Red Velvet Sheet Cake
This Red Velvet Sheet Cake is tangy, moist, and topped with a cream cheese frosting - a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Ready in just a few easy steps, this homemade sheet cake recipe can easily serve a gathering of 24 or more!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Red gel paste food coloring adjust to your liking - see note below
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
For the Frosting
- ¾ cup 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Fresh raspberries and blueberries and star sprinkles, optional garnish
Instructions
- For the cake: Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly spray an 18" x 12" rimmed sheet pan with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla and mix again.
- Add food coloring (see notes) and mix just to combine.
- With mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ½ of the buttermilk, another ⅓ of the flour, the last ½ of the buttermilk, and finally the last ⅓ of the flour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and vinegar. Add to the batter and then beat for 10 seconds, just to combine.
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan and spread into a smooth layer. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out just barely clean. Do not over bake.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting: Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until well combined.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly add powdered sugar and then the vanilla.
- Scrape down sides of bowl and then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat until frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Spread frosting (use as little or as much as you like) over cooled cake and garnish with fresh berries if desired.
- Enjoy immediately or place in refrigerator until ready to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. (I actually prefer to eat this cake at least slightly chilled.)
Notes
Red food coloring: I like to use gel food coloring because it's more concentrated, which means I can use less of it than liquid food coloring. I use Americolor #119 Red Red - start out with about 2 teaspoons and add more if you want a brighter red color. For a "dark red" color, similar to my photos, I recommend using about 2 teaspoons. For a "bright red" color, I recommend using about 3 teaspoons. Know that the red color will become a bit muted once the cake is baked, so I recommend adding a little more gel food coloring to the batter than anticipated. If you use liquid food coloring, you will need to use more.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 272kcal Carbohydrates: 39g Protein: 2g Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 22mg Sodium: 177mg Sugar: 27g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.