By: Sam Boyce

Winter in Cleveland is nothing short of awful. The nasty slush and hail, constant changing of weather, bad driving, and everything in between makes this season unbearable. So, we need to find happiness somewhere else– my choice is usually baking. Although I’m nowhere near a pro baker, I have found success in this one specific recipe: red velvet cake. Please enjoy the recipe for the best red velvet cake I have ever had! 

Ingredients: 

For the cake: 

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½  cup vegetable oil

1 ½  cups granulated sugar

1 ½  teaspoons red food coloring (optional- also can just add drops until you see the color you want!)

4 eggs, room temperature

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 ⅓ cup buttermilk

For the cream cheese frosting: 

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

8 oz butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

7 cups powdered sugar

*This recipe makes a lot of cake, I usually half it and make two-ish trays of cupcakes!!

Directions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter or spray your pan (8 or 9 inch for cake, or cupcake trays), or line them with parchment paper. 
  2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and food coloring and mix well. (If you use the food coloring, it comes out lighter than you expect when baked, so add a decent amount.) 
  4. Stir together the buttermilk and vinegar in a separate bowl and set aside.
  5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk and vinegar mixture into the stand mixer, ending with flour. Be careful not to overmix. 
  6. Pour the batter into your pans of choice and bake for 25-30 minutes, or when you place a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. Allow the cakes to fully cool before frosting. 

FOR FROSTING: 

  1. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar and combine, about 2 minutes more.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! I make it all the time for my family, and they all love it. If you decide to make cupcakes instead, I also recommend cutting out a little piece in the center of the cupcakes, and filling it with the cream cheese frosting. It makes the cupcakes so much more delicious! Hopefully this recipe will help get you through the dreary winter months of Cleveland, Ohio.