Red Velvet Sheet Cake in a 9x13 Inch Pan

This was our Halloween red velvet cake -- a red velvet sheet cake in a 9x13 inch pan.  To make it spooky, we frosted it with cream cheese frosting and gave it lots of eyeballs!   

By the time I post this it will probably be too late to make it for Halloween, but substitute little Christmas trees or snowmen for the eyeballs and you've got a nice Christmas Cake. Or use hearts and it works for Valentine's Day. Here's the Red Velvet Sheet Cake recipe. If you would rather make Red Velvet Layer Cake, I recommend Favorite Red Velvet.

8 Inch Square Red Velvet

If you don't need a 9x13 inch red velvet cake, you can halve the recipe and make the cake in an 8 inch square pan. Here are the measurements for an 8 inch square pan red velvet cake. Use the same directions as for the 9x13 inch pan, but use an 8 inch pan and start checking to see if the cake is done at about 22 minutes. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (126 grams) 1 tablespoon unweetened natural cocoa powder (10 grams) ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (56 grams) ¾ cup sugar (150 grams) 1 large egg 2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 oz/28 grams) -- use less if using Super Red ½ tablespooon vinegar (7 grams) ½ teaspoon vanilla ½ cup buttermilk (114 grams)

Recipe

Red Velvet Sheet Cake

Anna

Red Velvet Sheet Cake baked in a 9x13 inch pan and frosted with cream cheese frosting.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 28 minutes mins

Total Time 38 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

 

• 2 ¼ cups cake flour (252 grams)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, natural (20 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
• 1 ½ cups sugar (300 grams)
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk room temperature

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 12 oz softened cream cheese see note
• 6 oz unsalted butter salted (unsalted okay, too)
• 4 ½ to 5 cups powdered sugar sifted after measuring (around 1 ¼ pound)**
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°. Have ready a 9x13 inch pan. Grease bottom and sides or spray with cooking spray.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. If your cake flour and cocoa powder are particularly lumpy, you may want to sift the mixture. Set aside.
• With an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.
• With a heavy duty scraper, stir flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. When flour is blended in, beat with the electric mixer for about 1 minute or until batter is smooth.
• Transfer batter to the pan and spread evenly.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched. Let cool completely, then frost with cream cheese icing.
• To make the frosting, soften both the butter and cream cheese. Add 1 cup of the sugar and stir until mixed, then beat with an electric mixer. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating and scraping sides of bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Spread over cooled cake and pipe frosting around the sides with a star tip.

Notes

This makes enough frosting to cover top and pipe around edges. If you skip piping around the edges, you can use 8 oz cream cheese, 4 oz softened butter, 3 to 3 ½ cups powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla. If you don't like very sweet cream cheese icing, taste test the icing after the first to cups of confectioners' sugar and stop adding sugar if you think it's sweet enough.

Keyword Red Velvet

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