Red velvet cake with icing

If you’ve been trapped by the allure of red velvet cake and have been wondering how to make it at home, here’s a simple recipe you can try. Red velvet cake is so much more than a white or chocolate cake tinted red. This iconic cake is a masterpiece of flavors, textures, and frosting.

Red velvet cake recipe

Here is my favorite recipe for tender and soft red velvet layer cake with icing. I urge you to read the recipe in full before beginning.  Enjoy!

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Ready In: 2hrs 25 minutes

Ingredients for cake:

➔½ cup shortening
➔1½ cups white sugar
➔2 eggs
➔2 tablespoons cocoa
➔4 tablespoons red food color
➔1 teaspoon salt
➔2 teaspoon vanilla essence
➔1 cup buttermilk
➔2½ cups all-purpose flour sifted
➔1½ teaspoons baking soda
➔1 tablespoon vinegar, distilled

Ingredients for icing:

➡5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
➡1 cup milk
➡1 cup white sugar
➡1 cup butter @ room temperature
➡2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions for cake:

Preheat oven to 1750⁰C/3500⁰F. Grease two 9-inch round pans.

Beat shortening and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well.

Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring; add to creamed mixture, add salt, vanilla and buttermilk together. Add flour to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated.

Mix soda and vinegar and gently fold into cake batter. Make sure not to beat or stir the batter after this point.

Pour cake batter into prepared baking tins and bake in preheated oven. Test by inserting a toothpick or sharp knife into the cake and it comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove and set aside on a wire rack to cool.

Directions for icing:

Over low heat, cook the flour and milk stirring constantly until it becomes thick.

Set aside and allow to cool completely! While mixture is cooling, beat sugar, butter, and until light and fluffy.

Add the cooled flour mixture and beat until frosting (should be a good spreading consistency).

Frost cake layers when completely cool.

Recipe Tip:

Why so many room temperature ingredients? When everything is near the same temperature, they mix together easily, evenly, and produce a uniform texture among the cake.