Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Learn why buttermilk makes the crumb so tender, plus the story of red velvet and its tangy cream cheese frosting that balances every slice.
70 min
Medium
Americana
10 servings
The story behind
Buttermilk earns its place here through chemistry, not just tang: its acidity reacts with cocoa and baking soda to keep the crumb exceptionally tender and, in the earliest versions, to coax out a natural reddish hue long before gel food coloring existed. That reaction is the backbone of red velvet. The cake gained fame in the United States in the early twentieth century, with New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel turning it into an icon. During World War II sugar rationing, some bakers reached for beet juice to deepen the color, adding another thread to its lore. This is neither a deep chocolate cake nor a plain vanilla one; it lives in between, with just 15 grams of cocoa lending depth without taking over. Tangy, faintly salty cream cheese frosting balances the sweet crumb, so beat the cheese cold to keep the frosting firm rather than slumping over the layers. It remains a celebration dessert, a fixture at birthdays, weddings and holiday tables across the American South. Chill the assembled cake so the frosting sets and the flavors settle before slicing.
Instructions
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1Cream the butter and sugar, then add eggs and the red coloring.
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2Sift dry ingredients and add them alternating with the buttermilk.
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3Bake in two circular pans at 180°C (350°F). Let cool completely.
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4Prepare the frosting by beating cream cheese with powdered sugar and butter.
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5Assemble the cake with a thick layer of frosting in the middle and decorate the top with swirls and chocolate as seen in the image.
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