Cake Central › Recipes › Sarah's Red Velvet Cake TWEAKED

Sarah's Red Velvet Cake TWEAKED

Cakepro
By: Cakepro
Posted 08/31/09 • Last updated 02/07/09 • 1639 views • 67 comments

Posted by Cakepro

This is a WONDERFUL red velvet cake recipe that I tweaked. The original recipe called for twice as much red food coloring, which bothered me, so I halved the amount and found the results to be exactly the same. Enjoy!

Sarah's Red Velvet Cake TWEAKED

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 Tbsp baking cocoa 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 cup butter (not margarine) 2 eggs 1 ounce red food coloring 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside.
  3. Place butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer and beat at medium-speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, add red food coloring (be careful not to splash it, as it stains almost everything). Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape bowl and mix just long enough to combine.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 28 - 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then gently turn cakes out onto cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
  5. This cake pairs well with both cream cheese frosting as well as the mildly sweet frosting called Mary Kay Icing (also available here in the recipe section).

Comments (67)

catcando33 9/1/09 at 4:02am
thanks sarah, glad to hear im not the only one that thinks 2 oz of red food coloring is alot :).... Great idea!!! Cat
catcando33 9/1/09 at 4:08am
i was wondering , as i was copying down the recipe i noticed that there isnt any vinegar in this one. did you omit the vinegar in your recipe or did this one not call for it in the beginning? Cat
Cakepro 9/1/09 at 3:18pm
Vinegar is not called for in this recipe. :) ~ Sherri (Cakepro)
anais_o 9/1/09 at 4:58pm
hi is it cocoa powder?
CookinKristi 9/8/09 at 7:59pm
I love this recipe, but I have a problem every time I make it. The cake looks great when it is baking, but just as it gets done, the center falls. Any ideas how to fix that? Any help is appreciated.
newlywedws 9/15/09 at 10:49am
I originally posted the recipe, and removed after a bunch of frustration from other CC members who were messing up the recipe. Yes the original did call for 2 bottles of red food colouring, and no vinegar. If you choose to omit 1 bottle of red food colouring, you will need to make up the difference in the missing liquid. The vinegar is not needed as the buttermilk lends enough acidity for it to rise. Yes it is regular baking cocoa. Kristi, you may want to check your oven temp.
tiggy2 9/15/09 at 11:59am
I've always made it just the way newlywedws originally posted it and it is the best red velvet cake I have ever had. I do not use cream cheese frosting.
Cakepro 9/17/09 at 10:12am
As the person who tweaked the Sarah's Red Velvet cake recipe that was originally posted by newlywedws (before she got angry about people pairing it with a certain frosting and removed it), and as the person who has successfully used my tweaked version dozens of times for a couple of years now, you do NOT need to add an additional 2 ounces of liquid to this recipe. :) Sherri / Cakepro
cakesnpies1 9/26/09 at 12:20am
Its 3 in morning order due at 8.. orginal recipe i made tastes like play dough.. i'm goign to try this recipe since it has such great reviews.. have not had luck wiht red velvet at all in past.. will let you know how it turns out:)
cakesnpies1 9/26/09 at 1:49am
delicious!!!! turned out great and after having tried other recipes this is the best so far.. Seems like other recipes call for too little cocoa.. this recipe has just the right amount.. Think my customer will be very pleased.. I know i am:)
spicymustard2 10/7/09 at 12:44pm
Does anyone know how many cups of batter this recipe makes? I've been asked to make a red velvet cake at the last minute and don't have much time to experiment.
LoriMc 12/8/09 at 7:03pm
Has anybody tried this with all purpose flour? I never seem to have cake flour on hand.
loopilu 12/12/09 at 4:31am
isnt cake flour and all purpose the same thing? I have never seen cake flour anywhere?! And what size cake tin is this for?
Tilisha 12/31/09 at 8:38am
Cake Flour does not have to be sifted. I love it!
BayAreaCakeFiend 12/31/09 at 11:55am
OMG, I made this for Christmas and it was gone in 30 min. EVERYONE loved it and some even got thirds. I will be making it over and over. I only used 1oz of red food coloring and not subs.
sugarMomma 1/2/10 at 9:17pm
What other frosting do you pair it with other than cream cheese? I have a friend who wants a red velvet like his grandma used to make, and he said it had a light fluffy icing that was not cream cheese. I personally love cream cheese icing, but it's his birthday not mine. Any ideas?
Mistee 1/2/10 at 9:55pm
This recipe is wonderful!! Just the right amount of cocoa. I really enjoy making the cakes for others and am not a big cake eater myself..but I couldn't stop eating my cake scrapes from this recipe!!! :) Yum!!
klosenno 1/7/10 at 3:37pm
sugarMomma, I make mine with a butter roux frosting which i'm pretty sure is the original icing used with red velvet cakes. Super light and fluffy, no cream cheese and absolutely delicious.
Spectra 1/16/10 at 6:47pm
I'm excited to try this cake, since it has so many great reviews. I was just wondering, may be a newbie question, but here I go: Do you use salted or unsalted butter or does it not matter?
pattib09 1/22/10 at 12:38pm
I had never tried red velvet cake, but i had a customer request it for her tasting tomorrow morning, so i thought i would try this recipe out last night before my tasting apt. I thought it was kind of dry, i dont know if red velvet should be dry as i have never had it. Tasted good though. We will see how my next batch turns out tonight!
Cake Central › Recipes › Sarah's Red Velvet Cake TWEAKED