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An easy Southern red velvet cake that’s super moist, delicious, and made entirely from scratch. I frosted the cake with homemade cream cheese frosting and it’s hands down my all-time favorite two-layer cake!

For this cake, I used the same base as my popular red velvet cupcakes and it turned out fantastic! If you’ve never had a slice of red velvet cake then you’re seriously missing out. Picture a moist vanilla buttermilk cake with a touch of cocoa and a tangy frosting. That’s the best way I can describe it other than using the words “moist” and “delicious”.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The cream cheese frosting isn’t overly sweet like classic buttercream. It’s creamy, firm, and the best frosting for red velvet cake!
• Perfect for the holidays especially Valentine’s day!
• It’s decadent, soft, and rich.
• Bakes in under 30 minutes.
• You can also bake this cake in a bundt pan or three 8-inch cake pans, you’ll just have to adjust the baking time.

Ingredient Notes

• Flour – All-purpose flour works best for this recipe.
• Baking Soda – Helps cake to rise and become light and fluffy.
• Buttermilk – Please use store-bought full-fat buttermilk. Avoid homemade buttermilk or buttermilk substitutions.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Make sure it’s unsweetened.
• Oil – Vegetable or canola oil works best. Avoid olive oil.
• Butter – Softened at room temperature. You may use salted or unsalted butter.
• Cream Cheese– Full-fat and softened at room temperature.
• Red Food Coloring – Gel food coloring works best because it’s concentrated and you won’t need too much of it. If using red liquid food coloring, you’ll need almost an entire small bottle to get that bright red color. However, you may use either or to attain a beautiful red color. You may also use red beet powder.
• Eggs – Must be at room temperature for even baking.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Distilled white vinegar works as well.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 9-inch cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
4. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until well combined but don’t overmix. It’s fine if you see some lumps in the batter.
5. In a small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar and baking soda. Once it foams up, add it to the cake batter and fold it in.
6. Evenly divide the cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25-26 minutes.
7. Allow the cakes to cool completely and then run a knife around the edges to loosen and turn them onto a wire rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

Top Tips For The Ultimate Southern Red Velvet Cake

• Do not overmix the cake batter or overbake the cake. Overbaking the cake for even a minute can cause it to dry out.
• Use room-temperature eggs and buttermilk for even baking. And use softened butter and cream cheese! for a silky smooth frosting!
• It’s crucial that you allow the cake to cool completely before frosting otherwise the frosting will melt and run all over the place.

How To Keep The Cake Moist

Cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap to prevent that side from drying out. Finally, cover the entire cake and leave it out at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. If you want to refrigerate it, make sure to cover it and refrigerate it for up to 5 days.

More Cake Recipes You Might Enjoy

• Carrot Cake
• Lemon Bundt Cake
• Crack Cake
• Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

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