This Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is from Epicurious and was originally attributed to the late B. Smith. Like Martha Stewart, she began her career as a model then later transitioned to restaurateur. I was lucky to have met her back in the day, and she seemed like a wonderful and kind person, so I was excited to find her cake recipe on Epicurious. I’ve made it a couple of times since and we’ve always enjoyed it, but it’s one of those cakes that’s not fool-proof.
Half Cup or 1 Stick of Butter
This recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of butter, so you have to measure carefully and use the correct amount of flour — cake flour, to be precise. It’s the same amount of fat as in the Waldorf Astoria copycat, but the fat happens to be butter rather than shortening, and butter is a little less fattier Other red velvet cake recipes contain a lot more butter, oil or a mixture of both, so with this one there is more of a chance it could be dry. However, if you use the right flour and measure properly, the texture should be like this. It’s not dry.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder
I’ve always used the full teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda, but I think the cake might be better with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder which is the amount used in Easiest Red Velvet Cake (which is fool-proof). I’ll make a note when I test it with half the baking powder, but up until now I’ve just used the full amount.
B. Smith Red Velvet Cake Berries
The original recipe calls for 3 1/2 pints each (about 6 cups total) of blackberries and raspberries to be embedded between the cake layers and strewn on top. Back when I first made this cake blueberries and raspberries were more expensive (at least in Texas), so I opted to leave them out. But I think the berries might add even more moisture to the recipe. But again, per my latest test, this cake is not dry.
Best Cream Cheese Frosting!
The cake is a good one as far as red velvets go, but what’s really good is the frosting. I’ve made a lot of cream cheese frostings, and this one is up there with the best of them. It has a higher proportion of cream cheese than butter so it really has a good cream cheese flavor. Plus it’s not too sweet.
Here’s the recipe based on the one in Epicurious. I plan to make it again soon with the blueberries and raspberries just to see if they make much of a difference. Again, I don’t think they are critical to the success of the cake, but I think they’ll help. Also, you shouldn’t have to use a full 6 cups. It seems like 2 cups embedded in the center would be plenty to help with any moisture issues.
Recipe
B. Smith’s Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (210 grams, which would be about 1 3/4 cup unsifted (210 grams)
- 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (I think 1/2 would work but haven't tested)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring 1 oz bottle
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
- 2 large eggs
Frosting
- 16 ounce cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Berries
- 6 cups berries, use a mix of rasberries and blueberries. I don't see why you couldn't throw in blackberries.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round pans with flour added cooking spray or rub with shortening and dust with flour. The original recipe calls for 9 inch pans. I think 8 inch pans would work too.
- Whisk together sifted cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In a measuring cup, mix together the buttermilk, red food coloring, vanilla and vinegar.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, scraping the bowl often. Beat in the eggs one by one.
- Add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately.
- Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl.
- Divide batter between pans and bake cakes on center rack for 25-28 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean. If using 8 inch pans, the cakes will probably take a little longer.
- Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks and let cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- To frost the cake, frost a layer and embed a mixture of fresh raspberries and blueberries in the frosting. Stack on the second layer. Frost the cake and arrange the rest of the berries decoratively.
Sue
So sorry I never left a comment here about this cake after I actually made it. It was a big hit! Now I’ll have to try your family’s favorite Red Velvet Cake that you linked to in your layer caker post today.
Tammy
I have never had a buttermilk Red Velvet Cake. I wonder what it tastes like…
Sue
Hi Anna!
I’m considering making this cake for a group of friends that will be here for lunch on Wednesday. How do you think it would be if I made it one day in advance?
Sue
Ever since you posted this I keep thinking about red velvet cake and while we definitely do not need more baked goods right now I wonder if I could use less food color by using the more concentrated gel? Maybe it wouldn’t work, and I’m probably just kidding myself about there being less food color. There would probably be the same amount but it would be more concentrated.
Michelle W. in Calif.
Yay! I just came looking for a red velvet recipe, I’m to bring a red velvet cake to Christmas Eve at my mother’s. At the beginning of the month, I made some red velvet cupcakes (from a McCormick recipe) to take to a PTA meeting. They were very good. This will be my first attempt at a cake though…I’m worried about making the frosting, I sometimes have trouble with frosting! Maybe I should have some canned on standby!
LilSis
You’re right, Anna. Red Velvet Cake definitely has it’s own distinct flavor. My son isn’t a sweet eater at all, yet Red Velvet Cake is his favorite, when asked what kind of birthday cake he wants.
RecipeGirl
My absolute fave!! I visited a cupcake bakery recently where I picked up, yes… a red velvet cupcake. Love the stuff.
I just finished baking a red velvet cheesecake which I will post on Saturday. Be sure to check… Todd might just like that too 🙂
Lara
Mmm, I love red velvet cake, and yours looks divine!
Red velvet cake always makes me think of a recipe from an older Southern Living magazine (I want to say Dec. 1998?) involving a marbled-ish case with red velvet and white cake swirls, topped with frosting and sprinkled with peppermint bits. Mmmm. I never made it, because my mom poo-pooed the idea (she’s a mint-hater like you!), but I think perhaps it’s time for me to do so.
Heather - Ghost Baker
I have to say, I also love red velvet cake. I think it’s the cream cheese frosting combined with the deep red color. I’m actually not sure if I’ve ever made it, though!
I read that the red coloring used to be a bit more natural. Apparently, “the reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk tends to turn the cocoa a reddish brown color,” and today’s cocoa isn’t the same as it used to be. I don’t know how accurate this information is, but it’s interesting!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_velvet_cake
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-red-velvet-cake.htm
anudivya
This one pretty cake! And what a lovely blog! 🙂
Niki Theo
I heart red velvet cake. Every red velvet I have ever had (until my cupcake expedition) has always been a chocolaty flavor! I always thought that was why there was soooo much red food coloring in it. I made one not too long ago and the recipe had such a little amount of cocoa powder, so I put more and didn’t use any more food coloring, and it was still bright red! I love it!!!
Actually I saw this exact recipe on foodnetwork, but I forget whose it was…. I almost used the exact same recipe, but tried a different one instead
Barbara Hahn
It seems that the red velvet cake is the rage right now…maybe because of Christmas. I haven’t had the cake in many years, but recently had a Red Velvet Cupcake that was good.
Karen
I don’t think I’ve seen a recipe for red velvet cake with butter in it before, they seem to always use oil. I made my first one about a month or so ago, pretty much using the recipe you previously posted, with the cooked buttercream frosting. We liked it a lot. I’m curious to try this one with the butter.
Anna
Katrina, Better Homes & Gardnes had red velvet whoopie pies in their last issue. Maybe your family would eat those. The recipe should be on their website.
Amy, that’s why I like you!
Amy, thanks for reminding me about MS’s recipe. I will definitely check. Meanwhile, I should probably put all the red velvets in category.
Sue, I would have demanded a refund….or at least a free cake. I know what you mean about how it really takes talent to decorate. If I wasn’t so busy baking cookies, I think it would be fun to team up with someone and do they baking while they do the decorating.
VeggieGirl
Looks amazing!!
Sue
I don’t remember the last time I had red velvet cake. Maybe in high school? I know I liked it well enough to ask my friend’s Mom for her recipe because after all of these years I still have her recipe in my recipe box with my high school handwriting. She called hers Flame Cake but I think it’s essentially the same thing.
Last year when my daughter graduated from ASU and my son graduated from h.s. I ordered two bakery cakes to honor each of them at the big party. The daughter’s cake was supposed to be red velvet cake. I thought it would be appropriate to have her school colors in her cake not just on it. My dear friend helped me out with the party and she cut the cakes for serving. She was cutting from each cake and serving and suddenly she realized they were both white cake with different decorations on the top! She knew they were supposed to be different. I found out later that the bakery had run out of red velvet cake mix so they just went with what they had! It would have been nice if they had phoned so we could have made a different choice, but all in all it was no big deal. If I would only take the time to learn to decorate I wouldn’t ever order another bakery cake. Homemade cakes are so much tastier. Bakery cakes are so much prettier.
I’m glad that Todd’s cake was a success! If I ever make it I’ll try out this recipe.
Amy
Mmmm… looks good! The only time I’ve made red velvet cake was a martha stewart recipe and hers called for TWO bottles of red food coloring! It was an awesome cake though…
Amy
I love red velvet cake. I grew up loving it and still do.
Katrina
I, too, have never tried red velvet cake and have always been intriqued by it. Love your description of how it tastes!
Too bad my family doesn’t like cake!
Looks great, Anna!
Anna
First off, I LOVE Mac lipstick.
It tastes like sweet plus vanilla plus cake plus moist plus twang plus a *hint* of chocolate. I am not sure if the red food coloring adds any actual flavor, but red velvet has a distinct flavor to it. It’s probably just the buttermilk.
Pearl
Hi there! Oh my gosh – red velvet cake – look at that color! I actually saw this Food Network Throwdown special about red velvet cake… and the guy interviewed (cakeman) had the brightest, most Mac Lipstick-in-your-face-russian-red velvet cake. It seriously hurt my eyes to look at my TV.
but i have a question: i’ve never tried red velvet cake – but what does it taste like?