Butter red velvet cake uses creamed butter, four eggs, and a quarter cup of cocoa for two nine-inch layers. Buttermilk and a little sour cream bring moisture and tang, while red coloring supplies the familiar appearance. The cake can be served plain or finished with the optional three cups of prepared cream cheese frosting.
This is the butter-based version, with no separate cup of oil in the batter. Bring the ingredients to a cool room temperature for smoother mixing, then bake promptly after the flour and acidic liquids have been incorporated.
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Why This Recipe Works
Creaming butter with sugar creates the base for the batter. Adding the eggs one at a time helps that mixture remain even instead of turning lumpy with a large liquid addition. Butter red velvet cake needs gentle handling after the flour goes in, when overmixing can tighten the crumb.
The cocoa amount is more noticeable than in very lightly flavored red velvet cakes. Use natural unsweetened cocoa and keep the measured quantity rather than adding extra chocolate powder for color. The acid and baking soda are also part of the formula, not optional decorative ingredients.
Ingredients for Butter Red Velvet Cake
Soften one cup of unsalted butter without melting it. Use four large eggs, lightly measured all-purpose flour, buttermilk, two tablespoons sour cream, and the specified vinegar. Measure the vinegar as tablespoons: the recipe uses one and a half tablespoons, not teaspoons.
For butter red velvet cake, start with one tablespoon of liquid red food color and add up to a second tablespoon for a stronger color if desired. Gel coloring is more concentrated and needs its own product guidance. Optional prepared cream cheese frosting is a separate three-cup batch; use one cup between layers and two cups outside.
Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ tablespoons white vinegar
- 1–2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring (to desired color; not the same amount of gel)
Optional Finish and Pan Preparation
- 3 cups prepared cream cheese frosting (optional; 1 cup between layers, 2 cups outside)
- as needed butter (for greasing pans)
How to Make Butter Red Velvet Cake
Grease two nine-inch round pans and line their bottoms with parchment. Heat the oven to 350°F. Blend the buttermilk with vinegar, and sift flour, cocoa, soda, and salt in another bowl. Beat butter and sugar until lighter, then incorporate eggs one at a time followed by sour cream and vanilla.
Alternate the dry mixture and buttermilk mixture into butter red velvet cake batter on low speed. Add the measured liquid coloring with the wet ingredients for even distribution. Scrape the bottom once, divide between pans, and avoid beating simply to eliminate every tiny surface bubble.
Bake about 25–35 minutes, checking for set tops and a tester without wet batter. Cool ten minutes in the pans, then turn onto racks and wait until completely cool. If frosting, use the measured prepared batch on cold layers. The optional topping adds its own preparation time if it is not already made.
How to Serve
Serve butter red velvet cake in twelve slices, plain with a cup of coffee or with the optional frosting. The unfrosted version highlights the cocoa and buttery crumb; the cream cheese finish adds sweetness and tang. Both choices use the same baked cake base.
A serrated knife helps divide unfrosted layers cleanly. For frosted slices, wiping the blade between cuts prevents crumbs smearing into the next piece. Do not stack warm layers to save time, because their soft centers can compress and the frosting may slide.
Storage
Wrap unfrosted butter red velvet cake once fully cooled and keep at room temperature for up to two days for quality. If using cream cheese frosting, refrigerate covered at 40°F or below and use within four days, limiting room-temperature handling to two hours total.
Freeze cooled unfrosted layers for up to two months for quality, with wrapping against both air and freezer moisture. Thaw covered in the refrigerator before decorating. Frosting prepared earlier retains its own original storage limit rather than acquiring a new four-day period on the cake.
The butter, buttermilk, and sour cream formula is adapted from Mary at Goodie Godmother’s Red Velvet Cake, with independent instructions and explicit two-pan and optional-frosting quantities.
The FDA safe food handling guidance explains prompt refrigeration and temperature checks for perishable foods.
Tips and Variations
For butter red velvet cake, check the butter consistency before beginning. A greasy, nearly melted base will not cream like softly pliable butter. If your kitchen is hot, let the ingredients soften only as much as needed and keep the finished batter moving toward the oven.
Food coloring changes the visible shade, but it is not a doneness cue. A red streak on a tester may be wet batter, while a few colored crumbs can be normal. Look for the difference and extend baking in small increments if necessary, tenting if the surface colors too fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does butter red velvet cake include oil?
No. This particular batter uses a cup of softened butter as its main added fat.
Is frosting included with butter red velvet cake?
The baked cake is complete by itself. Three cups of prepared cream cheese frosting are listed as an optional separate finish.
Why specify liquid food color?
Different coloring forms have different concentrations. The tablespoon range here is for ordinary liquid coloring, not gel.
Can I use three pans instead?
The written schedule is for two 9-inch pans. Three thinner layers need a different baking check and earlier testing.
How long do layers need to cool?
Allow the listed 90 minutes as a guide, extending until no warmth remains at the center before frosting.
More Recipes to Try
Butter Red Velvet Cake with Sour Cream
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ tablespoons white vinegar
- 1–2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring to desired color; not the same amount of gel
Optional Finish and Pan Preparation
- 3 cups prepared cream cheese frosting optional; 1 cup between layers, 2 cups outside
- as needed butter for greasing pans
Instructions
- Preheat to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch pans at least 2 inches deep. Stir buttermilk and vinegar together. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a second bowl.
- Beat softened butter with sugar until light. Add eggs individually, mixing and scraping after each addition, then incorporate sour cream and vanilla.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Mix in 1–2 tablespoons liquid red coloring as desired, stopping when the batter is evenly combined.
- Divide between pans, filling no more than two-thirds deep. Bake for 25–35 minutes until a tester from the center has no wet batter.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer to racks and cool fully, approximately 80 minutes more. Serve plain, or spread 1 cup of prepared frosting between layers and the remaining 2 cups over the top and sides. Refrigerate a cream-cheese-frosted cake.
