Spare Spoons Kitchen
Aunt Betty’s Comfort Kitchen · Entertaining
Easy Red Velvet Cake
A shortcut red velvet — a butter cake mix doctored with a little cocoa and food coloring, layered and finished with cream cheese frosting. All the drama, none of the from-scratch fuss.
Effort ●○○○
Time ●●○○ Anytime
Vegetarian
Servingsamounts scale to match
12
Units
Ingredients
Color and a little cocoa do the work. Red velvet is really a lightly-chocolate cake — the spoon of Nesquik gives that hint of cocoa, and the food coloring gives the signature red. Otherwise just follow the box, and finish with cream cheese frosting.
Easier, if you like
- Tub cream cheese frosting is the easy finish.
- Cupcakes: the same batter makes about 24 — bake ~18 minutes.
Method
Cook's notes
Red velvet is subtly chocolate — the Nesquik is what gives that whisper of cocoa; without it you just have a colored white cake.
Homemade Philadelphia cream cheese frosting or a tub both work — Betty offered either.
Gel food coloring gives a deeper red with less liquid if your batter looks thin.
Bake it as a 9×13 sheet if you'd rather skip layering.
Vegetarian as written; easy to make gluten-free
Gluten-free: use a gluten-free butter or yellow cake mix.
Less dye: beet powder or a natural red coloring works, though the color is more muted.