Red Velvet Cake Recipe Without Buttermilk

June 7, 2024 Stan

No buttermilk, no problem! Make my Red Velvet Cake Recipe Without Buttermilk, and you’ll love this decadent cake. The tangy, silky cream cheese frosting is the golden final touch that ties this cake together. Add this dessert to your repertoire of go-to desserts.

This cake is perfect for the holidays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, weddings, or when you just want some really good cake. It has such a show-stopping appearance due to the deep red color. Upon taking one bite, you’ll be in heaven with its incredible flavor.

Where are all of my cake people at? If you enjoy cakes as much as I do, you should try my other cake recipes, such as my best Yogurt Cake, Old Fashioned Carrot Cake, or Vanilla Sponge Cake!

Cake covered in cream cheese frosting on a cake stand.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe Without Buttermilk

I wanted to create a red velvet cake recipe without buttermilk to show you that you can still make a perfect cake without buttermilk. I am extremely pleased with the flavor and texture of this cake.

This incredibly fluffy, moist cake has a complex flavor with hints of vanilla extract and cocoa powder. It is also very buttery and soft.

The frosting recipe is the perfect complement to the cake, creating a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. With this recipe, you don’t need to worry about dry cake or dense cake. The cake texture is perfect!

Cake cut open to show red velvet cake texture.

Why This Recipe Works

Perfect for any occasion: This classic red velvet cake paired with cream cheese frosting recipe is perfect for any occasion; it is one of those desserts that is suitable year-round since it doesn’t require seasonal ingredients. And it’s a timeless cake recipe that everyone will recognize. Your guests will surely look forward to it for the entire event. This recipe serves 12 people.

No buttermilk: The best part is that you won’t need buttermilk for this recipe. This recipe is perfect if you don’t have buttermilk on hand and don’t feel like going to the store. Instead, my recipe uses vinegar to activate the baking soda.
Adaptable: You can bake this red velvet cake in round 8 or 9 inch cake pans or you can adapt the recipe to bake in cupcake pans for cupcakes. You can also adapt the recipe to make a red velvet sheet cake! More tips on baking in a different cake pan below.
Anybody can make it! Red velvet cake is one of the most classic cake recipes you can make. You might typically leave this cake up to the pros, but you’ll be happy to know that anybody can make it, even beginner bakers! Whether you have experience or not, this recipe can become your go-to red velvet cake recipe.

Ingredients For Red Velvet Cake Without Buttermilk

In the recipe card below, you can find every ingredient and the exact amounts needed.

Ingredients for red velvet cake recipe without buttermilk.

Here are some notes on the most important components for the cake batter:

Flour and sugar: Flour and sugar are standard baking ingredients. For this recipe, I use all-purpose flour and regular granulated sugar, which are the most accessible and versatile.
Red food coloring: It wouldn’t be a red velvet cake without some red coloring! I find that the easiest way is to use red food dye. However, I will discuss another way to dye the cake red in the substitution section below.
White vinegar: In this recipe, as we are not using buttermilk, white vinegar is a crucial ingredient. Without this acidic agent, baking soda would not be able to create the necessary chemical reaction for the cake to puff up and rise.
Cocoa powder: The addition of cocoa powder not only imparts a luxurious and complex flavor to the cake but also helps the cake become tender without giving it an overpowering chocolate flavor.

You will also need ingredients for the frosting, such as cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla!

It’s crucial that the frosting ingredients are at room temperature before you begin making it. Otherwise, the cream cheese will be lumpy, and it will affect the cake’s overall presentation.

Recipe Variations

Frosting type: If you are not into cream cheese frosting, no worries. You can also make a classic vanilla buttercream or chocolate frosting to decorate the cake instead! Both of these options still work if you make a layer cake, and they taste delicious!
Make red velvet cupcakes: You can always fill the cake batter into cupcake liners instead. This recipe will give you about 24 standard cupcakes!
Add mix-ins: Get creative and add mix-ins to the batter before you bake the cake. For instance, fold in chocolate chips, pecans, or sprinkles.

Substitutions

Food dye: You can use liquid or red gel food coloring to make red velvet cake the right color. For a natural alternative without standard food coloring, you can also purchase beetroot natural food coloring. However, this method might make the color more muted because the beetroot oxidizes when it bakes.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk because its fat helps give the cake a tender crumb. However, you can use skim milk or even almond milk, and it will still turn out great!
Oil: Any neutral oil will work, such as vegetable oil, canola, corn, grapeseed, or light olive oil.
Vinegar: If you don’t have white vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
Flour: Although it will produce a slightly different texture, you can use cake flour in place of all-purpose.

Slice of red velvet cake without buttermilk with strawberry on the side.

How To Make The Best Red Velvet Cake Recipe Without Buttermilk

1. Preheat oven and prepare baking pans. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk and vinegar and set aside.

2. Separately, sift the necessary dry ingredients.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl for about 5 minutes. Then, add the oil, eggs, and the milk/vinegar mixture one at a time, stirring between each addition.

4. Gently add half of the flour mixture, mix together, then add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

5. Add the red food coloring and mix until the batter is thoroughly dyed red.

Red velvet cake recipe without buttermilk batter.

6. Divide the batter into the prepared baking pans.

7. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Baked red velvet cake on a cooling rack.

8. Make the frosting: Add softened butter and cream cheese to the bowl with the remaining ingredients, then beat the cream cheese mixture until light and fluffy.

Whipped cream cheese frosting in a bowl.

9. Fill and frost the cooled cake.

If you frost the cakes before they entirely cool, the frosting will melt and the cake won’t have enough structure to hold it. Make sure to wait until they are at room temperature before assembling the cake!

Tips For Perfect Red Velvet Cake

This batter will fit into other pans besides just 9-inch round cake pans! For example, you can divide the batter into two loaf cake tins (8 x 4 inches) or two rectangular baking dishes (11 x 7 inches). It will also fit into 8-inch rounds but will be a bit thicker, so you might need to extend the cooking time a bit (same with the loaf pans).
Want to plan ahead? If you are making this cake for an event, I suggest baking the cake on one day, then making the frosting and decorating it on the next day! It is easy when you split up the project like this. After the first day, make sure to tightly wrap the cakes so they are ready for the next morning.
If you have leftover frosted red velvet cake, it needs to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese icing. You can keep it in a cake container with a tall lid or keep it on a platter and carefully wrap it once the cream cheese frosting sets up and won’t stick to the plastic wrap.

Slice of red velvet cake on a cake shovel.

FAQs About Red Velvet Cake

What is a Red Velvet Cake?

Red Velvet cake is a unique cake with a deep red color. The cake’s base is mostly vanilla–it isn’t a chocolate cake. The cocoa flavor isn’t strong. Instead, it has a subtle taste. The cake is commonly served with cream cheese frosting. The traditional recipe uses buttermilk, an acidic ingredient, to activate the baking soda in the recipe. However, my recipe uses a different method so that you can make this cake without buttermilk!

What Can I use Instead of buttermilk in a Red Velvet Cake?

Homemade red velvet cake can still work without buttermilk, and you just need to make sure to include an acidic component in your recipe. You don’t have to worry, though I have it all figured out for you! My recipe uses milk and vinegar. The vinegar helps to activate the leavening agent so the cake will rise perfectly and become fluffy.

Serving

This delicious cake is amazing with different beverages, like tea or hot chocolate. You can also enjoy it with some ice cream, especially if you are celebrating something! Here are some serving ideas:

More Cake Recipes

Here are some of my favorite cake recipes! Check them out!

If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the whole milk and white vinegar and set aside.
Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer set to medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. Add the oil and mix to combine. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Add the milk and vinegar mixture and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
With the mixer on low speed or mixing gently, add half of the flour mixture, mix to combine, then add the other half of the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated. Do not overmix.
Add the red food coloring and mix until well combined,
Pour half of the batter into each prepared baking pan. You can weigh each pan to make sure each baking pan has the same amount of batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer them onto a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Frosting

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too sweet, add salt to balance the sweetness. I suggest starting with a quarter teaspoon of salt, then adding more if needed. Fill and frost the cooled cake.

This batter will fit into other pans besides just 9-inch round cake pans! For example, you can divide the batter into two loaf cake tins (8 x 4 inches) or two rectangular baking dishes (11 x 7 inches). It will also fit into 8-inch rounds but will be a bit thicker, so you might need to extend the cooking time a bit (same with the loaf pans).

Want to plan ahead? If you are making this cake for an event, I suggest baking the cake on one day, then making the frosting and decorating it on the next day! It is easy when you split up the project like this. After the first day, make sure to tightly wrap the cakes so they are ready for the next morning.

If you have leftover frosted red velvet cake, it needs to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese icing. You can keep it in a cake container with a tall lid or keep it on a platter and carefully wrap it once the cream cheese frosting sets up and won’t stick to the plastic wrap.