This Christmas decorated Red Velvet Cake is moist, rich, and decadent. It is a wonderful chocolatey present topped with a perfectly balanced cream cheese frosting from scratch and festive Christmas sprinkles in green and red! If you're looking for a simple yet stunning Christmas cake recipe, look no further!
If you are looking for a perfectly festive holiday cake, this Red Velvet Christmas Cake is it! Actually, this cake is great to have on hand for most holidays-Halloween, Fourth of July, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. Simply switch out your decorations, and you are good to go!
This Red Velvet Christmas cake has a subtly chocolate cake flavor, a gorgeous and festive red color, and a delicious velvety crumb and paired with a creamy frosting. It's the perfect cake for the holiday season and a wonderful center piece for you Christmas eve or Christmas Day dessert table.
Christmas is a time for love, family, and of course, festive foods! If you’ve been searching for a delicious dessert recipe to make this holiday season that's both easy to make and absolutely beautiful with its sprinkles on top, then this red velvet cake recipe is perfect for you. It's also really easy to make- no fancy ingredients or complicated techniques required. And best of all, it tastes like a dream!
I love showing up to parties with a full homemade cake. There’s something about a fresh slice that makes people go wild. Most people do not go to the effort of making a cake (and frosting) from scratch, so it is always appreciated and will almost always go before any store bought dessert. Not that store-bought desserts are bad, they just aren’t as good as homemade. Let’s be real!
While this moist red velvet cake recipe has a few steps, it is not difficult to make. Put on some Christmas music and bake away. In a few short hours, you will have a stunning cake to celebrate! This Christmas Red Velvet recipe also makes wonderful cupcakes!
Easy Christmas Cake Decorations: Sprinkles!!
I kind of have a problem with Christmas sprinkles. I kind of can’t leave the store without them. I literally have an entire shelf dedicated to my collection, and I have a hard time using some of them. My newest favorite sprinkles are from SweetsIndeed (not sponsored, just really really like her stuff). They are like candy confetti and range in size. I love the way they add color and contrast to a simple white frosted cake and cupcakes, like they did for this red velvet Christmas cake. While I could just show up to a holiday gathering with a white frosted cake, the sprinkles make adding decoration to the cake easy and effortless. If you plan on baking this year, have fun with the decorating!
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Decorated Red Velvet Cake
- It's delicious and sure to be the centerpiece of the dessert table!
- It's festive with red and green sprinkle decorations and perfect for parties.
- Pretty much everyone LOVES a good red velvet cake. It’s a crowd-pleaser!
Equipment Needed To Make Your Red Velvet Cake From Scratch
- 8 inch Round Baking Pans, or
- 9 inch Round Baking Pans
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Hand or stand mixer
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Cake Platter
- Spatula
- Frosting knife
Ingredients For Your Homemade Red Velvet Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting
Red Velvet Cake
- Cake flour- all-purpose flour will work as well
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking soda
- salt
- sour cream, room temperature
- red gel food coloring
- distilled white vinegar
- vanilla extract
- sugar
- unsalted butter
- vegetable oil
- large eggs
Cream Cheese Frosting
- cream cheese
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
Homemade Red Velvet Cake Recipe Substitutions and Tips
- Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature. Using cold ingredients will chill you batter and extend the baking time. Plus, the ingredients don'x mix together as well.
- If you do not have sour cream on hand, you can use buttermilk. It you are out of both options, make homemade buttermilk by combining whole milk with a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar.
- I prefer gel food coloring over liquid food coloring. It provides a much richer color for this delicious cake.
- I've made many cake recipes with all purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour is preferred, but all purpose will work just fine,
- If you're an almond fan, add a drop or two of almond extract to your cream cheese frosting! It is so so good!
How To Make This Christmas Inspired Red Velvet Cake
Step 1: Make Your Red Velvet Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour three 8 inch baking round pans or two 9 inch round pans.
- In a large bowl, combine cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, and salt. Mix together and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, beat together butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- In a small bowl whisk together sour cream, red food coloring, vinegar and extract.
- Alternatively, gradually add dry ingredients and sour cream mixture into the wet ingredients (butter/egg mixture) and mix on low until just combined. Do not over mix.
Step 2: Bake Your Red Velvet Cake
- Evenly divide batter into pans. Bake pans for about 22-25 minutes or until a knife is inserted and comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes then transfer cake layer to a wire rack to cool completely. If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim off the domes of the cooled cake to make them flat.
2 Two-Layer Cake Instructions
To assemble a two layer cake, place the first layer on your cake plate. Add about a cup of frosting and spread evenly over the layer. Top frosting with second layer of cake and frost the top and sides of the cake.
1 Three or Four Layer Cake Instructions
To make a three layer cake, follow the directions above, but add a layer and only use about ¾ cup of frosting between each layer. To make a 4 layer cake, evenly pour batter into 2 9-inch round cake pans. Bake and cool as directed. Once cooled evenly cut each layer in half to create the 4 cake layers.
Cupcake Instructions
To make red velvet cupcakes, line two 12 cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. pour cake batter into each line ¾ full. Bake cupcakes for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Step 3: Cool & Make Your Cream Cheese Icing
- Cool completely before applying crumb coat.
- For the frosting, combine all the ingredients and beat on low for 1 minute.
- Increase mixing speed to medium high and beat for 3 minutes or until smooth
Step 4: Decorate Your Red Velvet Cake With Christmas Sprinkles
- Frost cake and garnish with holiday sprinkles.
Decorating Ideas For Your Red Velvet Christmas Cake
- Add a ring of chocolate chips to the top of the cake after frosting.
- Use crushed candy canes as a sprinkle.
- If you need to trim the domes off of the cooked cake layers, crumble them up and press them into the bottom sides of the frosted cake.
- Top with chocolate or white chocolate curls.
Decorating Ideas Your Red Velvet Christmas Cupcakes
I love using sprinkles and a magnolia style frosting technique to decorate cupcakes. If you want to make them extra Christmasy top them with some Mr. and Mrs. Claus Oroes or some Gingerbread Man rice krispie treats!
How To Store Red Velvet Cake
Best Way To Store Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake is best kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to four days. You can store leftover cake in the fridge if needed, but it is best kept at room temperature for optimal texture. If you are making the red velvet cake layers in advance, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store for up to 2 days in the fridge.
How Long Will This Christmas Cake Last In the Fridge?
This holiday cake will last about a week in an airtight container in the fridge. It may start to dry out the closer you get to the week mark. In all honesty, I highly doubt you'll have any leftovers to worry about!
Can I Freeze This Cake?
Yes! This cake freezes well for up to three months. Store it in an airtight freezer bag or container, and make sure your cake is completely cooled before putting it away for a later date!
FAQs
Can I Use Red Velvet Box Cake Mix Instead Of Making It From Scratch?
Yes! If you just don't have time to make it from scratch, you can use a boxed red velvet mix. Although I highly recommend making this recipe from scratch from start to finish - Christmas is one of those seasons where taking the extra steps really makes a difference!
Can I Use Pre-made Store-bought Cream Cheese Frosting Instead Of Homemade?
Yes, but if you are looking to impress, then making your own isn't that difficult either! It takes no time, and the mixer does 80% of the work!
Can I Make This Cake Recipe Ahead of Time?
Yes! This cake is optimal a day or two after baking, so you don't want to make it too far in advance. But, if you have a function and you want to make it a day ahead of time, it will still be amazing!
Can This Red Velvet Recipe Be Make Gluten-Free?
Yes, it can! Just substitute in gluten-free flour, and it will be just as delicious.
How Can I Tell If My Cake Is Done?
It's easy to tell when a cake is done. Insert a toothpick into the center of your cake, and if it comes out clean with no wet batter on it, then you're good to go!
How Do I Fix My Cream Cheese Frosting If It's Too Liquidy?
If your cream cheese frosting is too liquidy, you can add powdered sugar to thicken it up. Add in just a little at a time, mix well after each addition, and make sure you taste test as you go along - this way, there are no surprises! You don't want your icing to end up cloyingly sweet. You can also add a little more cream cheese if you feel like it's sweet enough.
How Many Servings Are In This Red Velvet Cake Recipe?
This recipe is enough to feed about 10-12 people, depending on if you decide to make 2 two-layer cakes or one four-layer cake. If you made the cupcakes, you can expect to get 24 servings out of it! If you are planning a party it's always best to make extra - I can't tell you how many times my cakes have been completely gone at the end of the night because people just keep going back for more!
Other Christmas Inspired Desserts You’re Sure To Love
- CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS CAKE
- CHRISTMAS PINWHEEL COOKIES
- OMBRE GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREES
- FROSTED GINGERBREAD COOKIE BARS
- EGGNOG LAYER CAKE
- GINGERBREAD LAYER CAKE
Don’t Forget To Come Back And Let Me Know How Your Red Velvet Christmas Cake Turned Out!
- 3 cups all purpose flour sifted, then measured
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons red food coloring
- 8 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease three 8 inch baking round pans or two 9 inch round pans.
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In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together.
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In the bowl of your mixer, beat together butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add eggs, one at a time.
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In a small bowl combine sour cream, food coloring, vinegar and extract.
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Alternatively, gradually add flour and sour cream mixture and mix on low until just combined. Do not over mix.
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Evenly distribute batter into 4 pans. Bake pans for about 22-25 minutes or until a knife is inserted and comes out clean.
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Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then invert cakes on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
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For the frosting, combine all the ingredients and beat on low for 1 minute.
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Increase mixing speed to medium high and beat for 3 minutes or until smooth.
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Frost cake and garnish with holiday sprinkles.
Check out our photos from when this post was originally posted in 2016.
Sue @ It's Okay to Eat the Cupcake
I love Red Velvet Cake and yours is so pretty - I love how you put the sprinkled inside the frosting ring. Super cute!