Easy Red Velvet Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese

Red Velvet Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese – soft and moist red velvet cake with a tangy and sweet buttercream. Made into a layered cake.

Next on the valentines series is my Red Velvet Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese! This cake is a layered cake that can be made into cupcakes, sheet cake, and a 4 by 6 layered cake! This might be on the top on my favorite valentines cake yet! The red velvet cake layers are so so so soft, and moist, while all being light and fluffy. 

For your convenience, I have added a list of other baked goods you should bake!

• Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cake
• Simple Red Velvet Cake Recipe
• Red Velvet Bundt Cake

Why this red velvet cake recipe? 

Perfect Valentines day dessert – this would make a great dessert for a valentines event or to eat by yourself. No judgement here! 😉

Easy to make – this layered cake only has two components, cake and frosting. So you can actually do all of this in one day, just make sure your cake layers have time to cool down before frosting! 

Velvety- this part is honestly why you should make it. Moist, soft, perfectly sweet, and all around the best cake around. Can’t you tell that I am just so obsessed with this cake? 

Cream cheese frosting – it wouldn’t be classic without a cream cheese frosting. You will be loving this cream cheese frosting all month long.

Grocery list for Red Velvet Cake Recipe

To make it easy for you, I have listed a few key ingredients that you will need that might not have stocked up in your pantry, to find the full list of ingredients, you can refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the recipe. 

• Unsalted butter- it needs to room temperature for the cake and the cream cheese buttercream.
• Vegetable oil – you can also use canola or grape-seed oil
• LorAnn’s red velvet emulsion – this is a must for the this recipe. You can it at Micheals, Joann’s, Amazon, and hobby lobby. You can also buy it quick and easy here. 
• Cocoa powder – I used a regular cocoa powder,
• Buttermilk – I like full fat buttermilk, but if you can’t find it no worries, just use what you can find. 
• Cream cheese – remember to use full fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.

Step by step – Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Step 1: Sift and mix the dry ingredients. In a medium size bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all-purpose flour.

Step 2: Cream the fats and sugar. In a bowl of a stand size mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. About 4 minutes. The mixture should turn white and double in size.

Step 3: Cream in the eggs. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, start adding the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom after each addition.

Step 4: Add more liquid ingredients. Once the eggs have been added, add the vanilla, LorAnn’s emulsion, sour cream, and vinegar mix on low just until incorporated about 30-60 seconds.

Step 5: Alternate the dry and buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn the mixer on low and add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. Finally, add the rest of the flour mixture and the last of the buttermilk, while mixing on low. Do not over mix.

Step 6: Divide and bake. Once mixed, evenly divide the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 33-35 minutes. I checked mine at 33 minutes and it needed about one more minute. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs, your cake is done.

Step 7: Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then remove them from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack and let them come to room temperature.

Step by step- cream cheese frosting 

Step 1: Cream the butter and cream cheese. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat again for 2 more minutes.

Step 2: Add the powdered sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low just until combined. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 3: Beat on medium for a few minutes. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 4: Beat out the air pockets. With a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, beat out all of the air pockets by hand for a smooth look.

Favorite products I use 

FAQ

Can I make this into cupcakes?

Yes, this recipe will make 18-20 cupcakes. Reduce the baking time to 20-22 minutes. 

Can this be made into a sheet cake?

Yes, I’ve done it for you right here

Can I use red food coloring instead of emulsion? 

Yes, it will change the flavor slightly, but will totally work.

Tips for assembly 

Here are the tools I used to assemble and decorate this cake 

Piping bag, cake turner, cake boards small and big. 

• With a piping bag, pipe a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first red velvet cake layer top side up, onto the board.
• Evenly spread about ¾ cup of the cream cheese buttercream on top of the cake layer.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the cream cheese buttercream and repeat the steps for the first layer. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Frost a thin coat of frosting around the cake to lock in the crumbs. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining caramel buttercream. Serve at room temperature, and will hold wrapped plastic wrap and stored in the fridge.

Experts baking tips 

1. When you are making the cake batter, make sure to really cream the butter, oil, and sugar. I can’t stress this enough! This helps create air pockets in your cake layers that helps it rise. 
2. Use high quality cake pans. This helps prevent your cake layers from browning on the sides. I always use Fat Daddios cake pans. You can find the ones I use here:
3. I say this a lot because I think it’s really important… USE ROOM TEMP ingredients! Making sure all of your ingredients are the same temp is a must!
4. To get a creamy and smooth buttercream, add a Tablespoon of whipping cream once you are done mixing the buttercream. Then beat by hand with a rubber spatula to get all of the air bubbles out. 
5. Do a crumb coat. Don’t skip this step. It helps secure the crumbs onto the cake and makes decorating easier.
6. Use a turn table to help decorate your cake. You can find the one I use here:
7. I love using an offset spatula to help spread the buttercream on the sides of the cake. You can find mine here:

Storing 

How to store this Red Velvet Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese Frosting

If I am dividing my cake making into multiple days, I bake my cake layers, cool them, and wrap them with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge or freezer. This help reduce crumbs and makes it so the layers don’t slide around when decorating. They can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. 

Freezing

Freeze individual cake slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. 

Here are some other cake recipes you are going to love:

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Recipe

Red Velvet Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese Frosting

Molly Murphy

soft and moist red velvet cake with a tangy and sweet buttercream. Made into a layered cake.

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course cake

Cuisine American

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tablespoon LorAnn’s red velvet emulsion can sub red food coloring
• ¼ cup full fat sour cream room temperature
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk room temperature

For the cream cheese frosting

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
• 6 oz. cream cheese room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

 

For the cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Prep 3 8 inch cake pans by spraying the bottom of the pans with cooking spray, lining with parchment paper, then spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and all-purpose flour. Set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand size mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. About 4 minutes. The mixture should turn white and double in size.
• With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, start adding the eggs one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom after each addition.
• Once the eggs have been added, add the vanilla, LorAnn’s emulsion (or red food coloring), sour cream, and vinegar mix on low just until incorporated about 30-60 seconds.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn the mixer on low and add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. Finally, add the rest of the flour mixture and the last of the buttermilk, while mixing on low. Do not over mix, this should take 30-45 seconds.
• Once mixed, evenly divide all of the batter into the prepared pans (about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan) Bake for 33-35 minutes. I checked mine at 33 minutes and it needed about one more minute. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs, your cake is done.
• Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then remove them from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack and let them come to room temperature. Wrap them in plastic wrap and either freeze or refrigerate them.

For the cream cheese buttercream

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat again for 2 more minutes.
• With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar, followed by the cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low just until combined. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• With a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, beat out all of the air pockets by hand for a smooth look.
• When the cake is cooled, use an offset spatula and frost the top of the cake. This cake is good served room temp or cold! However you serve it, it will not disappoint.

Assembly

• With a piping bag, pipe a small dollop of frosting onto a cake board. Place the first red velvet, top side up, onto the board.
• Evenly spread about ¾ cup of the cream cheese buttercream on top of the cake layer.
• Place the second cake layer on top of the cream cheese buttercream and repeat the steps for the first layer. Place the final cake layer, top side up, on the second layer of filling.
• Frost a thin coat of frosting around the cake to lock in the crumbs. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the frosting.
• Finish frosting and decorating the cake with the remaining caramel buttercream. Serve at room temperature, and will hold wrapped plastic wrap and stored in the fridge.

Keyword biscoff, pumpkin, layered cake, red velvet, cake, sheetcake

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