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–+ servings

Heritage Red Velvet Cake

Heather Baird
This heart-shaped red velvet cake needs no special pan for its shape. You'll cut a heart from parchment or wax paper and use it as a template against the cake layers. However, you can omit the heart shape and bake it as a standard round 9-inch cake.
This red velvet cake recipe is an old fashioned all butter recipe, that's been a beloved favorites for generations.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Southern United States
Servings 12

Equipment

  • parchment paper
  • 9" round cake pans 2 or 3

Ingredients
 
 

Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tbsp liquid red food coloring
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp cider vinegar

Cream cheese frosting

  • 16 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4-5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour 2 or 3 round 9" cake pans.
  • Sift flour and salt together, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Add the flour mixture to the bowl alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Blend in vanilla.
  • In a small bowl, mix the 1 1/2 tbsp red food coloring and 1 tbsp cocoa powder until a paste forms. Add to the sugar and butter mixture. Mix well. In a small bowl or condiment cup, stir together the baking soda and cider vinegar. This will foam and should be put into the batter immediately after well mixed. After adding the foam mixture, blend on medium-high speed until batter is consistent.
  • Spoon batter evenly into pans - batter will be very thick! Level top of batter with an offset spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake springs back when pressed in the center. Turn out on wire racks and cool completely.
  • For the heart template, trace the bottom of a cake pan on parchment or wax paper, cut out the 9" circle. Fold it in half and cut into a heart shape using scissors.  Lay the paper heart on the cake and trim it down if it doesn't comfortably fit inside the cake's circumference. Crumble the cake scraps in a bowl, discarding any crusty or browned bits. Cover and set aside.

Cream cheese frosting

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. With the mixer on low, gradually pour in the confectioners' sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. If mixture is too thick, add a little milk to loosen it. If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar or put in the refrigerator to firm up.
  • Fill and frost the entire cake. While the frosting is still tacky, press crumbled cake onto the edges and on top of the cake. Brush off excess crumbs and refrigerate until set.
  • Cover with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Notes

When carving cake and coating with crumbs, be sure to put the crumbs on when the icing is fresh and still sticky.
Keyword cream cheese frosting, red velvet cake
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