A tender layer cake made with cocoa and buttermilk, tinted red and finished with a lightly sweet ermine frosting.
The color catches the eye first: a deep, almost velvety red that slices beautifully. The crumb is fine and tender, with just a hint of cocoa and a gentle tang from the buttermilk.
Light and fluffy, the ermine frosting brings everything together without ever feeling too sweet. It’s a cake that impresses as much with its texture as with its looks.
What is red velvet?
Red velvet is a tender layer cake made with cocoa and buttermilk, colored red and topped with ermine frosting. This old-fashioned cooked frosting, made with flour and milk and then whipped with butter and sugar, turns smooth and airy, with less sweetness than cream cheese frosting. With only two tablespoons of cocoa, the flavor stays subtle, far from fully chocolatey desserts like classic American brownies.
Its color comes from natural cocoa, buttermilk, and vinegar, boosted with red gel food coloring. The buttermilk and vinegar also provide the acidity that reacts with the baking soda and gives the crumb its lift.
Layering the cake and making ermine frosting
This version stays true to the classic style : two tender layers, a striking color, and a frosting that stands out against the crumb. Cake flour, with its lower protein content, creates a fine, delicate texture.
The traditional frosting is ermine, not cream cheese frosting like you’d find on an American carrot cake. Milk and flour are cooked together, cooled, then beaten into whipped butter, sugar, and vanilla. The result : a smooth, airy frosting with moderate sweetness.
The key ingredients in red velvet
The cake combines cake flour for a tender crumb, a little unsweetened natural cocoa, butter and sugar creamed for volume, and eggs for structure. Buttermilk adds moisture and acidity, vanilla rounds out the flavor, and baking soda with vinegar ensures a good rise. Red gel food coloring gives the cake its signature shade.
Ermine frosting starts with a base of milk and flour cooked until thick, then whipped with butter, sugar, and vanilla. The cooked base gives it structure, while the whipping makes it light.
Texture, color, and flavor
The cake should slice cleanly while staying exceptionally tender. Creamed butter and sugar create volume, while baking soda activated by the acidity helps the layers rise. You’ll find that same focus on a soft, tender crumb in other American classics like classic American cookies or American cinnamon rolls.
In each bite, the cocoa stays delicate, the vanilla softens the edges, the buttermilk brings a clean tang, and the ermine frosting remains less sweet than a cream cheese version. Chill the cake before serving, then let it sit for a few minutes at room temperature before slicing.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
- 270 g cake flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 115 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 300 g sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 20 g red gel food coloring
- 240 ml buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
Ermine Frosting
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 240 ml milk
- 200 g sugar
- 225 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two 23 cm cake pans and line the bottoms with greased parchment paper.
- Sift together the cake flour, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder.270 g cake flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy.115 g unsalted butter, 300 g sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.2 eggs
- In a separate bowl, whisk the red food coloring into the buttermilk.20 g red gel food coloring, 240 ml buttermilk
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla and mix just until no streaks of flour remain.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar, then quickly fold it into the batter as soon as it foams.1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vinegar
- Divide the batter evenly between the pans, then bake for 24 to 30 minutes, until the cakes pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Unmold, remove the parchment, and let cool completely before frosting.
Ermine Frosting
- In a saucepan, whisk together the all-purpose flour and milk.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 240 ml milk
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, until very thick, like pastry cream.
- Remove from the heat, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Cream the sugar, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.200 g sugar, 225 g unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the cooled flour mixture and beat for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy, like whipped cream.
- Fill, frost, and decorate the cake.
