Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake

Recipe from Sylvia’s Family Soul Food Cookbook, by Sylvia Woods and Family, published by William Morrow, 1999

Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Soul Food

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (72)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(72)

Cook Time:
30 min
Level:
--
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 30 min
Total:: 45 min

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Directions

For the cake:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 ounces red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 pound box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Stir in pecans. Use frosting to fill and ice cake. Slice and serve on individual plates.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake
Christine Seattle, WA 03-12-2009
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Second time's a charm!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Here are the tweaks I made after my first cake didn't turn out as expected: - added 1/2 C vegetable oil - used only 1... ounce of food coloring instead of 2 - used less sugar for the frosting (maybe half a box instead of a whole box) - used 2 HEAPING teaspoons of cocoa powder Results? OUTSTANDING! The cake was moist, fluffy and delicious. The red was vibrant though I only used one ounce of food coloring. The frosting was perfect - not too sweet or tangy. To me, red velvet shouldn't be too chocolatey, just a hint, so using 2 big teaspoons worked out perfect for my tastebuds. Originally, I added an extra stick of butter, put 3 tablespoons of cocoa (based on previous reviews) and forgot to sift the flour before sifting it with the other ingredients, not to mention I overbaked it. That resulted in a dry, crusty cake which was edible, but not desireable. The cocoa powder was too much and didn't go well with the cream cheese frosting. So I made the tweaks the second time around and it came out perfect. Good luck to everyone who wishes to try this - if it doesn't work the first time, try a few tweaks and hopefully you'll get it just right just like I did.Read more
recipe Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake
Leah Hampstead, NC 02-18-2009
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Sooo Good!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this cake for Valentine's day. Put it in a heart shaped pans and decorated it with the icing using the basket weave... on the sides and drew "conversation hearts" in icing on the top. What a hit! The trick is to not over bake it! Keep in mind your elevation and oven tempratures vary depending on the type of pan you use. Read more
recipe Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake
Laura Reno, NV 02-09-2009
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Have made this cake for Valentine's Day for years!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My family loves this cake. Since this is the 1st red velvel cake recipe I had tried, I've tried others and even combining 2... recipes. I gave up and decided this was it. I even like it better than all those red velvet cupcakes the cupcake shops have. I make the recipe exactly as it says and it has come out perfectly every time, It comes out moist and rich, the nuts are a great compliment to the rich frosting. I do like that it is not too much frosting so that the flavor of the cake comes through.Read more
recipe Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake
Renea los angeles, CA 01-26-2009
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Great-tasting cake w/ a few adjustments
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I usually buy red velvet cake from a little shop on Crenshaw Blvd., but they were closed today, so I made my own. The... internet has so many different recipes, and I didn't know which one to choose. Sylvia's won by the toss of a coin, and I must say that I'm glad I chose this one as my first Red Velvet cake. I did, however, make a few adjustments according to my instincts and some of the feedback from other bakers. Some recommended more butter while others recommended vegetable oil. I used a combination of both -1 and 3/4 sticks of butter and 1/8 cup of vegetable oil. I can't imagine how dry the cake would have been without these additions. I also used on 3/4 of the box of powdered sugar, otherwise I think the frosting would have been to sweet. I also garnished the cake with chopped pecans. My first two testers gave it rave reviews! I will always use this recipe.Read more
recipe Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake
Stacia Oak Creek, WI 01-16-2009
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A bit dry, but good.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I have made this cake for the past two Christmases and it is nothing like the one my mother used to make. In 2007, the cake... was dry - not real dry, but too dry for a red velvet cake. The frosting was good and overall everyone said it was good. In 2008, the cake didn't seem as dry, but still drier than the cake my mom used to make. I do remember my mom using oil and buttermilk in her cake and it was very moist and rich, you only needed a sliver at a time. I have seen other comments about adding an additional stick of butter to help out with the dryness - I will try that next time. In the meantime, I'm still on the hunt for a recipe that resembles my mom's. Read more
recipe Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake
Ms Atlanta, GA 01-06-2009
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This is a winner
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I made this cake over the holidays and everyone LOVED it. Like others, I added another stick of butter, and I only used 1 oz... of food coloring. It came out perfectly delicious! I think I even snagged a suitor! Read more