Sweeties Red Velvet Cake
I love that this recipe has butter and oil! The texture is light and moist, but still holds it’s shape well. For best results, please don’t use substitutions. Droste Dutch Processed cocoa powder is the most commonly found brand, which is lighter in color and not bitter like unsweetened cocoa (Hershey’s). Also, use cake flour -it’s finer and can be found with other flours in most grocery stores, including your local SuperCenter! This single recipe makes about 8 cups of batter.
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups cake flour
- 4 Tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder (not dark, unsweetened cocoa)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp/6 oz unsalted butter, cool (between solid cold and room temp)
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs (room temp for highest volume)
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp red gel or liquid food color (less than 2oz bottle)
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (room temp)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour cake pans, or spray with vegetable spray, and line bottoms with a round of greased parchment paper. Add cake insulating strips to the outside of pans for the very best results.
Cream together the butter, sugar, and oil in a 5qt stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on #6 speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, and beating for 20 seconds after each, scraping down the sides of the bowl after all is incorporated. Mix in the vanilla, vinegar, and food coloring. Mix again until all is incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Sift together in separate bowl: cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. This can be done ahead and placed in a quart size ziplock bag as “cake mix”. Mix in a third of the dry ingredients with the batter on low-medium speed, then mix in half of the buttermilk, alternating each and mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl. Mix again until completely incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30-38 minutes (checking frequently after 25 minutes) until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. DON’T wait until the skewer is totally crumb free or it will be dry!! Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pans. After turning out onto cake boards, I place the pans over the cakes until completely cool, then wrap cakes in 2 layers of plastic wrap until needed. If desired, slice each 2″ thick layer in half to make 4-9″ layers, each about 1″ thick. Traditionally layered and frosted with Vanilla buttercream, cream cheese frosting, old-fashioned cooked flour buttercream, etc. I use white chocolate cream cheese buttercream. Enjoy!
I’ve noted the following out of a single recipe:
2 -9″ rounds, 2″ thick after baked, plus a few cupcakes to prevent overflow
1 -12″ round, 2″ thick after baked, plus a few cupcakes to prevent overflow
1 -11X17″ pan, 1″ thick after baked
where can I find this dutch cocoa? do you need to change anything in the recipe to make cupcakes?
Dutch cocoa can be found in better grocery stores, Williams-Sonoma, Whole Foods, Amazon, Ebay, etc. The most common brand is Droste.
Just finished baking this for first time. Baked nicely and tastes good. Makes a nice amount of batter. Thanks for sharing! Will def use it again