Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake is not just cake dyed red. It’s a lot more than that.

It’s a mix of subtle flavors: vanilla, chocolate, buttermilk. All these flavors are represented gorgeously, and subtly.

It’s like you can’t quite put your finger on it, is that vanilla I’m tasting? Oh wait no, it’s chocolate.

Paired with lemon buttercream frosting and some maraschino cherries this is a cake to remember!

Perfectly smooth, moist, dreamy and decadent, not to mention absolutely gorgeous with that glorious red color.

A note about the color. I used red food dye.

McCormick’s Red Food Color has been confirmed to me to be vegan (I contacted them directly). So that’s likely a good one to use and available on Amazon.

Foster Clark is another good one to use if you’re in the UK or somewhere else where it is a commonly sold brand. But from my research it seems that most red food dye is vegan these days. The non-vegan ingredients – cochineal or carmine – are not usually seen anymore.

I did try using beet juice to dye previous versions of this cake, and…. I did not manage to make that work – to put it nicely. 

It was the grossest cake I have ever made and the whole thing went straight into trash, to put it more bluntly. 

First off – it wasn’t moist, it was wet. And it tasted like beets! Yum! Hahaha!

All that and the red color did not hold.

The chemical reactions that take place while baking stripped that red color right out of it and it was a not terribly appealing shade of reddish brown. But way more brown than red.

I’ve heard of beets being used successfully but it might be out of my purview, so red food dye it is!

Red food dye enabled this cake to come out beautifully, with the color holding absolutely perfectly.

This cake is ideal for birthdays or other special occasions and it definitely stands out from the crowd.

You will love this cake for its smoothness, richness, moistness, vibrant color, subtle flavors, hints of vanilla, hints of chocolate, hints of buttercream and lemony creamy frosting.

And if you love red velvet then check out our vegan red velvet cupcakes. Our midnight blue velvet cupcakes are something special too!

So for all the reasons mentioned above, you’re definitely going to love this vegan red velvet cake. But if you’re still not convinced, let’s recap, this cake is:

• Moist
• Beautifully red
• Spongey
• Frosted with Lemon Buttercream
• A deliciously subtle blend of flavors

Keep covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for a few days or keep it covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week!

So go on and make this gorgeous vegan red velvet cake!

And let us know how it goes by rating the recipe and leaving a comment. But hey do that anyway, we love to hear from you!

And you’re definitely going to want to show off your creation, so take a photo and tag it #lovingitvegan on Instagram so we can go nuts over your gorgeous cake. 🙂

For more glorious vegan cake recipes, check out:

1. Vegan Blue Velvet Cake
2. Vegan Banana Cake
3. Vegan Carrot Cake
4. Vegan Vanilla Cake
5. Vegan Chocolate Cake
6. Vegan Key Lime Cake
7. Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake

And if you lean more towards the gluten-free, then don’t miss our gluten-free chocolate cake with ganache frosting!

Sign up to our email list for a gorgeous 10-recipe (free) ebook, and to stay updated with all our latest recipe postings (including lots of cakes!)

Vegan Red Velvet Cake

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★★★★★

4.7 from 21 reviews

• Author: Loving It Vegan
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: 10

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Description

Rich, moist and smooth vegan red velvet cake topped with lemon buttercream frosting and maraschino cherries. Two gorgeous layers of fluffy, gloriously vibrant red cake, ideal for birthdays or other special occasions.

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Ingredients

For the Red Velvet Cake:

• 2 cups (250g) All-Purpose Flour*
• 1 cup (200g) White Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• 1 cup (240ml) Vegan Homemade Buttermilk
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 cup (80ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
• 1 Tbsp White Vinegar*
• 3 Tbsp Vegan Red Food Dye

For the Frosting:

• 3 and 3/4 Cups (450g) Powdered Sugar
• 3 Tbsp (45g) Vegan Butter
• 4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For Decoration:

• Maraschino Cherries

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 2 7-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
3. Add the sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
4. To make the vegan buttermilk, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice to a measuring jug and then add soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Leave to sit for a minute, it will curdle into buttermilk.
5. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, oil, vinegar and red food dye into the mixing bowl and mix in.
6. Use a hand whisk briefly to get rid of any large lumps.
7. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two cake pans.
8. Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
9. After 30 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of one of the cake layers and if it comes out clean, it is cooked.
10. Transfer the cakes to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
11. While the cakes are cooling, add the powdered sugar, vegan butter, lemon juice and vanilla to an electric mixing bowl and starting at slow speed gradually increase speed until the frosting is thick and smooth.
12. It should be thick enough that it doesn’t slide off the cake, but not so thick that you can’t easily spread it. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more lemon juice. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar until you reach the right consistency.
13. Spread frosting over the top of one of the cake layers. Add the other layer on top and frost the top and sides.
14. Add cherries to decorate.

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Notes

*My cake tins are 7 inches round.

*Always weigh your flour for the most accurate results.

*You can use a different oil such as canola oil if you prefer.

*Apple cider vinegar can be used instead of white vinegar.

• Category: Dessert, Baking
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Vegan

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Serve (of 10)
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 65g
• Sodium: 287mg
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated Fat: 1.6g
• Carbohydrates: 86g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 3.5g

Keywords: vegan red velvet cake