids love the hamburger helper! Thanks and keep the recipes coming, please!
Wow I’m so glad you had luck getting it to stack and cut! I’ve been working on a recipe for a wedding red velvet cake since a lot of people want to use this recipe for a wedding cake but it’s really soft and moist.
I tried this recipe for my sons 7th birthday and he absolutely loved it. Thank you.
Yayyy!! That makes me happy! Thanks for leaving a review!
This is an amazing recipe! I am a red velvet cake critique and this recipe is a winner!! The texture and flavor are on point.
I have been using this red velvet recipe for four years now and it has become my 8 year old’s request for her birthday cake.
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Yayyy I’m so glad to hear that!!
I can’t wait to make this ????
How do I make this a 3 layer cake
Can this recipe be halve and still taste exactly the same ?
BEST RED VELVET CAKE IN THE WORLD!!! thank you sooo much for this recipe. WAUWWWWW
This is the best red velvet cake recipe I’ve come across! Thank you so much for sharing! ????????
This was one of the best cakes I have EVER had. My friend loved it so much she decided that was the recipe she wanted for her daughters wedding cake …
Oh my!! I need help! I hope you’re online. I forgot to add the coffee on my cake. I just remembered it and my cake was already baking. What should I do??? Any remedies for it?? Heeeeelp!
thank you very much
I baked this cake with my sister it was the best cake ever !!!!
I baked this cake it was the best cake ever !!!!
Monique, your recipe for this Red Velvet cake was simply divine! I am a chef and have served it for a few parties now and my clients have gone gaga over it! Since I am a Northern girl living and catering to a lot of Southern clientele who have a high expectation level for their Red Velvet cake, I am ever so grateful that you’ve shared this fantabulous recipe for many happy mouths in Franklin, TN!
Can you bake this in a bundt pan.
I can’t count how many times I’ve made this cake! I follow the recipe exactly. I’ve been asked numerous times for the recipe. The most moist cake ever!
Hello there! I should have written this a long time ago.
I discovered this recipe a few years back and I have to tell you….MY FAMILY LOVES IT!!!!! I’ve even had friends who don’t like
Red Velvet cake not only love it but will request it. This is my go to for Red Velvet cake.
Thanks for posting such great recipes!!!!
Excellent. Like ur baking
Your addition of coffee was a stroke of genius!
Tried this out today! Amazing red velvet cake. Tastes so much better with coffee in it. Thanks for the recipe Monique ????
Wow. This cake is so light and soft! Perfect flavor!
What kind of coffee do you use?
I was gifted with a super delicious red velvet cake about 7 years ago (my very first) and haven’t found one like it till now,!!!! I’ve tried a couple of recipes but not as good as this. They’re cooling right now but I’ve been eating the tops. I did half butter half oil as suggested. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe.
This cake is a slice of Heaven. So moist and light everyone love it, you can just sit their and eat the whole thing with a bit glass of milk. One thing don’t taste it before you share it. Why? Because after to taste you will not want to share not one slice, it’s that good. Thanks Miss Diva for the BEST red velvet cake ever. I bake mine 08/09/2017 and it is gone by 08/11/2017…..hahahahaha love it.
Hi Monique! I have a question. Is baking powder NEEDED in this recipe? I want that soft and fluffy cake but I don’t have baking powder and it’s hard to find where I live. Can I use ONLY baking soda and still get that fluffy and SUPER moist cake? I hope leaving it out won’t alter the recipe.
Question what type of coffee did you use? My husband drinks dark roast will this work?
Hi what was the depth of your 9 inch round tins please
I LOVE this recipe!!!! If I want to bake booze into my cake , how should I go about it? 🙂
Everyone is in LOVE with this red velvet cake. I use this recipe (minus the coffee) for cupcakes all the time. A few times I attempted using cake pans but I always encounter the same problem. It sinks in the middle. Why is this happening? How can I fix this?
Thanks
This recipe is great! I’ll never use another one!
I followed the recipe to a T … 40 minutes in the oven and I still have liquid cake. 😐
I love this recipe.its the best ever.
Its came out really well and very nice. Its a great recipe.
can I use apple sauce instead of oil?
Hi! I adore you and your recipes! I made red velvet for my daughters 17th birthday and used half oil, half butter as another reviewer had posted and it still came out so tender I’m afraid I won’t get it put together today. I planned on putting 2 layers of cheesecake in between layers and man oh man is this cake tender. I’ve never baked one this tender and I’ve baked a lot of cakes. Thanks for your great recipe! I look forward to making more of your recipes.
I have a question. I’m making this cake today for my daughters birthday tomorrow and she wants cheesecake layers in between cake layers like Cheesecake Factory’s. Is this too moist to hold up? I’m hoping you will see this but it’s so late now, I don’t have much hope. I do plan on freezing cake layers before putting cake together. Thank you for all you do for us! You are the Queen of baking!
I have made this cake numerous times now and it’s my go to recipe. Always delights. I’ve never found I can get it super red, but I really don’t care! It tastes great. I once made a blue velvet cake (I had run out of red and was at a cottage). It was a lovely shade of teal. Always turns out great.
How many does this serve? I want to make a triple layer cake with this but I dont know whether to keep the same amount of ingredients and use 8 inch tins or just X1.5?! I need to make it for a party. Many thanks 🙂 I can’t wait to make it!
I made this recipe after losing my tried and true red velvet recipe and let me say: this is the BEST recipe I’ve ever made for RV. It Is super moist and has such a rich velvety flavor, my family raved about it! Now I have a new tried and true!
This is truly the best Red Velvet Cake recipe I have ever tried! I have tried many many of them! I love Red Velvet Cake!!! I did use cake flour in mine. Delicious!!!!
I just made a cake and it did not rise I did everything .. I love making homemade cake’s but today my red velvet did not rise. What kind of did wrong?
Do you recommend the coffee be at room temperature as well?
Hi Diva! Do you have the updated tweaked version you were creating for tighter crumb/less moisture?
I’m attempting this cake for a party on Saturday. If I make Thursday will it still be OK for Saturday? Should I ice it as soon as it has cooled or ice it Friday? Or Saturday?
This is seriously the best red velvet cake I’ve ever had. Everyone asks me to make it for birthdays and holidays now. So good!
I dont have an oven, would it work if i use my steamer? Im goin to experiment ???? This is my first time doin it btw
hi stumbled on this while earnestly looking for a good red velvet recipe made it and it was divine thanks from nigeria
I made this cake for my friend’s birthday, and everyone loved it. It was so moist and delicious! This is definitely the BEST red velvet cake that I have ever tasted. I used Folgers Gourmet Selections Sugar Cookie coffee. The coffee added such a rich depth of flavor. It was wonderful! Thank you so much for this recipe!
This cake was delicious but fell apart on me. I tried everything to get it out of the pans in one piece, but the bottom stuck (despite the crisco and flour coating). I followed the recipe carefully and the cake was definitely done so it wasn’t a matter of under-baking. What would cause this?
Attempted to make this cake a few times but I’m having problems with the texture. When making cupcakes its perfect, but when making it in 8″ pans the cake seems soggy and a bit dense. It doesn’t have the correct cake fluffy texture. Anyone know where I’m going wrong?
Okay – so I just make four red velvet test cakes using different recipes, including this one! Hands down, this cake recipe won with four tasters. Thank you so much. It was moist, and not too dense, it had a lovely crumb and rich taste!! This will be my go to recipe!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Oh, and I used the 1/4 butter and 1/4 oil as I plan to do three layers 9″
Hi would it be good with white chocolate ganache as I need it for a decorated cake. Thx
I absolutely love your recipe and I have tried it multiple times however everytime no matter how much I mix my dry with my wet ingredients I get lumps. I am making sure I add it slowly but no matter how hard I get lumps still form….help?
I have used black food colouring instead of red for deep dark color, and put thin Oreo cookies in the cream frosting to make Oreo cake. It was beautiful.
I made this cake today. I baked in microwave convention . I preheated to 160°C nd baked for 50 min also followed the recepie as it is . Still my cake turned out uncooked in middle and crunchy on the top of cake and also they were brown???? but the side were perfectly fine. So moist and fluffy..my family loved the cake so much. I gonna try this cake again . I ain’t goin to give up anyway????. But plz tell where did I gone wrong.plz reply ..
Just made this cake,exactly as the recipe called for it to me made and it was Duh-lish-us! OK! I work on a ranch and every cowboy and cabin girl could not stop eating it! I WILL be making this again!
I have made this cake like 1000 times great ./ the only thing I find makes it better is to Put a NoBake Cheese cake between layers its awsem cake is wider so cheese isint too thick cake rocks
I love this cake recipe more than any recipe I’ve ever made and everyone else loves it too. Is dark cocoa only thing different thanks for making me a Diva.
Dodie Sauls
What am I doing wrong? My cake always sinks in the middle
Hello – If I wanted to make the recipe into a sheet cake recipe, are there any adjustments I would need to make? I have made this recipe quite a few times and the compliments and request to make it over and over again are overwhelming. Now someone would like this cake in the sheet cake version.
Hi there!
I was looking for a red velvet recipe to make and i stumble on your and its looks amazing and good so i am testing it right now. I have changed the food colouring for a blue cake because i am doing a baby shower. But while mixing everything up ( and it smells AMAZING by the way), my batter became a greenish colour.. and i know the coco powder and coffee doesn’t help with blue food colouring but is there a way for it to be a real blue without taking to much of the coco powder? Thank you for your time 🙂
How many cupcakes does this recipe make??
Thought you were trying to trick me with that coffee, so I decided to add a few tablespoons it to one layer just to see. I can’t taste the coffee and the cake itself is really good. By the way, I’ve had a few with coffee in them that were not good, which is why I was leary. The recipe is very close to my own except mine calls for more oil and flour (but no coffee), so I decided to try it. Nice work.
I see that people are concerned about using this recipe for tiered cakes. I have used this recipe as is for a three tier cake. 10″, 8″, and 6″ and it held up just fine. I place my cakes in the freezer to firm them up before frosting. The support dowels and boards is the key to a well supported cake not really how delicate and moist a cake is.
I love this recipe ❤️ Thank you for sharing!
Any tips to make the color bright red?
My first time making a Red Velvet cake and it blew my family a way they were so impressed. Thank you. I didn’t have any coffee so I just used hot water instead.
The best Red Velvet cake recipe I’ve tried. The texture, color, taste and moisture is superb!! Hmm.. Divas can cook????
hi,
I could not use vanilla extract because it is consist of alcohol, would it effect the texture result because I skip 2 tbsp wet ingredients ? please advise what should i do to have the same texture if i skip vanilla extract
I tried making red velvet using this recipe, unfortunately it turned out to be very oily
I have been making this cake for a few years now and it is the best I have tried. The only adjustments I have made were reducing the sugar because I do not like overly sweet things and also substitute half of the oil for butter so that I have a firmer cake.
HI, I was just wondering if I could use regular white vinegar or does it have to be white distilled vinegar?
I made this cake and it was wonderful. Everyone loved it, but I need help with my cream cheese frosting. My frosting taste amazing but it keeps sliding off my carrot cakes and red velvet cakes (when trying to frost a two-layer cake). I am unable to pipe or give the cake a “professional” appearance because of it’s consistency. Does anyone have a recipe for a stiff cream cheese frosting that actually tastes good? Many thanks in advance!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been looking for a good red velvet cake recipe for a long time and this did not disappoint! I have received rave reviews and one of my friends even said it’s the best red velvet cake he’s ever had, and red velvet is his favorite! I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
I am an avid home baker. A friend requested a red velvet cake for his birthday party and I went on a quest to find the best recipe. I can safely say this cake is it! I did use 1/2 the oil and added a stick of butter because I was making it as a 3 layer cake and I knew the amount of icing I was going to use would be heavy for such a moist cake. I will be making this again!!
It was my first time to bake red velvet from scratch.. this recipe is ohh-so-pure-goodness! It’snperfect! Thank u for sharing such a great recipe
i need to know how thia works in a 9×13 cake pan i have to make a cemetary and want oblong
DISASTER. The cake turned out brown, the taste was horrible, the texture was awful. The icing recipe was more than twice what was needed – what a waste. Unfortunately I had offered to bring a cake to a dinner party and this was what I brought. Very embarrassing. It was actually painful watching people’s faces as they ate it. And I followed the recipe exactly! Huge disappointment.
I’ve made this cake for two birthday parties and it’s always a hit. Everyone wonders how I get it to be so moist. I would suggest using wax or parchment paper to line the cake pans and spraying them with cooking spray (I use butter flavored) as opposed to greasing and flouring them.
What if i dont have an all purpose flour? Can i use a cake flour?
I’m going to try this recipe… Can I know what kind of sugar do you use? I don’t like my cake overly sweet. Will it change the structure of the cake if I reduce the sugar?
I made this withnthe butter and oil but the mix seemed to curdle! I made it in 2 6×2 cake pans and it rose above the rims by about an inch but when i tested it it sank in the middle. It tastes ok but texture was so soft it almost fell to bits. Help
Okay, I had posted earlier that I made this cake but used a 9 x 13 pan and had cake batter everywhere in the oven. The cake was uneven, and was dripping over the sides, and I didn’t know whether to just pull it out and toss it or let it come to its own miserable death. I opted for the latter and I’m glad I did. This cake is amazing!!!!! Okay – mine looks like a disaster but the taste is exactly as she described. It’s moist, it’s yummy and I would definitely make this again – maybe with less batter.
I have cake batter everywhere! Instead of two 9 inch pans I used a 9 x 13 and all seemed well until I went to check it. Cake batter is rolling out of the pan and all over the stove. Not sure what to do at this point. Yank it out of the stove or continue cooking until, and if, it ever gets done. Parts of it have sunk. AAAAHHHHHH
Hello Diva
I followe the recipes to the T and here is a problem I had one the cake was dry like very dry what to do at more milk and the next I adde the cocoa which was Dutch cocoa and it over powered the cake should I add less half or a 1/4th
Thanks
I have used this recipe many times and it has certainly become a favourite among family and friends. Many thanks
I just made this recipe and it didn’t turn out. All my cupcakes came out flat and they ran over the side.
This is by far the best red velvet cake recipe I’ve tried. period. it is always a hit. I make it as a sheet cake and add a dollop of cream cheese frosting on each slice. Even the most unenthusiastic RV cake eater is guaranteed to swoon…I think it’s the coffee.
Hi- if I’m baking in a 10 inch pan how long should I bake for?
Why can’t we tap and read the reviews?
This is the best red velvet cake I’ve ever in my life tasted!!!!
Everyone commented on how great it was. It was moist, . Oh so moist. I can’t tell you how good this cake was!! I want to thank you DIVAS CAN COOK!!! I never really liked red velvet cake, but this this one blew my socks off!! And everyone else’ also!!
What is the best brand of coffee to use for this cake? Itll be my first time making a cake from scratch, and its fir my boyfriend’s birthday. He’s a foodie so i need to get it right lol.
Can i use this recipe for cupcakes instead of cake ? i don’t know why i like this better than the other recipe for cupcakes for some reason. i was wondering if it would work haha.
Hi, what would be the measure of one cup for the red velvet recipe? I mean how many grams would one cup be?
Hi
I want to know if this cake will taste awesome without cream cheese frosting. I’m not a fan of cream cheese.
Thank you so much
BTW, i love the new design of your blog. Its nice!
Hello Monique! I was wondering if you can provide the measurements or changes needed to transform this recipe into a sheet cake?
Thank you!
This is the best Red Valevet Reipe SO MOIST. And delish, on;ly recipe i use.
OPPS Red Velvet
would it be ok to use instant coffee in this recipe? dissolved in hot water, of course…
This cake was really good and the cream cheese frosting was delicious. My cake came out very wet, I cooked it for nearly 50 minutes and it is not super fluffy inside, more wet cake, was nervous it wasn’t completely done, but it was like this throughout and when I inserted toothpick, nothing stuck. Is this cake typically this moist or did I undercook?
What do you use to grease the pans?
thank you
Can cake flour be used instead of all purpose flour if so what changes to the recipe do you suggest?
Can I use regular vinegar or does it require distilled. I’m just not clear enough on the difference between the two.
Please can I use Crisco vegetable shortner instead of vegetable oil
Is it ok to skip the coffee? Not a fan of it . Can I replace it with something else?
This cake is delicious. My husband says it is the best cake he ever had. However, the cake came out of the pan in crumbled pieces. It was greased & floured well. I wish I had usedarchment paper. I will try butter & oil combo next time.
Um ours was well and i though it would taste weird but it tasted good ????
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.love you!
I have the original recipe to the red velvet cake. My friend gave this recipe to me over 55 years ago. There are very few people that have this recipe. It is so velvety and smooth just melt in your mouth recipe Unfortunately I am unable to share it because I promised my friend that I would never do that and I’ll try and find no only her daughter and myself have the recipe. It is totally different than a lot of these recipes you see floating around. I use it and bake it only during Christmas time because that’s when she always shared it with my family and It as been a tradition in my family for years now when I pass on it will become my daughter’s recipe to share.
I made this cake twice. The firs time, I followed it to a T and it was good like a bakery-made cake.
The second time, I added 5 oz of chocolate flavored instant pudding (JELL-O brand) and BAM!! It was incredible. My brother told me later “I didn’t want you to get a big head, but that was the best cake I have ever eaten!” Everyone raved about it. I highly suggest adding the chocolate pudding.. omg…it’s so good….
But if you’re making more than two-tiers of cake, it will likely fall over. I made a two-tiered 9 inch cake and it held together just fine. Also, I used the Wilson gel food coloring and it wouldn’t turn red no matter what. So I just called it “chocolate cake” 🙂
P.s. I highly recommend Monique’s cream cheese frosting recipe that goes with this recipe. You have to let the cream cheese soften for hours. I sifted the powder sugar in slowly and it was amazing.
I have a couple of probably silly questions…. Does it effect the taste of the cake without the red food coloring? To me I’ve always thought Red velvet cake was just chocolate cake with red food coloring added to it,right? Also I’ve seen other videos where they added the white vinegar and the baking soda last in a separate small cup and then they quickly dumped it into the already mixed cake batter. I guess it supposed to make it do something from the chemistry. I was wondering why you decided to opt out on this step and just add them all together at once along with the premade coffee? I was just wondering why the baking soda / white vinegar concoction was such an important step in so many other people’s recipes. I’m looking for a light, moist and fluffy cake . Which it looks like from all your reviews yours is what I’m looking for. Is that baking soda/ white vinegar concoction cause the cake to be more dense and dry compared to your version? Sorry for so many questions… I love all of your recipes and videos.
Made this when I was requested to make a red velvet cake. Looked all over the internet for a recipe and I’m glad I stopped with this one! I did use the other reviewers suggestion with half butter half oil, and I used French vanilla coffee. Received so many compliments on it. My neighbor doesn’t like cream cheese (shocking I agree! ) so I went with a vanilla buttercream. Will be my go to recipe from now on and I can’t wait to try it with the cream cheese frosting!
Hi Monique, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for this recipe! My niece wanted red velvet cake for her 10th birthday so I was on the hunt for the ‘best ever’ recipe out there, and yours didn’t let me down. Someone in the comments suggested switching out half the oil for butter to make a firmer cake – as I was making a novelty Pokemon (Pikachu) cake, I followed this tip and it turned out perfect for carving into the right shape. I used melted butter FYI, as well as cake flour in place of APF, and had no issues at all. Not only did Pikachu turn out perfectly, everyone agreed it was definitely the best tasting birthday cake I’ve ever made! As I’m in Australia and US cup sizes are slightly different to ours, I decided to go the extra mile and do a conversion on your measurements to grams so I had all the weights exactly right – I usually never bother with this step, but I’m very glad I did. Thanks again for a truly awesome cake 🙂
The recipe isn’t new but, it is a new way for making a classic cake come to life and taste really good! I’ve had this recipe for some time; a really long time and it really does work! This recipe is one of the best I’ve ever had but, it’s nothing like the cakes my Great Aunt and Grandmother made… Their cakes were so much better than the things we experience now. I continue to research and play around with recipes awaiting to discover the next best thing! It’s okay to use other people’s recipes and ideas but; A cake is not a cake until you create it in your own version from scratch using your own ingredients, ideas, skills and experiment’s!
Made this for a birthday and it was a hit! My non sweets lovers were asking for me to make this again 🙂 thanks for the recipe!
I made your cake at Christmas and it was definitely the bomb. I posted a comment then, but realized now that somehow it didn’t post. I am getting ready to make it again, and wondering about one thing. It was not a big issue, but I did have a little bit of sinking in the middle after it cooled. Laura’s Sweet Spot who compared your recipe against others had noted she does not believe the baking powder is necessary and causes too much leavening for the heavy batter which can cause it to sink. In comparing other red velvet recipes, there are very few that use baking powder. I am considering either leaving it out or cutting it in half and wondering your thoughts on this. Again, not a criticism at all, just wondering if a small tweak might help with any sinking. Thank you for your work in developing this recipe and for sharing.
This has to be the most delectable-moist and easy red-velvet cake I have ever tasted. Remarkable, it turned out great. Thanks for sharing with us. I chose to frost it with this:
Frosting:
1 lb cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a standing mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Occasionally turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Reduce speed to low and add vanilla. Raise speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in refrigerator until somewhat firm for spreading. May be saved up to 3 days.
This cake is absolutely delicious. I made it for a work function and it was devoured. It’s so moist!!! I would definitely make again. The only “negative” I have is my cake icing-decorating skills are terrible so the cake looked like my 1 year old assembled it and iced it lol
First of all, we LOVE this cake!! Hands down BEST cake in the world. I’m wondering if you have nutrition info for the cake and the cream cheese frosting. My son is type 1 diabetic (not to be confused with type 2). He is insulin-dependent and I have to give him insulin to cover the carbohydrates he eats. I would love for him to be able to eat some cake, but unfortunately can’t until I know nutrition info. Thanks in advance 🙂
I would love to try this recipe however I do not drink coffee and don’t want to use it. What can I replace the coffee with?
Hello! This seems like a great recipe, and I can’t wait to try it out. Have you ever tried to freeze this cake? If so, did it turn out ok? I’m baking my own cakes for my wedding, and am looking for recipes that can hold up in the freezer for a month or so before I thaw and frost them a few days before our date. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I am making a 3 tier wedding cake next weekend (first wedding cake ever…..ahhh ????) and the bride requested red velvet cake for the top tier. I have only made red velvet cupcakes before so had to find a recipe for cake. I made a tester cake this weekend and it turned out AMAZING! Made on Saturday and took it in to work today (Monday) and it was still as gorgeous and moist as ever and I got rave reviews. I feel a wee bit more confident making the wedding cake now, at least I know it will taste fantastic. Thanks from New Zealand x
I even been using this recipe for all my red velvet orders and it’s irresistibly amazing! Even if I store it in the fridge covered for 5 days it’s still moist!!! I love it! No issues whatsoever! Thank you
Has anyone tried making this into a three layer cake?
When you say plain hot coffee, what do you mean? is it just coffee and hot water minus the sugar and milk?
I cut the Red Velvet cake recipe in 1/2 and greased and flowered a medium glass casserole pan, It baked for 30 minutes and it worked for what I had planned.The plan is,,, I used a heart shaped cookie cutter and put cream cheese frosting between two hearts for a Valentine’s Day treat for my husband and kids.I put the cream cheese frosting into a zip-lock bag that I had cut a corner off of. I piped the frosting onto one heart and then put the other heart on top. This turned out really cute and my family loved it.
Would using a bundt alter the time it takes to bake completely?
I am using Chatfield’s Carob powder(which is naturally sweet)
How do I decrease the sugar in recipe?
My food coloring is a dry powder. Do I add it to the dry ingredients? Can I use decaf coffee for this recipe?
I am a rookie so forgive what might be a dumb question… I have made this several times and it is soooo good, but can I make it in a 9 by 13 pan and have it turn out just as good? I will probably pile on the amazing frosting. Thanks!
Do you think replacing the distilled vinegar with apple cider vinegar would be okay?
Wow!…this cake recipe worked exactly as you said it would. I have made it twice now and Loved it!. It’s the best tasting Red Velvet cake ever. I think that the coffee touch probably made it stand out over the others. Thank you very much for this recipe. It’s the only one that I will be using from now on…
HOW DO I PREPARE MY READY MADE COFFE? WITH OR WITHOUT MILK?
This is classic recipe I did a twist to it and added red velvet Oreos in it !!! It turned out perfectly my go recipe thanks for sharing!!
I made this cake following your recipe exactly. I did not taste the cake myself because I am on a raw food diet, but I made it for some friends and they said it was good it just wasn’t identifiable as a red velvet cake. They wanted to change the name to black velvet cake, but they said it was really good and ate it anyway.