Cake Man Raven Red Velvet Cake Recipe - Something Swanky (2024)

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Red Velvet went from a Southern classic to NYC famous thanks to Cake Man Raven and his fabulous Red Velvet Cake recipe.

This Southern red velvet is supremely moist and a beautiful, vibrant red color with a rich cream cheese frosting and chopped pecans.

– Ashton

Cake Man Raven Red Velvet Cake Recipe - Something Swanky (1)
Cake Man Raven Red Velvet Cake Recipe - Something Swanky (2)
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Cake Man Raven Red Velvet Cake Recipe - Something Swanky (5)

Cake Man Raven's Red Velvet Cake

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

From a Southern classic to NYC famous thanks to Cake Man Raven, this is a supremely moist and vibrant Red Velvet cake with a rich cream cheese frosting and chopped pecans.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
  • 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Crushed pecans, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
  3. Using an electric mixer, whisk together the buttermilk and oil. Mix in the eggs one at a time, and then mix in the food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet just until a batter forms.
  5. Lightly grease 2 8-inch round baking tins. Lay a strip of parchment paper down to help remove the baked cakes more easily.
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the two. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  7. Make the frosting: whisk together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
  8. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake and garnish with pecans.

Notes

Two ingredients heavily contribute to making this cake so moist: the oil and the buttermilk.

Buttermilk tenderizes the gluten and makes the cake extra soft. The all-oil-no-butter approach ensures that this cake is the moistest of them all-- and stays that way days and days after baking it! Using all oil also helps these cakes to bake nice and even (there's less "puffing up"going on since you can't aerate oil the same way you can butter or shortening) so you don't have to cut off any domes to stack the cakes nicely on top of each other.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 600Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 385mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 1gSugar: 48gProtein: 5g

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Cake Man Raven?

Raven Patrick De’Sean Dennis III (Cake Man Raven) is a baker and owner of theCake Man Raven bakery (formerly) in Brooklyn. In 2008 his red velvet cake was made famous nationwide when Bobbly Flay selected Cake Man Raven and his notorious Red Velvet Cake as his challenger on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay.

In 2012, Cake Man Raven closed his bakery doors for good.

What is the difference between red velvet cake and regular cake?

Red velvet cake is made with a small amount of cocoa powder, vinegar, and buttermilk– and, of course, no small amount of vibrant red food coloring. These ingredients, while small in measurements,do make a big difference in the taste and texture of the cake– making it vastly different than a yellow cake or a chocolate cake. Red velvet cakes are known for being especially moist with a tangy flavor and generally pairs well with cream cheese frosting.

Why do you put vinegar in red velvet cake?

In addition to acidic ingredients like buttermilk, vinegar is used to increase the acidity of the batter to ensure the baking soda is completely activated and creating a nice, fluffy rise in the cake.

Can you use regular milk instead of buttermilk in red velvet cake?

NO! Regardless of what any other article may say on the matter, and no matter what fantastic buttermilk substitution idea you find online– promise me you’ll only use REAL BUTTERMILK in this recipe. It makes a 100000000% difference, guaranteed.

Why did my red velvet cake not turn red?

There are two likely culprits to blame in this scenario. The first is the cocoa. Did you use too much? A good red velvet only needs a scant amount of cocoa powder. As you can see, this recipe only usesone little teaspoon. Remember, this isnot a chocolate cake with red food coloring.

Red Velvet has its own, unique flavor. And that flavor is created by using only a tiny bit of cocoa powder.

The second thing you should double check in the event your red velvet cake is not-so-red would be the amount of food coloring used. Many people try to cut corners here, because red food coloring is famous for altering the taste of a dessert or coloring your mouth. Fortunately, neither of those concerns matter here. The cake will taste greatand will not turn your mouth extra red if you use a FULL 1-OUNCE of red food coloring in this recipe.

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Cake Man Raven Red Velvet Cake Recipe - Something Swanky (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Cake Man Raven? ›

After a 12-year run, Dennis moved his store into his Cypress Hills baking facility and has been operating out of there.

What is the big deal about red velvet cake? ›

Nicole Taylor, a cookbook author, described red velvet cake as a staple that only came out in Atlanta during special occasions, such as Christmas, Juneteenth, and other big celebrations. The color red also symbolizes joy, which explains its use as a celebration cake today in black communities.

What turns red velvet cake red? ›

When bakers added vinegar, baking soda, or buttermilk to their recipes to tenderize the cakes, the acid in those ingredients reacted with the cocoa, which was not Dutch-processed, to give the cakes a red tint. That color became a signature of velvet cakes.

What's the difference between chocolate cake and red velvet cake recipe? ›

While Chocolate Cake is made primarily with cocoa powder and sometimes melted chocolate, Red Velvet Cake is made with a small amount of cocoa powder, but is also known for its signature bright red color, which is usually achieved by adding red food coloring to the batter.

Why did Cake Boss stop? ›

While there is more to the story of "what really happened with the "Cake Boss" going silent on the TLC network, most of the reasons do involve Valastro's love for his family. The baker needed time after his mother's passing, so he decided to stop filming for nearly two years.

Why red velvet cake is so expensive? ›

The cocoa powder is used in less quantity and the taste develops by the mixing of vinegar and buttermilk with the cocoa powder. The recipe involves many ingredients in small quantity. The frosting- if used cream cheese is an expensive element in itself.

What flavor is red velvet actually? ›

What flavor is red velvet? While there are cocoa undertones, red velvet is not chocolate cake because it balances both chocolate and vanilla flavors. It contains cocoa but not the same quantity as traditional chocolate cake, resulting in a more subtle cocoa flavor and tanginess due to the buttermilk and vinegar.

Why does red velvet cake taste different? ›

Due to the fact that it uses cocoa powder rather than chocolate, red velvet cake is more subtle in chocolate flavor than a chocolate cake. In terms of the cocoa flavor concentration, we like to think of red velvet cake as somewhere between a vanilla/white cake and a chocolate cake.

Why do you put vinegar in red velvet cake? ›

White Vinegar: It sounds like a strange ingredient in a cake, but it is essential in a red velvet cake. This recipe calls for baking soda to leaven the cake (make the cake rise). The small amount of added vinegar allows the soda to do its best work.

What is the red 40 in red velvet cake? ›

Many years ago, the red color came from the presence of vinegar and buttermilk reacting with the anthocyanins in traditional cocoa powder. But for most of the last few decades, the red color has been supplied by Red #40 dye, in part because cocoa powder used now is alkalized to neutralize its acidity.

What flavor is pink velvet? ›

what flavor is pink velvet? I like to think of pink velvet cake as red velvet's posh younger cousin. It has a very mild chocolate flavor with a moist, soft and tender crumb.

What flavor is blue velvet? ›

The flavor of blue velvet cake is the same as a red velvet cake—fluffy vanilla cake with a hint of chocolate slathered in tangy cream cheese frosting. It is easy to make a blue velvet cake from scratch with a blend of cocoa powder, vinegar, buttermilk, and bright blue food coloring.

What's the difference between red velvet and devil's food cake? ›

Devil's food cake typically has coffee, sour cream, or water in the batter. While red velvet cake has tangier flavored liquids like buttermilk or vinegar. The different liquids also mean that Devil's food cakes have more moisture, which results in a more tender cake than red velvet.

Can my dog eat red velvet cake? ›

No. The main ingredients in red velvet cake are not good for dogs, including chocolate, wheat flour, and sugar. In particular, chocolate is toxic to dogs because it contains methylxanthines like caffeine and theobromine, which dogs cannot break down as we can.

What ever happen to Cake Boss? ›

After more than a decade on air, Cake Boss released it's final episode in 2020, but that did not mark the end of the Carlo's Bake Shop crew's run on television. On November 11, 2023, a new show starring Buddy, his family and long time bakery employees called Buddy Valastro's Cake Dynasty premiered on A&E.

Where did Cake Boss go? ›

This fall he's back on TV on a new network. Valastro, 46, will host the A&E series “Legends of the Fork,” which has him visiting restaurants and talking to chefs from Jersey to Los Angeles. One of the Jersey locations on the show will be Antique Bar & Bakery in Hoboken.

Is the cake boss still alive? ›

Journey to Recovery

However, his determination and unwavering spirit never wavered. Despite the setback, he continued to work on various projects, including debuting a new television series. Buddy Valastro proved that he is still going strong and actively involved in the entertainment and baking industries.

Why did cake sink? ›

Overbeating, Overmixing, or Undermixing Your Cake Batter

Too much air and your cake will collapse because it simply can't hold onto all that air.

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