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For about fifty years, red velvet cake wore one frosting, and it was not cream cheese. In Southern kitchens and community cookbooks it was called cooked frosting, boiled milk frosting or, in older books, ermine. It starts in a way that sounds wrong: flour and milk cooked in a saucepan until as thick as pudding, cooled until completely cold, then beaten into butter and ordinary granulated sugar.
What comes out of the mixer surprises everyone the first time. It is pure white, as light as whipped cream, and far less sweet than a powdered sugar frosting. The cake itself is easy: it is made with oil, so there is no creaming, just two bowls and a whisk. All the care goes into the frosting, and the frosting has only one rule: the paste must be cold.
Why this red velvet cake works
- Oil, not butter, in the cake. Oil stays liquid when cool, so the layers are soft and moist even straight from the refrigerator.
- Buttermilk, vinegar and baking soda. The two acids react with the soda for lift and give red velvet its fine, velvety crumb and faint tang.
- Only two tablespoons of cocoa. A little cocoa gives depth without darkening the red.
- A cooked paste instead of powdered sugar. The paste gives the frosting its body, so it needs far less sugar, and the long beating dissolves the granulated sugar into the butter.
Ingredients
Makes one two-layer 9-inch cake, 12 to 14 slices. US cups with grams in brackets. Allow 90 minutes for the layers and the paste to cool.
For the cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (315g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups neutral oil (360ml), such as vegetable or canola
- 1 cup buttermilk (240ml), at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 bottle liquid red food coloring (1 ounce, 2 tablespoons, 30ml)
- Butter or shortening and parchment for the pans
For the cooked frosting
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour (40g)
- 1 cup whole milk (240ml)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226g), softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Use natural cocoa, not Dutch process, which muddies the red. Use regular granulated sugar in the frosting, not powdered.
How to make red velvet cake
The cake
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment and grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. If the cocoa is lumpy, sift it first.
- In a second bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar and the whole bottle of red coloring until smooth and evenly red.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk just until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thin and glossy. Divide it evenly between the two pans.
- Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the layers out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely.
The cooked frosting
- While the cake bakes, put the 5 tablespoons of flour in a small saucepan and whisk in the milk a little at a time, so there are no lumps. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes, until as thick as pudding. Scrape into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and cool completely: about an hour on the counter, then 20 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator. It must be cold, with no trace of warmth.
- With a mixer, beat the soft butter and the cup of sugar on medium-high for a full 5 minutes, scraping the bowl twice, until very pale and fluffy.
- Add the cold paste one spoonful at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla and keep beating for 3 to 5 minutes, until the frosting is white, smooth and looks like whipped cream.
Putting it together
- Set one layer on a plate, top side down, and spread it with a third of the frosting. Add the second layer and cover the top and sides with the rest, in soft swirls. Chill for 30 minutes before slicing.
Tips that make the difference
- If the frosting looks curdled, the paste was still warm or the butter was too cold. Keep beating. It comes together, every time, right when you are ready to give up.
- Cook the paste until truly thick. Undercooked, it tastes of raw flour and makes a loose frosting.
- Press the plastic wrap right onto the surface of the paste. A skin on top turns into small lumps in the frosting.
- Red coloring stains. Use a glass or metal bowl rather than plastic, and wipe up drips right away.
Variations
- Three layers. Divide the batter between three lined 8-inch pans and bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Make one and a half times the frosting.
- Sheet cake. Bake the batter in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan for 35 to 40 minutes, the easiest version to carry.
- Cupcakes. Fill lined muffin tins two thirds full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes about 24.
- Pecans on the sides. Press finely chopped toasted pecans around the sides of the frosted cake.
Storage and make-ahead
Because the frosting is made with butter and milk, keep the finished cake in the refrigerator, under a dome, for up to 5 days. Take it out 30 to 45 minutes before serving so the frosting softens.
The unfrosted layers freeze very well. Wrap each cooled layer in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them still wrapped at room temperature.
The cooked paste can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Stir it smooth before beating it into the butter.
Frequently asked questions
What is ermine frosting?
Ermine is the old name for cooked flour frosting, also called boiled milk frosting. It was the standard frosting for red velvet before cream cheese became popular.
Why is my cooked frosting grainy?
The sugar has not dissolved yet. Beat the butter and sugar for the full 5 minutes, then keep beating after the last spoonful of paste. The moisture in the paste dissolves the remaining sugar.
Can I use less red food coloring?
Yes. The full 1 ounce bottle gives the deep red of the classic cake. One tablespoon gives a softer brick red, and with none at all the cake comes out a light reddish brown. Flavor and texture are the same.
Can I make this cake a day ahead?
Yes, and it slices more cleanly the next day. Frost the cake, refrigerate it under a dome overnight, and bring it out about 45 minutes before serving.
Cream cheese or cooked frosting is an argument worth having. Make the cooked one once, and you will understand why red velvet wore it for fifty years.
Red Velvet Cake with Cooked Frosting (The Original Ermine Frosting)
A classic Southern red velvet layer cake finished with the original cooked flour frosting, also called ermine: white, light as whipped cream and not too sweet. Cups and grams, step by step.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups neutral oil (360ml), such as vegetable or canola
- 1 cup buttermilk (240ml), at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 bottle liquid red food coloring
- Butter or shortening and parchment for the pans
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226g), softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment and grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. If the cocoa is lumpy, sift it first.
- In a second bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar and the whole bottle of red coloring until smooth and evenly red.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk just until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thin and glossy. Divide it evenly between the two pans.
- Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the layers out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely.
- While the cake bakes, put the 5 tablespoons of flour in a small saucepan and whisk in the milk a little at a time, so there are no lumps. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes, until as thick as pudding. Scrape into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and cool completely: about an hour on the counter, then 20 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator. It must be cold, with no trace of warmth.
- With a mixer, beat the soft butter and the cup of sugar on medium-high for a full 5 minutes, scraping the bowl twice, until very pale and fluffy.
- Add the cold paste one spoonful at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla and keep beating for 3 to 5 minutes, until the frosting is white, smooth and looks like whipped cream.
- Set one layer on a plate, top side down, and spread it with a third of the frosting. Add the second layer and cover the top and sides with the rest, in soft swirls. Chill for 30 minutes before slicing.
