Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake~ You either Love it! Or you Don’t!

Moist and fluffy vibrant red cake layers filled with cream cheese icing!

Originally the red velvet cake started out as a chocolate cake and it never actually had red dye in it at all!

Due to the reaction from the cocoa powder with the baking soda, the cake takes on a slight red color upon baking.
But over time we have developed this insatiable need to have the most red of reds for this classic cake.

For those who want to stay away from red food coloring altogether

Check out my No Dye Red Velvet Cake recipe that you are going to love!
But the recipe listed below is for a scratch recipe that is the closest to the one I used in my bakery!

Alternatively for those who want to take the easiest route of all

Duncan Hines makes a Red Velvet Box Cake mix which I have reformulated to accommodate for no eggs!
Follow along for the yellow cake recipe formula for the perfect red velvet box cake hack!
Whichever recipe you decide to make you are not going to want to pass up the classic decoration for this cake!

WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO DECORATE THE VEGAN RED VELVET CAKE

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Notes for Success:

Today I baked the batter between 2-8″ cake pans for the more rustic look versus the usual 7″ cake pans that I typically use
This recipe will alternatively make about 15 cupcakes just fill the liners 3/4 of the way full for a nice dome

Be careful on the measuring of this recipe a heavy hand on the flour will cause this cake to be more like bread texture! A scale is recommended!

If you prefer not to use  flax meal you can use any store blend egg replacer instead. *I sometimes use Bob’s Red Mill 2 tablespoons

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Yield: serves 8-10

Vegan Red Velvet Cake

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Prep Time 3 hours

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the Red Velvet Cake

• All Purpose Flour 2½ Cups (312g)
• Granulated Sugar 1½ cups (300g)
• Baking Soda 1 teaspoon (5g)
• Salt ½ teaspoon (3g)
• Natural Cocoa Powder 2 Tablespoons (12g)
• Vegetable Oil ½ cup (120ml)
• Plant Milk 1 Cup (237ml) * I like to use soy milk
• Ground Flax Seeds 2 Tablespoons (16g)
• Hot Water 6 Tablespoons (90ml)
• Red Food Color 1 teaspoon
• White Vinegar 1 teaspoon
• Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)

For the Cream Cheese Icing

• Vegan Butter 1 lb (454g)
• Confectioners Sugar 1 lbs (454g)
• Vegan Lactic Acid 1 teaspoon
• *If using apple cider vinegar use 1 teaspoon

Instructions

1. First preheat the oven to 350F and grease & parchment line 2-8" cake pans
2. For those who prefer the Box Cake Hack CLICK HERE & follow the instructions for the yellow cake recipe but YOU WILL BE USING THE RED VELVET BOX~ otherwise continue to the next step #3 for the scratch recipe
3. Prepare the scratch red velvet cake batter by combining the ground flax seeds with hot water and whisk smooth
4. Let stand for at least 5 minutes to thicken to a paste
5. In a large bowl place the sifted flour, Baking Soda, Salt and Cocoa Powder together
6. In another bowl combine all of the wet ingredients including the sugar and the red food color whisk smooth
7. Add the flax paste and then the dry ingredients and whisk smooth
8. Pour the batter into the prepare cake pans as evenly as possible
9. Bake immediately at 350F for approximately 20-30 minutes or until springy to the touch when gently pressed in the centers or a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs
10. While the cakes cool, prepare the cream cheese icing In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the room temperature vegan butter on medium to high speed until light & fluffy~ I usually let this go for about 5 minutes
11. Add the sifted confectioners sugar and vegan lactic acid (*or apple cider vinegar if using) and mix on low speed until all is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium high and whip for 1 minute

Notes

Because I am using shelf stable cream cheese icing this cake can stay at room temperature in a cool dry spot loosely covered for up to 4 days
For longer storage refrigerate for up to 1 week but bring to room temperature before serving