Valentines Red Velvet Cake Recipe. Three layers of southern red velvet cake enrobed in purple swiss meringue buttercream and valentines inspired sprinkles.
I seriously cannot believe that we are here, Valentines Day week, mid February already. I say this every year so here goes again… I absolutely love the colors of Valentines Day. I think its an official break from the December holidays and they are just down right fun. They can be deep and rich colors which add some sexiness or pastel colors which add a fun touch!
The above is how I came to the color combo for this cake. The southern red velvet cake is a beautiful rich hue of red and the swiss meringue buttercream was made a royal shade of purple. And of course, as you already know, I love sprinkles and these “Hearts Desire” sprinkle mix from SprinklePop were just perfect! I intended to just sprinkle the bottom of the cake but ended up doing a lot more as you can see 😉 .
My favorite part of this Valentines Red Velvet Cake though is when you cut it open and see the two rich colors together. I think it sums up the Valentines holiday perfectly.
Enjoy!
Stacey
Here are some of the items used to make this cake. Whether you want to purchase from the links or get a visual of what to look for when you go shopping see below. (Please note some of the links above are affiliate links which means if you purchase from the link I get a small commission. I use these products and stand behind them which is why I chose to tell you about them. Thank you for supporting this blog.)
FORGOT TO PIN IT? Here it is! Thanks.
Cake recipe from Martha Stewart.
Valentines Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter for cake pans
- CAKE:
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour not self-rising
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 tsp red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- BUTTERCREAM:
- 7 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups + 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 lbs butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- CAKE:
- Heat oven to 300 degrees F. (this is not a typo, I baked these at a lower temp to avoid the dome on the cakes.)
- Generously butter 3 x 7 inch round cake pans. Sprinkle with flour, and tap out the excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, salt, and cocoa; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and oil, and beat on medium speed until well combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add food coloring and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
- Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- In a small bowl, mix baking soda and vinegar until combined.
- Add to batter, and beat for 10 seconds.
- Evenly divide batter between the prepared pans.
- Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans, and return to the rack to cool completely.
- BUTTERCREAM:
- In medium sauce pan add the egg whites and sugar.
- On medium heat you are going to whisk egg mixture until sugar is completely dissolved (you can test it by rubbing a small amount between your fingers to test it, it should be completely smooth).
- Transfer to mixing bowl and with whisk attachment whisk on high until stiff peaks form and mixture is completely cooled.
- Switch to paddle attachment.
- On high speed add the butter one piece at a time. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the vanilla, continue mixing until completely mixed in.
- Add in the violet food coloring and mix until fully combined.
- ASSEMBLY:
- Put a small dollop of frosting on cake board/cake plate so the cake sticks.
- Put on the cake first layer, spread on layer of buttercream, smooth with offset spatula.
- Repeat with next cake layer.
- Place last layer of cake on top.
- Crumb coat the cake, refrigerate.
- Apply and smooth out final coat of buttercream on top and sides.
- Pipe on top the decorative swirls.
- Very steady and carefully hold cake at a slight angle and sprinkle the cake with the sprinkles on the sides.
- Then sprinkle the top.
- Refrigerate cake to set.
- Let set at room temp for at least an hour before serving so the buttercream softens.
What a spectacular creation Stacey!! Seriously, you do the most amazing layer cakes! You deck them up so pretty, they are a feast for the eyes!
Thanks Deepika! I do have a thing for cake 😉 . Take care.
Hey Stacey…..These cake looks soooo good & beautiful, sounds so yummy, I will definitely try to making this cake at valentine day for my love. Thanks for sharing more beautiful recipe with idea…..!
Thank you Samantha! Im so glad you like the cake! Take care 🙂 .
This cake is gorgeous! What I wouldn’t do for a big slice right now!! Pinned!
Thanks Annie! I wish I had one to 😉 Take care.
Those colours together look spectacular and this cake looks perfect
Thanks Marie! The color combo is one of my favorites. Take care.
Oh Stacey, you are truly a cake artist. This looks absolutely amazing. I am always in such awe of your beautiful pictures. This is such a wonderful recipe…I would love to try it out too 🙂
Hi Ashika! Thank you so much! So glad you like it. Take care. 🙂
Such a vibrant and festive cake! I love the purple! You need to open up a bakery, Stacey!
Hi Thao! Thank you! Vibrant is a good word for this cake! If I opened a bakery I fear I would eat all the product lol. Take care.
Where can I find the violet coloring for the frosting? Thanks
Hi Karen, I apologize for the delay in getting you a response to your question. I have been out sick. I used Chefmaster brand liquid-gel food color in “violet”. I bought it at my local cake supply store but found it on amazon here as well, https://www.amazon.com/Chefmaster-Liqua-Gel-Concentrated-Color-Violet/dp/B018Y52OL0/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1519312679&sr=8-3&keywords=chefmaster%2Bliquid%2Bgel%2Bfood%2Bcoloring%2Bviolet&th=1 . I bought the .70 oz bottle and had more than enough. Take care.
Where can I find the violet coloring for the frosting
Oh my Gosh!!! this is looking sooo cute Stacey.. Loved the color of this cake. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Puja! Thank you so much, it was really fun to make. Take care.
STACEY! This cake is ridiculous – I love, LOVE the colours!! It’s so pretty! You cannot go wrong with red velvet for Valentine’s Day! XO
Hi Katherine! Thank you so much! The color combo was my favorite part ;-). Take care.
Hi. The recipe says 1/4 CUP OF RED FOOD COLOUR? Is that right? Or should it be 1/4 teaspoon?
Hi Tina, thank you sooo much for questioning this! I don’t think there has ever been a time I have had a 1/4 cup of red food coloring in the house let alone in a recipe lol. To do a double check I made the recipe this AM to be certain and it is definitely 1/4 tsp. I have updated the recipe. Happy baking 🙂
Hey Stacey! What a great recipe to try on Valentines Day. It looks sooo delicious & yummy. I’ll try this on upcoming Valentines Day for my love, my life my wife. Keep sharing more cake recipes like this one. Thanks for sharing a nice recipe…
Hi Antonio! I’m so happy you like this recipe. Your wife will love it! Take care and happy baking 😉
Hey Stacey, this cake is beautiful, but I noticed that in the recipe for the buttercream you wrote 1 1/2 pounds of butter. This seems like way too much. Did you mean 1 1/2 cups?
Hi Kaden, 1 1/2 lbs is correct. It works out to be 6 sticks of butter. It may seem like a lot but you are crumb coating, final coating, decorating and filling the cake with this buttercream, that takes a decent amount of buttercream ;-). Happy baking! Take care.