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Red Velour Cake
4.6 from 56 votes

Red Velour Cake

Red Velour Cake is a vividly colored layered cake that uses red gel food coloring combined with cocoa powder, vinegar, and vanilla extract to achieve its signature taste and appearance. The batter is made from a mixture of flour, buttermilk, and eggs, then baked into three layers. The creamy frosting combines butter, cream cheese, flour, milk, and icing sugar, creating a smooth and slightly tangy topping that complements the cake's tender crumb.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 10
Calories: 579 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For Cake
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon red gel food coloring
  • ½ cup butter unsalted, softened
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 2 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
For Frosting
  • ¾ cup butter unsalted
  • 2 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup milk I used 3%
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounce cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup icing sugar same as confectioner sugar or powdered sugar

Instructions

Cake
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 350℉. Prepare 3 8 inch cake pans. Cut out 3 parchment paper circles that will fit inside each pan and spray them with some cooking spray, underneath and over the paper. Make sure to spray some cooking spray up the sides of the pans too.
  2. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt to a medium sized bowl and whisk until combined.
  3. In a smaller bowl add the cocoa powder, vinegar, vanilla extract and red gel food coloring and whisk until well combined. 
  4. In the bowl of your mixer add the butter, sugar and the cocoa powder mixture. Beat until well incorporated. Add the eggs and continue whisking until smooth. Add about half of the flour mixture and with the mixer on low continue mixing until well incorporated, then add half the buttermilk and mix until smooth. Mix in the remaining flour mixture, then the buttermilk and mix until smooth. 
  5. Divide the batter equally between the 3 prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle, then unmould the cakes from the pans and finish cooling completely on a wire rack.
  6. Cut off the dome of each cake using a serrated knife and finely crumble them onto a baking sheet. Spread the crumbs evenly and bake for 15 minutes. Let them cool completely.
  7. Add the crumbs to a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds to a minute or until the crumbs are super fine. 
Frosting - can be done while cake is baking
  1. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly, to get rid of the flour taste. Add the milk, vanilla, salt and whisk constantly for another minute. The mixture should resemble a thick paste. Place it in a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the paste. Let it cool completely. I placed mine in the fridge to speed up the process.
  2. When the mixture is cool, add it to a larger bowl, add the rest of the butter, cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the icing sugar and continue mixing until smooth and creamy. 
Assembly
  1. Place 4 square pieces, about 6 inches by 6 inches of parchment paper on the bottom of a cake platter then place a cake directly in the center of the platter, over the parchment paper. This will make it a lot easier to clean the cake platter after we're done assembling it.
  2. Spread about 3/4 of a cup of frosting onto the bottom cake, evenly over the surface. Add another cake and spread another 3/4 cup of the frosting. Add the last cake top side up, makes for a smoother top and easier to spread the frosting. Add the rest of the frosting and evenly spread it over the entire surface of the cake including the sides. 
  3. Sprinkle about half a cup of the fine red velvet crumbs over the top of the cake and lightly press them into the frosting. Repeat with the side of the cake, using your hands to smooth out the crumbs. You may use a cake spatula to finish smoothing the crumbs into the frosting. 
  4. Slowly pull out the parchment paper pieces from under the cake and clean off any leftover crumbs on the platter around the cake. Slice and serve.

Notes

  • Red gel food coloring provides a rich red color without a bitter aftertaste compared to liquid colorings.
  • Using parchment circles in the cake pans and spraying the pans’ sides helps prevent sticking and eases layer removal.
  • The cake can be baked in two pans and sliced into three layers if three pans are not available; adjust baking time accordingly and check doneness with a toothpick.
  • Crumbs are used to decorate the cake surface; use about half of the crumbs for the top and sides as desired.
  • The recipe is adapted from Ricardo Magazine, indicating tested reliability.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 579kcal (29%) Carbohydrates 64g (21%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 33g (51%) Saturated Fat 20g (100%) Cholesterol 122mg (41%) Sodium 499mg (21%) Potassium 243mg (5%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 40g (80%) Vitamin A 1120IU (22%) Calcium 124mg (12%) Iron 1.9mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 579

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 579kcal 29%
Carbohydrates 64g 21%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 33g 51%
Saturated Fat 20g 100%
Cholesterol 122mg 41%
Sodium 499mg 21%
Potassium 243mg 5%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 40g 80%
Vitamin A 1120IU 22%
Calcium 124mg 12%
Iron 1.9mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.