Red Velvet Cake
- Level: Easy
- Yield: two 9-inch layer cakes
- Total: 2 hr
- Active: 30 min
Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/4 cup hot water
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon red gel food coloring
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Whisk the cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl until smooth; let cool. Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat the oil, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar in a large bowl. Whisk in the cocoa mixture until smooth, then whisk in the flour mixture. Divide the batter between the pans.
- Bake the cakes until the centers spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 15 minutes in the pans. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out the cakes onto the rack; remove the parchment and let cool completely.