High Altitude Red Velvet Cake

Name: High Altitude Red Velvet Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 43 min
Ingredients: 3 cups cake flour, (spooned and leveled); 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar; 1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder ((Rodelle)); 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt ((if using table salt, use half the amount)); 1 tsp baking soda; 4 large eggs; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 2/3 cups whole buttermilk; 1 tbsp white distilled vinegar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; red gel food coloring; 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, (softened to room temperature); 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, (softened to room temperature); 1/2 cup vegetable shortening; 6 - 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 2 tbsp meringue powder, (optional); 1/4 tsp coarse Kosher salt ((if using table salt, use half the amount)); 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped ((or 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste)); 1-2 tbsp milk or cream, (only if needed)

January 1, 2022 by Heather Smoke 34 Comments

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Today I’m sharing the most beautiful red velvet cake. This is a buttermilk-based cake that has a moist, fine “velvety” crumb and a flavor that subtly hints at chocolate, but not overwhelmingly so. And the sweet and tangy cream cheese buttercream is perfectly complementary to the soft cake. This is an easy, high altitude red velvet cake recipe, and the cake batter is so easy to make with just a bowl and whisk. I always make this cake for Christmas, since the red and white is so gorgeous for the holidays. But there’s no reason you can’t make this recipe any time of year!

You might also love my black velvet cake and white velvet cake recipes!

A red velvet cake on a marble and wood cake stand with a slice being lifted up.

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What is Red Velvet Cake?

Traditionally, red velvet cake didn’t contain any food coloring. Natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) reacted with the acid in the buttermilk and vinegar to create a red hue and velvety texture. These days, most people help the color along with a few drops of red gel food coloring.

Red velvet isn’t meant to taste like chocolate, so it contains very little cocoa powder. I’ve found that I prefer a bit more cocoa powder in mine, and while many recipes only use two tablespoons of cocoa in the cake, I use four tablespoons. This little difference adds a really beautiful depth of flavor to the cake, as well as masks the flavor of the food coloring, but doesn’t transform it into a chocolate cake.

Even though I grew up in the South, and red velvet cake tends to be a favorite down there, I don’t remember my mom making it much, if ever. And when I did finally taste it as an adult, it was not an instant love affair. I wasn’t sure what to think of the flavor, which struck me as rather bland, although I couldn’t argue that the cream cheese frosting was delicious. It took a few years and some recipe experimentation to learn that the first red velvet cake I tasted was not a very good one, but that when done right, it’s pretty wonderful!

A slice of red velvet cake on a plate with a vintage silver fork.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Cake Flour. You could use all-purpose flour, if you like, but I love the lightness of cake flour in this cake.
Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
Cocoa Powder. I use Dutch processed cocoa powder, and really love the Rodelle brand. It adds a subtle cocoa flavor, but the cake does not taste strongly of chocolate.
Salt. I use coarse Kosher salt in all my baking. The salt balances the sweetness.
Baking Soda. Leavens the cake, reacting with the acid in the vinegar and buttermilk, causing the cake to rise.
Eggs. Add structure and richness.
Vegetable Oil. Moisture.
Buttermilk. Flavor, moisture and acid.
Vinegar. Use white distilled vinegar. The extra acid gives the leavening a little boost for a good rise in this cake.
Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Red Gel Food Coloring. To make the cake red, of course. Without the food coloring, the cake will be a light tan color.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and a few drops of red gel food coloring.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk briefly, just until combined and smooth; don’t over-mix.

A bowl of red velvet cake batter with a whisk.

Red velvet cake in three cake pans sitting on a cooling rack.

Divide the batter between the pans and bake on the middle rack in the oven for about 25-28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when gently touched.
Set the cakes on a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

Everyone can agree that one of the best things about red velvet cake is the cream cheese frosting. For a sheet cake, you can make it with just cream cheese and and a little powdered sugar, but that would be far too creamy and unstable to spread onto a layer cake without it sliding off. The solution for layer cakes is a cream cheese buttercream with half butter and half cream cheese, a little more powdered sugar than I usually add to my standard buttercream recipes, and plenty of vanilla.

Making your cream cheese buttercream with half butter (or vegetable shortening) also makes it a much more stable frosting that can be piped onto your cake just as you would be able to pipe a fluffy buttercream. It seems popular to decorate red velvet cakes with crumbs of cake pressed onto the outside, but why? Maybe it’s to hint at what’s inside, but we don’t usually do this with other flavors of cake. I’m not sure why the crumb thing is a thing. I opted for some really beautiful piping on my cake, with white sugar pearls around the base.

Red velvet cake with fancy piped cream cheese buttercream and white sugar pearls.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Baking Tips

As with everything I bake, my cakes are baked at high altitude (I live in Denver), and to achieve your own perfect results, you may need to make a few slight adjustments if you live at a lower altitude or sea level. There are many articles online that can offer advice on how to adjust your flour, sugar and leavening for various altitudes.
Your dairy ingredients (eggs, buttermilk, butter and cream cheese) should be at room temperature for best results.
Cake flour is best in this cake. It makes a much lighter cake than all-purpose flour does. Use the “spoon and sweep” method to measure your flour, and be sure to sift the cake flour after measuring.
I use Rodelle Dutch processed cocoa powder in my red velvet cake. The type of cocoa powder you use will affect both the rise and the red color of the cake.
I used Wilton Tip 1M for the piping on the cake. For the decorating, I started by chilling the cake first, so that the base coat of buttercream was firm and cold. I began with the bottom row of “swoops”, piping a row around the cake, then working my way up the sides to the top and center of the cake.

Red velvet cake with decorative buttercream piping and white sugar pearls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is red velvet cake just a chocolate cake with red food coloring?

No, not at all. It has far less cocoa powder than most chocolate cakes, so the chocolate flavor is much more subtle. And the acidity from buttermilk and vinegar gives it a unique flavor and tender texture.

What makes the cake red?

A chemical reaction between the cocoa powder, buttermilk and vinegar traditionally gives red velvet cake its signature color. A few drops of red food coloring boosts the color to really make it pop.

Which red food coloring should I use?

Be sure to use a gel food coloring, not a liquid. I use Americolor Super Red Gel Food Coloring.

Can I use regular whole milk instead of buttermilk?

Yes, you can substitute milk for buttermilk, but you should double the vinegar.

Does red velvet cake need to be refrigerated?

Because this cake is frosted with cream cheese buttercream, yes, you should keep it refrigerated overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 3-4 hours before serving.

Slices of red velvet cake, with a jar of white sugar pearls and red twine.

Strawberry almond cake with a slice being cut. — Strawberry Almond Cake

A chocolate cupcake with coconut frosting and a gold birthday candle. — Strawberry Almond Cake

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