Red Velvet Cake

The most incredible Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is fluffy, soft, buttery and moist with a perfect, velvety texture! Super easy to make with a few tips and tricks for the best results! You will go crazy for a second slice!

📝 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar (or fine white granulated sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (plus 1 tablespoon extra for dusting)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons red food colouring (liquid, not gel)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups plain cake flour (sifted, or all purpose/plain flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (bi-carb soda)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces cream cheese (not spreadable, at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups icing sugar (or confectioners)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional - adds subtle hint of lemon)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- For Cake: ---
2. 2Heat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Lightly grease two 8-inch cake pans with butter or nonstick oil spray and lightly dust with 1 tablespoon of the sifted cocoa powder.
3. 3Cream butter and sugar together until light in colour. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to combine well.
4. 4In a smaller bowl, mix together oil, remaining cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla until smooth. Stir colour mixture and vinegar through the creamed sugar mixture to combine.
5. 5Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients; mix well. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk.
6. 6Divide batter among the 2 prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack completely.
7. 7--- For Cream Cheese Frosting: ---
8. 8Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth lighter in colour (about 3-4 minutes). Beat in icing sugar until frosting is light and fluffy (if frosting is too thin, add more icing sugar and beat again until reaching your desired consistency).Optional if using: mix in the lemon juice.
9. 9--- Assemble Cake: ---
10. 10Transfer 1 cake onto a serving dish/plate, flat-side down. Trim the top dome off of the cake to create a flat bottom later. Scoop about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of frosting onto cake and spread evenly over the top.
11. 11Place second cake layer on top and use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake.
12. 12Crumble trimmed pieces of cake to decorate.Enjoy!