At the hotel where Kelli works, each person in the Sales, Catering, and Reservations departments is assigned a birthday buddy. They’re a fellow coworker, and you’re responsible for providing their requested cake on the appointed day. This year, Kelli’s birthday buddy asked for Red Velvet Cake, and Kelli was happy to oblige. Though her coworker doesn’t have dietary restrictions, Kelli developed a gluten-free version so everyone could enjoy it. The photo above is from a test cake. For the actual day, Kelli made red velvet cupcakes, but the recipe is the same.
As its name implies, red velvet cake is almost always some shade of red…from bright red to dark red to red-brown. The color has nothing to do with the flavor of the cake. It comes from either food coloring or beet root. The flavor actually trends toward the chocolate side of things, thanks to the use of cocoa. The cake is usually layered, paired with a cream cheese or butter cream frosting.
Here’s how to make our gluten-free version:
For the Cake
1/2 cup salted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp red food coloring
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
For the Frosting
5 tbsp Artisan GF Flour Blend
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup salted butter (16 tbsp or 2 sticks)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Grease 2 9-inch round baking pans, dust with cocoa powder, and dump out any excess. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together well the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer. Add the eggs and beat well.
3. Mix together the cocoa and food coloring to make a paste and add it to the creamed mixture.
4. In a bowl, mix together the vanilla and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, xanthan gum and flour. Then, alternating the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture, add gradually to the mixer until well combined.
5. Mix together the baking soda and vinegar, and fold into the cake batter. Do not beat or stir. Transfer the batter into the two prepared cake pans.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out almost clean.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
8. To make the frosting, cook the flour with the milk over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool thoroughly. (Tip: As the milk and flour mixture cools, cover it with plastic wrap – in direct contact with the milk – to prevent a skin from forming.)
9. Meanwhile, with an electric or stand mixer cream together the sugar, butter and vanilla on high until very light and fluffy, about 15 minutes.
10. Add the cooled milk-flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until you get a smooth, spreadable consistency. Ice your cake.
Enjoy!
– Pete
Wow! That looks delish!
oh YUM! I would like a piece please! 🙂
Thanks Stephanie and Carrie! It was yummy. I was glad to eat the test version… Someone had to! =)
Cheers, Pete
Since adopting a gluten/wheat free diet just less than two months ago, I have lost about 4 lbs. I can see that will all be gained back now that I’ve seen this delicious looking cake which I will just have to try. Sigh.
Hi Pat… Sorry about any negative side effects for your waistline! Remember – enjoy recipes like this one only occasionally and in moderation. =)
Cheers, Pete
This looks great. Thanks for posting it, I have been looking for a gluten free version.
You forgot to say how many eggs 🙂 I guessed two, since that’s the case with other cake recipes. I thought I was ready carefully, but went into pre no-gluten mode and forgot to add the vinegar and baking soda at the end. Hopefully they still work! They’re rising nicely right now but are rather lumpy looking on top. Oh well, it’s my first week gluten free – live and learn!
3 eggs worked perfectly for me! The cake didn’t rise to the top of my cake pans the way batter usually does but it still got moist and fluffy…yum! CAKE!
Hi Samantha… Glad to hear the recipe worked out so well with three eggs! Yum indeed!
Cheers, Pete
Hi, Pete! Sorry to dredge up an old post, but I had a question about this cake recipe:
I had been thinking of making a red velvet cake as a Valentine’s Day treat (how cliché!). My roommate had previously used the red velvet cupcakes recipe in your “Artisanal Gluten-Free Cupcakes” book and I was floored by how delicious they were. I wanted to somehow use your cupcake recipe for my cake, and was delighted to find that you actually had a recipe for a red velvet cake here on your blog.
However, I noted that the cake recipe differed a bit from the one used for the cupcakes in that it excluded the 1/2 cup of beet juice, 1TB of lemon juice and used red food coloring (and has more flour, of course!). Would it be feasible to simply omit the food coloring and add the beet and lemon juices to the cake recipe and still achieve the same fantastic results? I would really love to include at least the beet juice in the cake because of how moist the cupcakes turned out. I now find myself asking: WWPKD? What would Pete and Kelli do? Suggestions?
Hi Kat!
We are so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes so much! This is an older recipe that we have since modified to make the recipe in the cupcake book because we did not want to use food coloring. I would us the cupcake book recipe and divide the batter between two 8″ or 9″ rounds or 1 13″x9″ rectangle. Bake the cakes at 350 for 30 – 35 minutes, testing with a toothpick to make sure they are done.
Good luck and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Kelli
Thanks so much, Kelli! Sounds like a plan. I can’t wait to test this out. 🙂