Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and what better way to celebrate than with this amazing vegan red velvet cake! Red velvet cake appeared in the cookbook The Joy of Cooking in 1943 and this was the cake’s first national mention. It does date back to Victorian times however when a bit of cocoa was added to cakes for a more velvety texture. According to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, they are the birthplace of the Red Velvet cake and take credit for its existence but others have challenged that claim. I don’t know for sure but what I do know is that it’s a delicious cake slathered with cream cheese frosting and mine is all vegan of course!

I’ve been making quite a few cake recipes lately using what’s been called the “reverse creaming method” and this cake is no exception. This method adds fat to the dry ingredients first so it coats them preventing them from forming gluten when the wet ingredients are added resulting in a more tender cake that can’t be over-mixed. It’s great for novice bakers as it takes the guess work out of mixing and how long to mix as that can result in a tough cake. You need to mix enough to build structure but not too much to form gluten. It’s hard in traditional mixing methods (cream fat and sugar, add wet then dry ingredients) to get it right but this method provides consistent results every time!

The traditional tang of this cake comes from buttermilk but we’re making it vegan of course and using vegan milk and white vinegar. I often use lemon juice to make buttermilk but white vinegar is traditionally used so we’re sticking with that but you could use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar if that’s all you have. Cocoa powder is also another interesting ingredient. We don’t use much in the cake but traditionally “natural” cocoa powder is used (like Hershey’s brand) and the reaction with the baking soda and buttermilk gave the cake its reddish hue but that’s been amped up by adding food coloring in most recipes as it’s not red enough. I prefer the taste of Dutch processed cocoa so that’s what I use but it doesn’t get as red but has deeper flavor in my opinion. Bottom line is you could use either kind as we’re not using a lot.

Regarding red food coloring, you can use a natural brand or an artificial color but some vegans object to animal testing that often goes hand in hand with artificial ingredients so you make that ethical choice for yourself. I used natural coloring and added a fair amount (two teaspoons) to the batter for the red color but it’s not as vibrant as it would be with an artificial color. Some red food colors are made with crushed insects (carmine) so avoid those but they’re not readily available for consumers so much these days.

Like with any cake, it’s best not to over bake this cake. Everyone’s ovens are different and depending on whether or not you use an 8 inch or 9 inch cake pan also affects baking times. These can also be baked as cupcakes if you prefer. I use a convection oven which bakes things faster so start checking about 20 minutes into baking with a cake tester and if it comes out clean, remove it from the oven and let cool before frosting. Most cakes will have a slight dome to them so I usually even it out before frosting by using a large bread knife to cut across the top and in this case, I used that bit of cake to crumble over the top for a nice presentation. It’s optional but looks like a diner style cake. I hope you enjoy this delicious treat that’s great any time of year. Don’t forget to rate and review if you do make it!

Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Recipe by Kreg

5.0 from 2 votes

Cuisine: Dessert

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

27

minutes

The most delicious tender vegan red velvet cake you’ll ever taste!

Ingredients

• Red Velvet Cake

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups vegan cane sugar

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (see notes)

• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup coconut or vegetable oil (see notes)

• 1/3 cup vegan sour cream

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups vegan milk

• 1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

• 2-3 teaspoons red food coloring

• Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature

• 8 oz vegan cream cheese, room temperature

• 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted to remove lumps

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• pinch of salt

Directions

• Prepare your baking pans and preheat the oven to 350°. I used two 8-inch cake pans but 9-inch will work as well but will bake faster. You’ll need to line the bottom on the pan with a round of parchment paper. It’s not 100% necessary but makes the cake release much easier. I usually place the pan into the parchment paper then trace around the bottom with a pencil. I then cut out the rounds. Spray or butter the pans (I prefer to use shortening) then place a parchment round in the bottom of each pan. Spray or butter again and then add a tablespoon of flour to each pan and shake it around the pan to coat the bottom and sides. Tap out any excess flour in the sink or over a garbage can.
• Mix dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer to combine and aerate for a minute. If mixing by hand, use a whisk. Add the oil (if using coconut oil, make sure it’s in a liquid state and that all ingredients are room temperature so that it doesn’t seize), 1/3 cup vegan sour cream and 1/4 cup vegan milk and mix until combined on low speed. Scrape down bowl then continue to mix on medium speed for 1 minute until all flour is completely coated. It will seem thick like brownie batter but this is correct.
• Whisk the vinegar into the remaining 1 cup of vegan milk and set aside for a minute to curdle. Add the brewed cooled coffee, vanilla and food coloring and mix to combine.
• Slowly add the remaining liquid to the mixture in the bowl on low speed then scrape the bowl down and mix for two minutes to combine. The great thing about this is because we use the reverse creaming method you can’t overmix this and make the batter tough because we coated all the flour with fat.
• Evenly distribute the batter in the pans and tap or tap on the counter to even then out and remove some air bubbles and bake for 25-30 minutes depending on your pan size but don’t over-bake. You can look up recommendations for baking times for different sized pans. Everyone’s oven is also different and baking times can vary. I have a convection oven for example and my cakes cook quicker. Cakes are done when a cake tester or tooth pick comes out clean. This website lists baking times for different sized pans but like I said, testing before they should be done is always advised so you don’t over-bake your cakes. Let them cool for about 15 minutes then turn them out into a wire rack and remove the piece of parchment if necessary (sometimes it stays in the bottom of the pan) and cool completely before frosting.
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• In a bowl, mix the room temperature butter and vegan cream cheese together with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy about 3 minutes scraping down as necessary. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
• Sift the powdered sugar over the butter mixture (if you don’t sift, your frosting will be lumpy – I use a small fine mesh strainer) and mix until well combined and fluffy about 2-3 minutes.
• You may need to trim the domed portion of your cakes with a serrated knife before assembling so the layers will be flat and even. I crumbled those trimmed pieces to decorate the top of the cake by crumbling them over the iced top (you could also do the sides but that’s tricky). To frost the cake, use an offset spatula to spread the icing on the top of each layer, then down the sides and smooth it out evenly.
• Crumble the trimmed crumbs over the cake if desired then serve. Cake tastes best at room temperature in my opinion.

Recipe Video

Notes

• You can use natural or Dutch processed cocoa powder in this recipe. Natural cocoa powder like Hershey’s will lend a redder appearance but Dutch cocoa will be deeper in flavor.
  
• I used unrefined coconut oil in this as I like that hint of coconut flavor. If you’ve ever had the Sprinkles bakery vegan red velvet cupcakes, this is similar in flavor. Make sure the coconut oil is at its liquid state. You may need to heat it gently in the microwave but don’t boil it. Just gently enough so that it becomes liquid. You can use plain oil tho if you prefer.
  
• I prefer Tofutti or Violife brand plain vegan cream cheese.
  
• I prefer denser stick or block style vegan butter. Vegan butter in tubs has more water added which can affect the frosting consistency.
  
• This cake will freeze well just wrap it tightly. I prefer this cake eaten at room temperature especially when made with coconut oil as that gets harder when cold.
  
• I used Watkins brand red food coloring (link to my Amazon storefront below) but use whatever brand you prefer. Note that natural food coloring won’t be as intense a red.
  
• Use plain brewed coffee (unsweetened). You won’t taste the coffee but it will add a depth of flavor. If you don’t want to use, add water instead.

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