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!

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Ingredients & Substitutions

Cake Flour: Cake 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.

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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.
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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.
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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.

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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. It may not have vinegar and buttermilk but it sure does look as soft as velvet! What a pretty cake! I love the rustic swoops of frosting.

  2. What a beautiful stunning cake, Amanda. Love how it’s pink velvet too – love how moist and delicious red velvet is, so I know I’d love this. And that whipped buttercream… awesome!

    Great choice on the background too.

  3. Did you ever post the recipe for this cake as cupcakes? It looks AMAZING & I can’t wait to try it!!!

        1. I know this post is over a year old but I was hoping that you may see my question.
          For making mini cupcakes for a bridal shower would this cake recipe make 24? And do I preheat to 350 and 12/15 min?
          Thank you,
          Lynn Whitmer

  4. I love that you’re sharing recipes in grams! Despite living stateside, I love the consistency that weighing ingredients offers. It’s so much easier to be consistent that way! Plus it caters to my A-type personality…

  5. The color of this cake is absolutely heavenly! Would the recipe still work if I used a gluten-free flour rather than the recipe’s white, all-purpose flour? xo

  6. OOh thank you so much for this recipe ….. I am going to make it this weekend. Snd thank you for converting your american weights etc into grms …… So very thoughtful. thank you cxxx. What a pretty cake you have created. I love your minimalistic photos. Xxx

  7. Looks beautiful and the perfect cake for my baby girl’s upcoming 18th birthday. I have been wanting to buy 6″ pans too – great excuse to do it! Thanks.

  8. This is beautiful! I will make it for my daughter 5th birthday.
    I was wondering, can I change the almond extract for something else? She is not very fond of almods.

  9. Tried the frosting on some speculoos cupcakes over the weekend. Perfect combo. Will try making this cake, but with a blue tint for my boy’s 9th birthday. And I love it that you put metric measurements too And of course, make another batch of the frosting again.

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