Pink Velvet Cake Recipe

By
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan
Jessie Sheehan is a recipe developer, baker, food writer, and author of "The Vintage Baker" and "Icebox Cakes."
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/30/22
pink velvet cake

The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 26 mins
Cooling Time: 30 mins
Total: 86 mins
Servings: 10 slices
Yield: 1 cake
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
800 Calories
38g Fat
111g Carbs
7g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 800
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 38g 48%
Saturated Fat 17g 84%
Cholesterol 143mg 48%
Sodium 566mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 111g 40%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 86g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 122mg 9%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 137mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A pink velvet cake, for the uninitiated, is pink in name only. It is not unlike a red velvet cake, save for the fact that it is pink, not red, and does not call for cocoa powder. In other words, a pink velvet cake is really a yellow cake tinted pink with a bit of red food coloring. It is hands-down one of the prettiest cakes, particularly for those of us that love the color pink. And, because this recipe calls for making the cake in a single bowl, it is also one of the easiest. 

The cake layers come together quickly, bake up in less than 20 minutes, and—if you place the just baked-cakes in the freezer to cool while you whip up the frosting—you can be eating pink layer cake within about an hour of realizing you’re craving one.

And, speaking of the frosting, it is an old-school American buttercream, ultra-creamy (due to a long mixing time) and not too sweet (due to the addition of a little vinegar).

Ingredients

  • 2 cups granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided

  • 1 large whole egg

  • 2 large egg yolks

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

  • Several drops of red food coloring

  • 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

  • 2/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

  • 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar

  • Sprinkles, or sanding sugar, for decorating, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease 2 (8-inch) cake pans with cooking spray or softened butter and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

    pink cake ingredients

  2. Combine the sugar, oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. 

    creamed sugar

  3. Add the egg and the yolks, one at a time, whisking after each addition to incorporate. Add the buttermilk, and whisk a final time.

    cake with eggs

  4. Using a fine wire-mesh sieve, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the mixing bowl. With a rubber spatula, fold gently to combine, stopping when a few streaks of dry ingredients are still visible, so as not to over mix.

    cake batter

  5. Add the red coloring, a drop at a time, mixing after each, until the batter is the desired color. 

    pink batter

  6.  Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for about 24 to 26 minutes rotating the cakes at the halfway point. The cake layers are done when a toothpick comes out clean or with only a moist crumb or two.

    Let the cakes cool to room temp before frosting.

    baked cake

  7.  To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-low until smooth. 

    creamed butter

  8. Add half the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, half the cream, the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and the vinegar and mix on medium-low until combined, and very smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.

    half way done icing

  9. Add the remaining half of the confectioners’ sugar and the cream, with the mixer running to incorporate, and then increase speed to medium high and whip for 5 to 7 minutes, until the frosty is light and fluffy.

    finished frosting

  10. Once cake layers have cooled completely, frost the cake layers, decorating the top with pink sprinkles, if you are feeling fancy.

    final cake

Tips

  • Don't forget to bring the butter for the frosting to room temperature. There is nothing more depressing than preparing to make buttercream frosting and realizing your butter is rock hard.
  • While preparing the frosting, you can placing the cake layers in the freezer to speed up the cooling time, allowing you to assemble the cake quickly.
  • Frosted cake will last up to one week, covered, in the refrigerator.
  • You can also freeze the cake layers, wrapped in plastic wrap and then tinfoil, for up to a month before frosting and assembling the cake. 
  • You can also make the cake and frost it and then freeze it. Just place it on a cookie sheet in the freezer to freeze, and once frozen carefully wrap it in plastic wrap and tinfoil before freezing, for up to a month. 

Variations

  • You can use beet or strawberry juice to tint the cake pink, if you do not want to use red food coloring. 
  • You can also color the frosting pink, or any other color of your liking for contrast before frosting the cake.