Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients · 8 servings

• 250 gFlour, sifted
• 12 gCocoa, sifted
• 245 gButtermilk, room temperature
• 1 tbspRed food coloring
• 225 gCream cheese, softened
• 285 gButter, softened and divided
• 450 gSugar, divided
• 2Egg, room temperature
• 2 tspVanilla extract, divided
• 8 gBaking powder
• 4 gSalt

Equipment

oven, stand mixer, measuring spoon, mixing bowl, whisk, spatula, cake pan, parchment, cooling rack, offset spatula, cake tester, serving plate

Instructions

1. 1
   Gather ingredients

   Gather measured ingredients, 2 round 20 cm cake pans, parchment, mixer, bowls, spatula, whisk, cooling rack, and offset spatula. · 10 min

   What to look for: All ingredients and tools are ready on the work surface.

2. 2
   Prepare pans

   Heat the oven to 177°C / 350°F, grease 2 round 20 cm cake pans with butter, line the bases with parchment, and dust lightly with flour. · 5 min

   What to look for: Pans are evenly coated and the oven is fully preheated.

3. 3
   Mix dry ingredients

   Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until the cocoa is evenly dispersed and no pale streaks remain. · 3 min

   What to look for: The dry mixture looks evenly tan with no cocoa clumps.

4. 4
   Cream butter sugar

   Beat 170 g butter with 250 g sugar until lighter, fluffy, and visibly aerated, scraping the bowl once for an even texture. · 5 min

   What to look for: The mixture is pale, fluffy, and increased in volume.

5. 5
   Add eggs color

   Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then mix in half the vanilla extract and red food coloring until the batter looks smooth and vividly crimson. · 4 min

   What to look for: The batter is glossy, smooth, and evenly red.

6. 6
   Finish batter

   Add the dry mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk, and mix on low just until a soft red batter comes together. · 5 min

   What to look for: The batter is smooth and thick with no dry flour pockets.

7. 7
   Bake layers

   Divide batter between pans, smooth the tops, and bake until the centers spring back and a tester comes out with moist crumbs. · 28 min

   What to look for: The layers are set, slightly domed, and pulling gently from the pan edges.

8. 8
   Cool layers

   Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, turn onto a rack, peel away parchment, and cool completely before frosting. · 1 h

   What to look for: The cake layers feel cool to the touch and no steam rises.

9. 9
   Make frosting

   Beat cream cheese with 115 g butter until smooth, add 200 g sugar, and beat with remaining vanilla until thick, creamy, and spreadable. · 8 min

   What to look for: The frosting is smooth, thick, and holds soft swirls.

10. 10
    Frost cake

    Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread frosting over it, add the second layer, and cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. · 12 min

    What to look for: The cake is evenly covered with a smooth white frosting layer.

11. 11
    Serve slices

    Serve neat slices once the frosting has set slightly, wiping the knife between cuts for the clean red and white contrast. · 5 min

    What to look for: Each slice shows bright red cake layers and creamy white frosting.