Best Red Velvet Cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream
Calories: 26
Adjust Servings Here: 12 servings
Description
If you’re looking for an indulgent, show-stopping dessert that will be the talk of the table, look no further than this frosted red velvet cake recipe. Rich and decadent, this stunning cake combines an iconic flavor combination of chocolate and frosting in an impressive presentation.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2½ cup (310 g) All-purpose flour
- 2½ tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 2½ tsp ( ) Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) Butter unsalted, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) Cooking oil flavorless
- 2 cups (400 g) White Sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 1½ cup (350 ml) Buttermilk
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Red gel food color
Italian meringue buttercream
- ½ cup (100 grams) Sugar
- 3 tbsp Water
- 3 (90 g) Egg whites
- ⅛ tsp Cream of tartar just a pinch
- ⅛ tsp Salt just a pinch
- 1 cup (226 g) Butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Plus
- ½ cup (120 ml) Sugar Syrup
Instructions
Cake batter
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/ 165°C / Gas Mark 3. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans, three 7-inch cake pans, or four 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients - Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – set aside2½ cup All-purpose flour, 2½ tbsp Cocoa Powder, 2½ tsp Baking powder, ½ tsp Baking Soda, ½ tsp Salt
- Cream - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each is well incorporated.¾ cup Butter, ½ cup Cooking oil, 2 cups White Sugar, 4 large Eggs
- Combine - Next, add the flour and buttermilk in three batches, followed by the vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food color.1½ cup Buttermilk, 1 tbsp Vinegar, 2 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1 tbsp Red gel food color
- Bake - Pour the batter between the prepared baking pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool - Once baked, leave in the pan for no more than 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Italian meringue buttercream
- Place egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed. Once the meringue is at the soft peak stage, turn the mixer on low to avoid overmixing and wait for the sugar to reach the desired temperature.Watch a video - how I make my Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC)3 Egg whites, ⅛ tsp Cream of tartar, ⅛ tsp Salt
- Meanwhile, heat sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Once all the sugar is melted, place a candy thermometer inside. Continue to boil until the sugar syrup reaches about 238°F on the candy thermometer (softball stage).½ cup Sugar, 3 tbsp Water
- Turn the mixer on medium speed and pour the hot sugar syrup into the mixer bowl. The sugar should stream between the whisk and the edge of the bowl. Once all the syrup is in, turn the mixer on high and whisk for about 3 minutes. The outside of the bowl will be hot at first and then barely warm.
- When the meringue is cold and the bowl is not warm at all, start adding the butter, one cube at a time. Once all the butter is in, whip for another minute or two until you have a smooth and satin-like buttercream that is light and fluffy. Then, add the vanilla extract.1 cup Butter, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Assemble
- Prepare simple syrup - cool completely before using. Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. It's used to keep cake layers moist. Watch a video showing how I level, torte, and fill the cakes.½ cup Sugar Syrup
- Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Then divide each layer in half horizontally so you have four layers (2 x 2 = 4 layers).
- Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup. Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Spread the remaining buttercream around and on the top of the cake. A straight-edge spatula for the top, an offset spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better.
- Add a few drops of pink gel food color to half of the remaining white buttercream. Put both colors of buttercream in a piping bag with a star piping tip nozzle.
- Pipe swirls around the cake. These swirls are exactly what you would do on a cupcake, just smaller and on the side and top of the cake. Decorate as desired.
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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