Red Velvet Cake Cream Cheese (Printable)

Moist red velvet cake with cocoa, layered and topped with creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting.

# What You'll Need:

→ Red Velvet Cake

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1 teaspoon fine salt
05 - 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
06 - 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
07 - 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
08 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
09 - 2 tablespoons red food coloring
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

→ Cream Cheese Frosting

12 - 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
13 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
14 - 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
15 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, then line bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a large bowl.
03 - In another bowl, mix vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, red food coloring, vanilla extract, and vinegar until smooth.
04 - Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, folding with a spatula until smooth and free of lumps.
05 - Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
06 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
08 - Beat cream cheese and unsalted butter together until smooth and creamy.
09 - Gradually add confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
10 - Place one cake layer on serving platter; spread with one-third of the frosting. Top with second layer and frost top and sides.
11 - Refrigerate assembled cake for 30 minutes to set frosting before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cake stays impossibly moist for days, getting better as it sits.
  • That cream cheese frosting hits differently when you've made it yourself—tangy, fluffy, nothing like store-bought.
  • It looks like a showstopper but honestly requires no special skills, just patience and good vanilla.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are genuinely important here—they mix evenly and create a uniform crumb instead of streaky layers.
  • Don't use extra food coloring thinking it'll be prettier; too much can make the frosting taste bitter and turn your slice an unnatural shade.
  • The vinegar and baking soda react immediately, so don't let the batter sit once they're combined; get it into the pans right away.
03 -
  • Use gel food coloring for a deeper, more elegant red without thinning the batter as much as liquid coloring.
  • An offset spatula makes frosting the sides infinitely easier and makes you look like you know what you're doing.

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