The Recipe for Red Velvet Cake
When I was growing up, we knew it was a really special occasion if Mom made Red Velvet Cake. It appeared at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and certainly on Valentine's Day. The rich red brightened any holiday table, and that wonderful chocolate flavor mixed with the creamy smooth boiled frosting was so decadent!
Photo by food in mouth
Photo by food in mouth
The Recipe for Red Velvet Cake
There are a lot of different recipes for Red Velvet Cake. Here is the one that I grew up with and still use. I have to say, it's worth buying a couple of heart-shaped cake pans just for this cake. It's a perfect Valentine's Day dessert.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 bottles of red food coloring
3 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Light oil and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
Mix vinegar and baking soda in small cup. Let stand until settled.
Cream sugar, shortening, and eggs until light.
Make paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add paste to shortening mixture. Combine.
Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
Combine salt and flour in small bowl.
Alternate adding the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture to shortening.
Add soda and vinegar mixture to batter. Mix just until blended.
Divide batter between the prepared pans, and bake for about 30 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool on baking rack. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen cake. Invert pan and remove cake. Frost as desired.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 bottles of red food coloring
3 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Light oil and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
Mix vinegar and baking soda in small cup. Let stand until settled.
Cream sugar, shortening, and eggs until light.
Make paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add paste to shortening mixture. Combine.
Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
Combine salt and flour in small bowl.
Alternate adding the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture to shortening.
Add soda and vinegar mixture to batter. Mix just until blended.
Divide batter between the prepared pans, and bake for about 30 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool on baking rack. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen cake. Invert pan and remove cake. Frost as desired.
The Recipe for Boiled Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is also very popular.
Photo by LauraFries

3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cook flour and milk on low heat til thick, stirring constantly. Cool.
Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy.
Add to flour-milk mixture.
Beat until frosting is consistency of whipped cream.
Spread on cake layers.
The Perfect Cake Pans for Red Velvet Cake
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Other Versions of Red Velvet Cake Recipe
- Southern Red Velvet Cake from Sara's Secrets on Food Network
- 3 layers and not very chocolately with a cream cheese frosting.
- Red Velvet Cake from a Mix
- Now THIS is easy.
- Red Velvet Cake from Joy of Baking
- This recipe uses butter. Also has some good explanations.
What Do You Think?
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Red Velvet Cake on Amazon
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A Few of Bee's Food Lenses
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Ronlove Dec 18, 2011 @ 7:26 am | delete
- I love red velvet cake my favorite!
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emmalarkins
Nov 7, 2011 @ 6:28 pm | delete
- Wow, I never knew cocoa was the flavoring in red velvet! I'm also a big fan of boiled frosting :)
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Pooh
Jul 15, 2011 @ 2:58 am | delete
- I have been searching for this recipe forever..I first made this in May 1991 and somehow lost the recipe when moved house..this must have been the most memorable cake I ever made..not forgetting the yumminess..
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smithlights
Jun 28, 2011 @ 12:39 am | delete
- I've tried to make it once or twice, but it never worked. I'll have to give your recipe a try!
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Abigail
Dec 25, 2010 @ 2:12 pm | delete
- I tried making this with my son this christmas, and according to the recipe we just needed two bottles of red food coloring. But when we added it to the mixture it came out very watery. The recipe needs to reflect the size of the food coloring bottle so when others try this they don't come out short when making the cake.
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Wbisbill Nov 9, 2010 @ 12:57 pm | delete
- Delicious looking! I included your lens in my feature section of my Red Velvet Lens!
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SofiaMann
Oct 1, 2010 @ 9:48 am | delete
- Great idea to have a red cake. Congratulations.
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glowchick
Jun 2, 2009 @ 8:42 pm | delete
- This is such a great cake! Thanks for sharing 5* and favorited do I can give it a try..
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Tiddledeewinks
Mar 21, 2009 @ 10:51 pm | delete
- A great dessert!
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beeobrien
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