Marble Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe: Red velvet cake isn’t just white cake that’s been colored red. This recipe makes the best red velvet cake. It tastes great with butter, vanilla, cocoa, and the tangy flavor of buttermilk. One thing I do to make sure the bread is smooth is whip the egg whites.
Marble Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons (10g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2Â cups (400g)Â granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature and separated
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- liquid or gel red food coloring
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups (600g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Warm the oven up to 177°F (350°C). In two 9-inch cake pans, grease the pans and then line them with rounds of parchment paper. Grease the paper as well. Putting parchment paper under the cakes helps them come out of the pans easily. (See this movie and post about making rounds with parchment paper for cakes if it helps.)
- Get the cake ready:In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt with a whisk. Put away.
- Using a paddle tool on a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for about one minute, until they are well mixed. If you need to, use a wooden spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. I added the vinegar, egg whites, vanilla extract, and oil. I beat it on high for two minutes. (Do not use the egg whites.) If you need to, use a wooden spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients two or three at a time, mixing them in between adding the buttermilk. Add the amount of food coloring you want and mix it in just until it’s all mixed in. I use one to two teaspoons of gel food coloring. For about three minutes, mix or beat the four egg whites very hard on high speed until fluffy peaks form, as shown above. Mix it slowly into the cake batter. The batter will be smooth and a little thick.
- Spread the batter out in the cake pans. When you gently touch the top of one of the cakes, it should spring back, and when you stick a toothpick in the middle, it should come out clean. If you can see wet crumbs on the stick, it means the cakes need a little more time. Bake them for longer. But be careful not to bake the cakes too long, or they might get dry. Taking the cakes out of the oven, let them cool all the way in the pans on a wire rack. Before filling and putting the cakes together, they need to be totally cool.
- Get the frosting ready:With a hand mixer or stand mixer that has a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl on medium-high speed for about two minutes, or until the mixture is smooth. The powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt should now be added. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then raise the speed to high and beat for three minutes, or until everything is well mixed and smooth. If the frosting is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. If it’s too sweet, add an extra pinch of salt. It’s best for frosting to be soft but not runny.
- To put the cakes together and frost them, use a big sharp knife to cut a thin layer off the tops of each one to make a flat surface. Throw away or spread over the final cake. To serve, put one piece of cake on a cake stand or plate. Cover the top with frosting all over. Place the second layer on top and cover the top and sides with the rest of the frosting. I always top with an icing spoon and a bench scraper. Tip #12 from Wilton was used to decorate the top.
- Put cake in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes before cutting it. This helps the cake stay together when you cut it.
- Put any extra cake in a tight cover and put it in the fridge for 5 days.You can freeze cake slices with or without frosting for up to two to three months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then bring it to room temperature before painting or serving.
