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Recipe For Classic Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

Christmas· Holiday Decor· Recipes

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The red velvet cake recipe that you’ve been looking for!  This classic dessert is the perfect addition to your Christmas dessert menu.

recipe for red velvet cake

 

Some recipes are just meant to be special and this one for classic red velvet cake is it!  Whether you’re making a dessert for a special holiday gathering, Valentine’s Day or just to enjoy whenever the urge strikes, this is a recipe that you’ll return to time after time.

Recipe for classic red velvet cake with cream cheese icing || Worthing Court

For me, it’s a recipe that I prepare annually, for our family Christmas party.  It’s one of the things “required” to be on the menu, if you know what I mean.  Other dishes can come and go, but the red velvet cake must be there!

Classic southern red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting recipe || Worthing Court

The pecans are totally optional, but our family loves these southern morsels of goodness!  I usually add a ring of them around the top of the cake for an embellishment and because, well…pecans.  WinkWink

Classic red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting topped with a ring of pecans || Worthing Court

I was surprised by the location of a couple of the pecans when I cut this slice.  I guess they were a part of the icing between the layers and I just happened to cut where they were located.

Southern red velvet cake with cream cheese icing recipe || Worthing Court

 

 

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Classic Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

This classic recipe is a holiday and special occasion favorite! Delicious and special - it's a recipe that you'll return to time after time.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

  • 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup two 1-ounce bottles red food coloring
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 2 large eggs

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 1/3 pound 1 1/3 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
  • 10 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1 pound confectioner's sugar
  • 2 cups chopped pecans optional

Instructions

TO MAKE THE CAKE

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Mix together all ingredients with an electric mixer. No sifting of dry ingredients is necessary.
  3. Spray three 9-inch round cake pans well with nonstick spray.
  4. Pour batter equally into the three pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  5. Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
  6. Carefully remove layers from the pans and leave on the racks to cool completely.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING

  1. Combine butter, cream cheese and confectioner's sugar in a bowl.
  2. Beat until fluffy, then fold in 1 1/2 cups of the pecans.
  3. Frost the cake when completely cooled.
  4. Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining 1/2 cup of pecans.
  5. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Recipe Notes

Do not substitute margarine for the butter.
Do not use low fat cream cheese.
Pecans are optional.

 

One of the best things about this cake, besides the delicious flavor, is that it’s basically a measure, dump and mix recipe.  No sifting of the dry ingredients is required and no flouring of cakes pans either!  Enjoy, my friends!

Worthing Court Blog

Classic Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing || Worthing Court

Until next time - Suzy


Comments

  2. Nancie says

    December 19, 2016 at 7:00 AM

    I love red velvet cake ! Your cake looks divine, Susy! My mom made it every Christmas! She didn’t make cream cheese frosting, though. She made the classic frosting. Here is the recipe if anyone would like to try it. 5 tablespoons of flour. 1 cup of milk 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 cup of butter one cup of granulated sugar ( not powdered sugar). Instructions: In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat stirring constantly until thickens. You want it to be VERY THICK! Cool to room temperature. It must be cool before the next step. Stir in vanilla. While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the day lights out of it. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vinilla mixture , and beat the living day lights out of it! If it looks separated , you haven’t beaten it enough. Keep beating until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. This frosting is to die for! It’s real good on chocolate cake too! You’ll love it so much, you won’t ever go back! Merry Christmas!

    Reply

    • Charlotte Moore says

      December 29, 2016 at 8:31 AM

      This is almost the same frosting I use on red velvet. I never acquired a taste for cream cheese. This frosting is also good on carrot came and chocolate cake.

      Reply

  3. Ashley ~ 3 Little Greenwoods says

    December 19, 2016 at 7:03 AM

    My aunt Audrey is in charge of making the red velvet cake for each and every holiday we have. One year she decided to try something different and the entire family was crushed! She has never done that again. Thank goodness!

    Thank you so much for the recipe. Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  20. Julie B. says

    December 30, 2016 at 6:32 PM

    Thanks for the recipe! My niece and I are the red velvet connoisseurs of our families (and, yes, I had to look up how to spell that French word!) 😀 I’ll have to give it a try for the next family gathering!

    Reply

  24. Miz Helen says

    January 2, 2017 at 3:12 PM

    Your Classic RedVelvet Cake looks delicious and what a lovely presentation. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday. Wishing you a fantastic 2017!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  28. heather says

    January 10, 2017 at 6:45 PM

    This recipe sounds amazing and one that I would love to make for an upcoming birthday coming up and I love the walnuts on top.

    Reply

  31. Candy Walsh says

    January 17, 2017 at 11:42 AM

    I haven’t had Red Velvet Cake in years, it was my father-in-laws favorite and he passed away a little over 5 years ago and we just haven’t hide it since. It looks delicious tho!

    Reply

  32. Maggie says

    January 17, 2017 at 12:11 PM

    Cannot wait to try this cake, it looks so yummy!! My daughter loves red velvet cake. Thinking of making this cake for her birthday. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  33. Edy says

    January 31, 2017 at 8:41 AM

    This sounds yummy…
    I am not able to have red food coloring so will omit…
    do you think I can replace the coloring with water or
    omit it all together…

    Reply

    • Suzy says

      January 31, 2017 at 9:16 AM

      Hi Edy. I don’t know for sure, but I think you could since food coloring doesn’t add to the flavor of the cake – at least to me it doesn’t. Just keep in mind that you’ll need a total of 2 oz. of water (each bottle of food coloring is 1 oz) to replace it. I googled about replacing the red food coloring with other items and there were quite a few suggestions for what you could use and still give the cake its distinctive red color. Please let me know how it turns out if you decide to give it a try!

      Reply

  35. Rosie says

    January 16, 2018 at 12:33 PM

    This is the best ever! It must partially be a few drops of red food coloring doesn’t do the trick, it takes more to have a truly red cake. And my fav frosting is cream cheese, oh boy, I’m going to have to make this soon!

    Reply

    • Suzy says

      November 24, 2018 at 8:29 AM

      Hi Stephanie. They should rise as much as cake layers normally rise. Have you checked the expiration dates on your flour and baking soda? 😀

      Reply

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