Author: Jessica Hilton | Jessica In The Kitchen Type: Cakes & Cupcakes Check out this super easy recipe for Vegan Red Velvet Cake! 🍰
Ingredients:
For the cake:
Apple cider vinegar or regular vinegar – You’ll use this to make a vegan buttermilk.
Soy milk or other vegan milk
White granulated sugar
All-purpose flour
Unsweetened cocoa powder – Don’t use cocoa mix—it’s not the same! Cocoa mix has added sugar.
Baking powder
Sea salt
Oil – Use a neutral-flavored cooking oil.
Vanilla extract
Liquid red food colouring – Make sure you buy one that is vegan! A good example is AmeriColor or Chefmaster. You can also buy natural food colouring (I like the 365 one from Whole Foods) but note that it won’t be as bright in colour, more a brown/purple shade. It’ll still taste delicious! Long story short, you’re trying to avoid ingredients such as cochineal and carmine.
Baking soda
White vinegar – This gives red velvet cake a light, airy texture.
For the frosting:
Vegan cream cheese – This should be room temperature so it’s easy to whip up into a creamy frosting.
Vanilla extract or vanilla paste
Vegan butter sticks – Your butter should be room temperature too!
Sea salt
Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar.
Cornstarch
How to Make Vegan Red Velvet Cake:
Once you’ve gathered up the ingredients, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start baking! Here’s what you’ll need to do.
1.) Prepare. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line them with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
Once you’ve gathered up the ingredients, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start baking! Here’s what you’ll need to do.
2.) Make the buttermilk.Combine the tablespoon of vinegar and room temperature vegan milk in a jar; this will curdle the milk and it will thicken. 3.) Mix the dry ingredients.In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt. 4.) Add the wet ingredients.Pour in the oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, red food colouring, and warm milk. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for no more than 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 5.) Combine the vinegar and baking soda. In a small bowl, mix together the white vinegar and baking soda. (It will fizz.) Pour into the cake batter and stir to incorporate. 6.)Fill the cake pans. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and lightly tap them on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. 7.) Bake. Place the pans in the center of the middle rack of your oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the centers of the cakes are baked through.
8.) Cool. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then carefully remove them and let them finish cooling on wire racks. 9.) Make the frosting.Beat the butter and cream cheese together in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 2 minutes until fully incorporated. Add in the vanilla and a pinch of salt, then beat in a cup of powdered sugar and all of the cornstarch until well-combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar a cup at a time until the frosting has reached the desired consistency. 10.) Assemble and frost the cake. After the cakes have cooled, apply a thick layer of frosting to the top of one cake and stack the other on top. Use an offset spatula to spread a thin layer of frosting over the sides and top of the cake. It should be thin enough that you can see the cake (and crumbs) through it. This is called a crumb coat and it’s used to help “catch” any stray crumbs so they don’t show through in the final layer of frosting. Once the crumb coat is dry to the touch, frost the cake again. Store the cake in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Tips for Success:
(Here are some suggestions for a perfect red velvet layer cake!)
Don’t over-mix. Once the ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing! Stirring too much will ruin the texture of the cake.
Chill the frosting. While you can use the frosting right away, I recommend refrigerating it for at least 4 hours, which helps it solidify a bit so it’s easier to work with.
Be patient. Don’t frost the cake until the layers are completely cool. A warm cake will melt the frosting and result in a big mess!
