Pink Velvet Cake is fluffy and delicate vanilla cake with a hint of pink color, topped with a smooth vanilla buttercream. The texture of this cake justifies its “velvet” name with its soft and luxurious crumb. Be sure to try my Red Velvet Cake for another delicious cake recipe!

Piece of Pink Velvet Cake with a Bite Removed. Dessert, Baking, Cakes, Cake Recipes, Dessert, Pink Cake, Velvet Cake, Soft Cake, i am baker, iambaker

Ingredients & Substitutions

Cake FlourCake flour gives cake a fine crumb. It is lower in protein than all-purpose flour, which gives baked goods a delicate, tender crumb.

Food Coloring: I needed 6-7 drops of red food coloring for a soft pink color. You could also use pink food coloring if that is what you have on hand. You can add as much or as little food coloring as you prefer depending the color that you want to achieve.

Confectioners’ Sugar: Yes, the whipped buttercream calls for 7 cups of confectioners’ sugar. However, you could use as little as 3 1/2 cups if you want to use less sugar. Keep in mind that you will likely need to adjust the amount of milk down as well if using less sugar.

Pouring Pink Velvet Cake Batter into a Cake Pan. Dessert, Baking, Cakes, Cake Recipes, Dessert, Pink Cake, Velvet Cake, Soft Cake, i am baker, iambaker

Can I Make Pink Velvet Cake Ahead of Time?

Cake

  • To make the cake ahead of time, try adding simple syrup to the baked cake to make sure it stays moist and delicious. Once the cake is cooled, level it and add about 1-2 tablespoons of simple syrup per layer.
  • Store the cake for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or in a labeled and dated airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Buttercream

  • The buttercream will last up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • To freeze, place the frosting into a labeled and dated airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. If stored properly, it will last up to 3 months. When ready to use, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then re-whip it if necessary.
Pink Velvet Cake Frosted with Buttercream. Dessert, Baking, Cakes, Cake Recipes, Dessert, Pink Cake, Velvet Cake, Soft Cake, i am baker, iambaker

Storing & Freezing Cake

  • This cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • To freeze, place the frosted cake in an airtight, freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Slice of Pink Velvet Cake on a White Plate. Dessert, Baking, Cakes, Cake Recipes, Dessert, Pink Cake, Velvet Cake, Soft Cake, i am baker, iambaker
Piece of Pink Velvet Cake with a Bite Removed. Dessert, Baking, Cakes, Cake Recipes, Dessert, Pink Cake, Velvet Cake, Soft Cake, i am baker, iambaker
4.41 from 20 votes

Pink Velvet Cake

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Pink Velvet Cake is a soft vanilla cake with food coloring to give it the pink color and topped with vanilla buttercream.

Ingredients

Cake

  • ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 cups (300 g) cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup (245 g) whole milk, room temperature
  • ½ cup (109 g) vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6-7 drops red food coloring

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 7 cups (875 g) confectioners' sugar
  • 5 tablespoons (75 g) whole milk, or enough to reach desired consistency, room temperature
  • 1 pinch kosher salt

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 2, 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter. Cream until pale in color (about 2 minutes).
  • Add the sugar to the creamed butter and mix for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next one.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
  • In another bowl, combine the milk, oil, and vanilla.
  • With the mixer on low speed, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated, adding your desired amount of food coloring.
  • Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.
  • Pour the batter equally between the two cake pans. Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them over onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Buttercream

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
  • Add vanilla and almond extract.
  • With the mixer on low, slowly add confectioners' sugar, milk, and salt, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Once the ingredients have been incorporated, whip the frosting on medium-high for 3-7 minutes.
  • If frosting is too thick to spread, gradually beat in additional milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • Cover the cooled cakes in a layer of frosting, putting it between the layers and around the outside of the cake. Slice and serve.

Did you make this recipe?

Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.

Share with your friends!

Categorized in: ,

Related Recipes

Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. Could I replace the milk with full fat coconut milk, and the bitter fir Earth Balance butter substitutes to make this dairy free?

  2. I made this recipe and I only have 8” pans. It barely filled the bottom of the pans. Not nearly enough batter for 2. The cakes turned out about an inch thick. 😩

  3. hi!i think you should REALLY be more precise about the egg whites because a lot of people like me is wondering if we have to beat them first or not…

  4. I made this yesterday and it was quite dense and spongy. I’m guessing the egg whites were supposed to be beaten but that wasn’t stated in the recipe. If you’re reading this and haven’t made it yet, beat the egg whites.

  5. Hi Amanda. Because my younger son and my older son’s girlfriend’s birthday are a day apart, we celebrate on the same day. I’m going to make your chocolate cake for my son and use a peanut butter filling and chocolate buttercream icing. For my son’s girlfriend I want to make your one bowl pink velvet cake with whipped cream icing. Do you have any suggestions for the filling. She doesn’t go for very sweet cakes. With the pink velvet cake is there a substitution for the whole milk (I never have whole milk in the house) and would egg whites from a carton work in this recipe? Thank you got always sharing your great recipes and advice. I truly appreciate it.

  6. This cake for me was an epic failure. Cake turned out hard and tough around the edges but raw in the middle. I followed instruction exact, but the instructions are different from the video. Tooth pick came out clean so not sure why it was raw in the middle. The frosting was amazing though!! Sadly it Went in the garbage.

  7. Hi Amanda,
    In die video, the Runny liquid , after The butter and milk?
    What is it?
    Do I need to beat the egg whites? Before incorporating it?
    Should I add Water?
    I made it for my girl 3yr old bday…
    delicious, only the cake did not rise much…
    could it be the oven… to high…
    Or the egg whites should be beaten?
    Like to hear from you
    Regards
    Noeline

  8. I’m dying to make this pink velvet cake recipe but I like the others who had questions am wondering about whether or not to beat the egg whites first? And not sure either about the simple syrup also mentioned in the questions. Hell?!?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.