This is a classic red velvet cake recipe I originally found on a purse forum. It was called Grandma's Red Velvet Cake and called for self-rising flour. In the South that usually means White Lily brand, so that's what I used, and for a while it worked. At some point I started getting too much sinkage. I then switched to White Lily's all-purpose recipe for better results.
Classic Red Velvet Cake
This is a three layer red velvet cake with a cream cheese frosting that's heavy on the cream cheese. It has a super soft crumb thanks to a combination of oil and butter. All in all it's pretty authentic "red velvet" flavor. So what is red velvet flavor? It's like a very, very, light chocolate flavored buttermilk & vanilla cake but dyed red so it screws with your brain and you can't quite pinpoint the flavor. Of course if you grew up on it, you just say it's red velvet. It's its own flavor.
Adam's Extract & Red Velvet
Having grown up not too far from the Adams Extract factory, my idea of red velvet is similar to the one Betty Adams created in 1940 to promote the company's products. That version calls for ½ cup shortening, butter extract, red food coloring and vanilla. This version calls for 1 cup of oil plus ½ cup of butter, so it always turns out moist and you don't need any butter extract. My only small issue with this recipe is that all that oil dilutes the "red velvet" flavor. But this one is guaranteed to be moist.
White Lily Flour
The original version was made with White Lily, but you can use any brand of flour as long as you use 340 grams or 2 ½ cups. An advantage to White Lily is that it's made with a softer wheat and is lower in protein which gives you a softer cake. But honestly, with a cup of oil in the recipe, this cake is going to be soft no matter what flour you use.
Cream Cheese Frosting
The cream cheese frosting that goes with this recipe is heavy on the cream cheese. For a more neutral or less cream cheese tasting frosting, you could use slightly different ratios. White Lily makes theirs with 12 oz of cream cheese, 6 oz of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 3 cups of sugar. The cakes I grew up on had more of a tart cream cheese frosting, which is why I go with 16 oz cream cheese, 4 oz of butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar.
Self-Rising Flour Version
So this is the new all-purpose version of the old Purse forum recipe. If you have some self-rising flour and really want to use it in a red velvet cake, you can. The old version of the recipe is here.
More Red Velvet Cake Making Tips
- I use an old set of 8-inch pans that are only 1 ½ inches deep. That size seems to be harder to find, so you may need to use 8x2 inch pans.
- If using a concentrated food color like Super Red, you can use about 1 ½ teaspoons rather than 1 ½ tablespoons.
- Be sure the vegetable oil is very fresh and doesn't have any off flavors. I like safflower oil the best, but it can be pricey.
- Homemade buttermilk substitute (milk & lemon) works, but for a better flavor use actual buttermilk.
- If using unsalted butter in the cake, be sure to use ¾ teaspoon salt.
- For the cream cheese icing, the Philadelphia brand does seem to have a better texture and flavor overall. I usually use whatever is on sale and then regret that I didn't use Philadelphia brand.
Recipe
Classic Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (not self-rising) (340 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or ¾ if using unsalted butter)
- 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (10 grams)
- 1 stick salted butter, softened (114 grams)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup neutral vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ oz red food coloring (or just 1 ½ teaspoons if using Super Red)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Frosting
- 4 ounces salted butter, softened (114 grams)
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar or about 3 cups sifted** (285 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda and cocoa powder, then whisk in the salt. Set aside. Make sure dry ingredients are evenly blended.
- In mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in the eggs, one by one, beating until light. Don't forget to scrape the side of the bowl as needed.
- In a measuring cup, combine the 1 cup of oil, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. Drizzle into the egg mixture with the mixer going.
- Using the lowest speed of the mixer, beat in half of the flour mixture. Add half of the buttermilk and continue adding flour mixture and buttermilk alternately until blended. Beat for about 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth.
- Pour into cake pans (about 15 oz per pan if you have a scale). Bake for 25 minutes or until cake springs back lightly when touched and toothpick inserted comes out clean (test your cake when it starts to smell).
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Prepare frosting. Beat together softened butter and cream cheese, stir in sugar, then beat until fluffy and light. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. Add more sugar to taste if desired. This is a very slick, heavy-on-the-cream-cheese frosting.
Jenny says
This is my granddaughters favorite! But I hate her eating all the red coloring. So....we leave out red coloring and call it “Velvet Cake”. Delicious and doesn’t have the bitter taste the red leaves no red fingers either
Anna says
Great idea! I've made my own self-rising flour, but never thought to mix it with cake.
telesma says
If you can't find White Lily flour, you can mix equal parts all-purpose and cake flour. Google for instructions to make your own self-rising flour, using that 1:1 blend as a base. It will be pretty close to the soft southern flour.
Charlene Ray says
I am from the South and I have moved to Colorado. I have missed my White Lily flour and I am going for a visit to Georgia in April. I will come back with bags of White Lily flour on my return.
The Red Velvet I make at Christmas with White Lily and my Buttermilk Pound Cake. I would use no other.
I am at 10,000 feet above sea level in Colorado and I have a hard time baking. I will see if the White Lily will make a difference.
Anna says
Hi Kelly,
I think White Lily makes the cake superior, but you can still make a great cake without it. Here's a recipe that looks very similar to the one I use.
http://www.grouprecipes.com/12818/red-velvet-cake-with-cream-cheese-icing.html
This person uses regular self rising (as opposed to soft wheat) flour. There are some other minor differences, but it's a very, very similar recipe. There are lots of good recipes using all purpose. If you are going to use all purpose, you should probably just go with a different recipe. OR, you could use all purpose and make the "do it yourself" version of self-rising flour by adding baking powder. You'd need to Google up the exact measurements.
Kelly says
I live up in Canada and I can't find that flour, but your recipe is the only one I have ever found that sounds and looks like how I remember red velvet cake. I have been searching for a true recipe ever since I fist had this cake. So I have a question...Can I use all purpose flour? Or a type of self rising flour that is not low gluten? Do I have to use low gluten flour for this recipe?
Thanks
Anna says
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the feedback. I'm surprised to hear your cake wasn't quite as red as mine. Did you by any chance use Hershey's Dark cocoa for the two tablespoons cocoa? It's pretty dark and might have added some murkiness. For the red food color, I use either Adam's brand (which you might not have) or McCormick red. It also takes a full 1 1/2 ounces.
As for the White Lily, I buy it at the grocery store here, but you might need to order it from White Lily's online store. Here's the link.
http://onlinestore.smucker.com/display_category.cfm?cat_id=63
Jim Palmieri says
I made the Red Velvet cake recipe, but here in North San Diego County, I could not find any. I used a coventional flour and the visual red as seen in your recipe was diasappointing. I had a brick or dark red color! Except for that, it was an outstanding recipe.
So...where can I find this White Lily flour?
Mary says
Wow! That picture actually has my mouth watering.
Your blog is terrific. Thanks!
Anna says
Hola Bruce, Thanks for stopping by. I have a feeling if I owned some of that old tinware, I'd use it often. With the popularity of KitchenAid these days, I feel I'm being quaint when I pull out my electric hand-held mixer! (and that is often, btw). I like my KA, but use it for heavy-duty beating jobs such as meringues, bread dough and pound cake.
Hi Julie, I just bought a bag of the NON self-rising low protein flour and plan on trying it out. To my knowledge, the NON self-rising low protein flour is standard. In fact, White Lily has a great looking cake recipe which call for it (and baking powder).
http://www.whitelily.com/RecipeBox/Recipe.aspx?ID=104
I just happened to have the self-rising low protein and decided to use it in that red velvet cake.
Here's another low protein flour cake.It's a pound cake, and the only leavening appears to be air (no baking powder).
(watch out -- the ingredient order is out of sync with the directions)
MOM'S SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE
1/4 tsp. baking soda
6 jumbo eggs
1 (8-oz.) pkg. Breakstone sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. butter, softened
3 c. sugar, sifted 6 times
3 c. White Lily flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 10" tube pan with butter flavored Pam. Sift the flour with the baking soda and the salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter
well...about 3 minutes. Add the sifted sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. This takes at least 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour alternately with sour cream, in three parts, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes, to 1 hour, 30 minutes. Pick inserted in cake should be ALMOST clean. The top should be crusty.
This recipe was posted by Brenda Atkins of FL.
Julie O'Hara says
Hi,
I really like learning about the scientific reasons for different ingredients so I liked your post a lot. I was wondering if you would only use self-rising low protein flour for cakes, or if regular low protein plus baking powder produces an equal result. What is the difference. Does low protein flour in general make a cake more moist and light? I recently baked a chocolate cake with AP flour with a protein content on the high side and the cake was a lot drier than I like. Thanks!
Bruce A. says
That sifter you linked to really brings back some memories: It's exactly like the one used in our household when I was a kid (back in the 50's). And I think that one had been passed down to my mother by her own mother.
All the modern space-age plastics and CAD-designed kitchen tools are great in their way, but there a certain charm in the old-fashioned tinware and wooden kitchen utensils. (I still tend to get my old hand-powered eggbeater out when I just need to cream some eggs and sugar, or other lightweight mixing jobs.)
Lauren says
I almost bought white lily flour to make biscuits... I didn't realize it could be used for so much - thanks!
Anna says
Jill, this sifter will change your life.
Tracy, I am really surprised you haven't tried red velvet. Let me know what you think. When you eat it, try not to think of it as chocolate cake. It has chocolate undertones, but the tangy notes are what really stand out....or at least they should. Amy, I haven't tried the cooked frosting mainly because I grew up on the cream cheese kind. THANK YOU so much for trying my pork recipe.
Amy says
I loved Red Velvet Cake when I was growing up. But we usually had a cooked white frosting.
We had your pork medallions with Razzpotle sauce & gorgonzola grits for dinner last night. Delicious!
p.s. Coach wristlets are pretty much the only purses I carry. The outlet in San Marcos has great prices.
tracy says
Very interesting ... I've never had Red Velvet cake and I've never used White Lily flour. Two things to put on the "to-try" list!
Laurel says
The cake is beautiful!
I can't find White Lily flour here in Minnesota, but I have a nephew who just moved to Kentucky and when my sister visited, he sent her home with BAGS of White Lily, both all-purpose and bread, for me. Now I just have to get to Iowa.
Laurel
Anna says
Hi Jackie,
Sorry your comment is just now appearing on the blog. My Spam filter is out of whack. So don't worry, I am not moderating your comments all of a sudden ;). Also, I'm pretty sure you could find low protein flour somewhere in New England. Maybe King Arthur sells it? If you email me exactly where you are, I can do some research.
Cindy, it's funny how Americans are just now really catching on to Nutella. Thanks for the tip on the Baking Sheet cookies -- those look good.
Claire, you are from the South so it figures ;).
Jill says
I hate my sifter, so I appreciate the sifter recommendation. Thanks! The cake looks yummy. Interesting information on the low-protein flour.
Claire N says
I only use White Lily for my baking. It really does make a bit of a difference. Love it!
Cindy says
Have you seen Baking Sheet blog's (http://bakingsheet.blogspot.com/) current post? I'm thinking they would be good filled with Nutella. My daughter at college has two international roommates who exist on peanut butter and nutella sandwiches!
Anna says
Hi Melody,
I love that you are calling Eagle Brand's recipe "Fuzz's Pie". Also, I really think I like the purse ladies. They seem very stylish. The only problem is, I am brand loyal to Coach bags. I think the purse ladies are "beyond" that...
It's okay not to like red velvet. Alton Brown hates it.
Melody says
A few things . . .
A: The fact that there's a purse lady forum blows my mind.
B: I always really enjoy your scientific analyses.
C: To be completely honest . . . red velvet is not my favorite. I mean, it's still cake, so it automatically has a place in my heart but my feelings have always been lukewarm at best. But this entry may have made me a believer. It's gorgeous!
PS- I'm stuck in New York for Thanksgiving- so I'm planning on trying out Fuzz's pumpkin pie recipe. Perfect for a city holiday!!
Jackie says
I have never heard of White Lily or low protein flour. Is was wondering if any of your readers in New England know if it is available up here.
I am so in awe of your cooking and my family is glad that I have started reading your blog as they are getting more baked goods than usual!
Today I made the Cappucino Caramel Oat Bars that I found through your site. http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/cappuccino-caramel-oat-bars.html I messed up when I made them a couple of weeks ago and I had to prove to myself that I could make them properly. When made properly they are wonderful.