Seeing red? Not anymore. This no-dye red velvet cake recipe is made without food coloring for a moist, sweet Southern layer cake that lets cocoa’s natural ruddiness shine through.
This recipe was originally published in 2021, and updated September 2024.
Take it from a professional pastry chef: Yes, you can leave the food coloring out of red velvet cake.
Admission: I do not like chocolate. Never have. I held this secret shame with me throughout pastry school, when I would smile through the pain of tasting our chocolate truffles or dark chocolate mousse assignments. I became an expert in hiding my “just a sliver” slice on the plate at a birthday party. Chocolate just tastes very bitter to me. But I have two exceptions: 1) Reese’s Cups, and 2) this cake.
This No-Dye Red Velvet Layer Cake Recipe is one of my favorites: moist, full of sweet cocoa flavor and made without Day-Glo red food coloring, so the cake’s natural warm reddish-brown hue can shine.
You can make a beautiful red velvet cake without food coloring (or beets, the most common natural substitute for food dye). Read on to learn why.
This makes a wonderful birthday cake or holiday dessert, especially around Christmas. (You may also like this fudgy Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie recipe as a holiday option).
Skip the dye, up the beauty.
I know many people like their red velvet cake to be bright red. I get that; it looks fun and you know exactly what cake it is from half a mile away. That said, cutting into a real red velvet cake has always made me feel like I was committing cake murder. Think Ouiser in Steel Magnolias.
Most red velvet cake recipes use an entire bottle of food coloring. This feels less terrible if you use a natural food coloring, but standard red food dye contains ingredients like propylene glycol, FD&C reds 40 and 3, and propylparaben. Yikes. I picture these chemicals coloring my entire digestive track for days. Possibly weeks.
And for what?
The best part about red velvet cake is the velvet part, not the color. In other words, the moist cake made from buttermilk, sugar, flour, cocoa, vanilla, and eggs.
Making red velvet cake without food coloring lets the cocoa be the star. Plus, the reaction of the alkaline cocoa and baking soda with the acidic buttermilk and vinegar gives the finished cake a beautiful reddish-brown color all its own.
No-Dye Velvet Layer Cake: Recipe Notes
- This red velvet cake recipe is adapted from one of my favorite custom cake bakers, Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes in New York City. Elisa has some great online cake sculpting and decorating classes, and a wonderful book if you are interested in fancy cake decorating.
- Be sure to sift your cocoa. Always. Cocoa clumps in a cake batter otherwise. These clumps are virtually impossible to get out without straining the entire batter or whipping the batter on high, which is bad because it will activate gluten and make the cake tough.
- Cake flour vs. all-purpose flour. This recipe uses cake flour. Cake flour has less gluten than all-purpose flour. This makes a more tender, lighter cake. No cake flour? No problem. You can easily substitute by removing two tablespoons of all-purpose flour per cup, and replacing it with two tablespoons of cornstarch.
- How to tell when your cake is done. Baking times are always approximate. Your cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched on top, and a cake tester comes out clean.
Jump To:
Red Velvet Layer Cake: Next Steps
Now that you’ve baked your cake, here are some more useful cake tips and recipes, for your reference:
- Here is my post on how to frost and decorate a layer cake, and what tools every home baker should have to make it beautiful
- Here is my recipe for classic vanilla buttercream frosting, enough to full and coat the cake, or enough for all of the cupcakes.
- You can also decorate a sprinkle cake!
- If you are feeling a bit more ambitious, here’s the recipe for my Swiss meringue buttercream. Swiss meringue buttercream is made with egg whites and hot sugar for a fluffy, silky buttercream that’s less cloying than frosting can taste.
Did you make this No Dye Red Velvet Cake? You’ll also enjoy these other fabulous layer cakes:
- Buttermilk Birthday Funfetti Cake
- How to Decorate a Cake With Sprinkles
- The Commissary Carrot Cake
- Spiced Apple Rye Layer Cake
Velvet Layer Cake Without Food Coloring
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups cake flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted (I like Hershey's)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups neutral vegetable oil, like canola
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- scant 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1/4 cup cold water (or food coloring, if you must)
- Buttercream frosting, to decorate (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 9" cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper, or line muffin tins.
- Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and set aside.PRO TIP: You must sift the dry ingredients, especially the cocoa powder. Cocoa powder, if left unsifted, will clump in the batter.
- In the bowl of a large mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil and sugar on medium until fully mixed and lightened slightly in color. Lower the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Add each egg when the previous one is almost fully mixed in. Scrape the bowl and beat on medium until everything is fully emulsified and smooth.
- With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour/cocoa mixture and the buttermilk in two additions each: flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk. Scrape the bowl and mix again on low until everything is emulsified.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and white vinegar. It will sizzle like a mini-volcano science experiment. Add this to the cake batter with the 1/4 cup water (or food coloring, if using) and mix on medium speed for about 10 seconds to fully combine. Scrape the bowl.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the cake pans or muffin tins and bake on the center rack until done, about 25 to 35 minutes for 9" cake layers, and about 18 to 20 minutes for cupcakes.
- Let cool in the cake pans until you can handle them without an oven mitt, but are still warm. Turn out onto cooling racks, removing the parchment from the bottom of the cakes, and cool fully before eating or decorating. PRO TIP: The best way to remove cakes from a cake pan is to run a small offset spatula around the edges first, with the front of the spatula facing outward so it does not accidentally cut into the cake. I like this Ateco one, and find it indispensable.
- To layer and decorate you cakes, use this recipe for classic vanilla buttercream frosting, or whip up a Swiss meringue buttercream.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
96 comments
Janet Miller
This recipe intrigues me, as many people (Me included) are turned off by the red food coloring addition. I would love to try it! I WEIGH all of my larger amount ingredients – could you please tell me how much cake flour to use? Everyone’s flour measurements seem to be quite different, from King Arthur using 4.25 ounces per cup of AP flour, to Cook’s Illustrated using 5 ounces per cup of AP flour. I would greatly appreciate it if you would give your ounces per cup of Cake and All Purpose flours. Thanks!!!!!!!
Unpeeled
Hi, Janet! I apologize for the late response to this! For both all-purpose and cake flour, I use the conversion rate of 1c cake flour : 4.25 ounces (or 120 grams). Happy baking!
Lorilee
I only have 8” cake pans. Should I divide the batter among 3 of these pans? I don’t want to overfill 2 8” pans.
Unpeeled
I would divide it to be on the safe side; I never like to fill my cake pans higher than halfway!
Lorilee
Thanks! Three 8” pans worked perfectly. Absolutely beautiful, moist delicious cake! My family raved!
Unpeeled
Fantastic! This made my day 🙂
Shanny
Amazing recipe! Great with cream cheese frosting.
Unpeeled
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed.
Julie McConnell
And I forgot to mention:
This cake freezes great !
I wrapped the layers in plastic wrap (twice). I had it in the freezer for about a month and it tasted terrific — moist and yummy!
Julie McConnell
Hi Lisa,
Fabulous cake! Thank you !
Julie
Unpeeled
Yea!!! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Melanie
I used milk instead of buttermilk, will that affect my cake at all?
Unpeeled
Hi, Melanie! Apologies for the late response. It will slightly affect the rise of the cake. The buttermilk’s acidity acts as a leavening agent when combined with the alkaline baking soda. If you only have milk, I recommend adding an additional teaspoon of vinegar.
Alisa B Bennett
You never say what to do with the quarter cup of water.
Unpeeled
Hi and thanks so much! You’re the first person (including me!!) to catch this. Great eye. I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks again, and happy baking.
Kimberly Hundl
Hi! Is the water added with the buttermilk or with the baking soda/vinegar mixture? I see it listed in both places. Thanks so much!
Unpeeled
Hi, Kimberly! Fabulous catch! I corrected the error. You will add it at the end, with the baking soda/vinegar mixture. Happy baking!
AJ
I have never understood the appeal of Red Velvet cake and the thought of consuming that much red food coloring never appealed to me. This is an excellent cake. I made a cherry filling, and iced the cake with cream cheese icing. My loyal family kept saying, they liked my usual chocolate better but judging at the rate the slices of cake disappeared. I have to give it 5 stars!
Unpeeled
Yea!! I am so glad you liked it, and the cherry filling sounds so good.
Rebecca
Fantastic. Love this cake.
Stephanie Petrucek
I love red velvet cake but was always a little turned off by the vivid red color as well. This is such a good cake, and you are right that it does have a naturally reddish hue. The flavor of this is absolutely wonderful. I made it for my son’s birthday and we devoured it.
Julie Ma
Fabulous. Moist and loved the color, actually.