Black Folks Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Black folks Red velvet cake is more than just a white cake dyed red, Red velvet is a celebration cake. After all, for us, red is the color of joy. It’s has buttery, with slightly tangy undertones that makes this cake such a sweet treat during the holidays.

It has history in the black community as it originated in a 1911 cookbook “Good Things to Eat,” authored by a former slave, Chef Rufus Estes who included the recipe for a sweet “velvet cake,” enriched with four eggs and almond flour. A true Red velvet cake bursts with flavors of bitter and sweet and has this particular cake has a unique recipe with no boxed red velvet cake mix required.

Red Velvet Cake

This Red Velvet Cake recipe is made from scratch for the best flavor and a moist, tender crumb that pairs wonderfully with a tangy, sweet cream cheese frosting. This is a classic cake recipe for a 2-layer red velvet cake that is quite possibly the best red velvet cake recipe in the world.

3.39 from 21 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

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• Vegetable oil for the pans followsCrushed pecans, for garnish
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tbsp red food coloring (1 ounce)
• 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350°F and prep your cake pans by lining them with circles of parchment paper in the bottoms, then spray bottoms and sides with cooking spray.
• Whisk all the dry ingredients together first – flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt – and set them aside.Beat butter and sugar together until light and creamy – about 3-4 minutes using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
• Then add the oil and beat again, scraping down the sides of the bowl. The mixture will look a little curdled, but there's nothing to worry about.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition, and vanilla.
• Then mix in the vinegar and food coloring.
• Alternately add ⅓ of the dry ingredients with ⅓ of the buttermilk, mixing just until combined after each addition and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, repeating until everything has been added.
• Pour the batter evenly between the two cake pans, then bake for 30-35 minutes (for 9-inch pans) or 38-43 minutes (for 8-inch pans), or until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs. Be sure not to overbake.
• For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl using a handheld mixer until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. 
• Add the powdered sugar and cream or milk and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed and beat for 2 minutes. 
• Add vanilla and salt and beat again.
• Cool completely before leveling off the tops of each cake layer, if needed.
• Frost with cream cheese or ermine frosting.

Notes

Cake Pans: This recipe can be made with either two 8-inch or 9-inch baking pans to create two layers but you can make 3 or 4 layers. The baking time is 30-35 minutes for 9-inch pans and 38-43 minutes for 8-inch pans.

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