Southern Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This red velvet cake birthday cake, Christmas cake, any-night-of-the-week cake is the kind of timeless Southern dessert that never goes out of style. My from-scratch recipe is surprisingly approachable and bonus: with my double-batch cream cheese frosting hack, you’ll never have to worry about running out midway through.
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Servings: 12
Equipment
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 3 (9-inch) round cake pans
- heavy-duty stand mixer
- rubber spatula
- wire cooling racks
- offset spatula
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole buttermilk
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoon red food coloring
- Double-Batch Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease 3 (9-inch) round pans with vegetable shortening and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Slowly add the vegetable oil and buttermilk to the flour mixture until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears after each addition.
- Beat in the vanilla, vinegar, and food coloring. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
- Make the frosting.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting between the layers and on the tops and side of the cooled cakes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.