Naked Red Velvet Cake

Name: Naked Red Velvet Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 24 min
Ingredients: 2 sticks butter (softened); 2 cups sugar; 4 large eggs; 1 cup sour cream; ½ cup milk; 1 oz. liquid red food coloring or 1 tbsp gel red food coloring; 2 tsp vanilla; 2 ½ cups flour; ½ cup cocoa powder; ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 brick (8oz) cream cheese, softened; 4 tablespoons butter, softened; 2 tsp sour cream; 3 1/2 cups icing or powdered sugar; 2 tsp vanilla

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Naked red velvet cake simplifies the classic dessert we all know and love. Layers of red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting come together for a delicious, naked treat.

I love naked cakes! They have just the right amount of frosting. A little between the layers is all you really need to get the perfect ratio, in my opinion.

Red Velvet Naked Cake

This was inspired by my naked chocolate cake recipe on this site and marked the perfect dessert to enjoy after my hearty Salisbury steak and gravy dinner.

Ingredients

As a from-scratch recipe, this one has a few ingredients, but they're all very simple. In fact, you probably have most of them in your kitchen right now.

For the Red Velvet Cake

Softened butter
Sugar
Eggs
Sour cream
Milk
Liquid or gel red food coloring
Vanilla
Flour
Cocoa powder
Salt
Baking soda

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

Softened cream cheese
Softened butter
Sour cream
Powdered sugar
Vanilla

See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.

Instructions

There are several steps to this recipe, but when you break them all down, you'll see that it's an incredibly simple recipe to make.

Step 1: Prep

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set out the butter and cream cheese to soften. Measure out your ingredients. Coat three 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray and coat them with flour. Set them aside.

Step 2: Combine the Wet Cake Ingredients

Cream softened butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Then, beat in the eggs. Finally, mix in sour cream, milk, food coloring, and vanilla.

Step 3: Combine the Dry Cake Ingredients

In another bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt until combined.

Step 4: Mix the Batter

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until blended. Then, split the batter between the three cake pans.

Step 5: Bake and Cool

Bake for 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Remove the cakes and allow them to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before flipping them out onto your work surface.

Step 6: Make the Frosting

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream in a large mixing bowl until combined. Next, add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.

Step 7: Assemble the Cake

Place one of the cakes on a serving dish and cover it with ⅓ of the frosting. Repeat until all layers are completed, ending with a top layer of frosting.

Hint: Always be sure to spray AND flour your pans to keep the cakes from sticking.

Closeup shot of slice of naked red velvet cake on plate

Substitutions

Don't have the correct ingredients on hand or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this red velvet naked cake.

Cake Flour - Cake flour works very well in this recipe.
Yogurt - If you don't have sour cream, plain yogurt works very well.
Unsweetened Chocolate - If you don't have cocoa, simply use melted unsweetened chocolate at 1 ounce of chocolate per 3 tablespoons of cocoa.

Variations

Want to personalize this naked red velvet cake recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips for changing up this recipe.

Cayenne Pepper - Add a dash of cayenne pepper. It won't make the cake hot, but it will accentuate the flavor.
Coffee - For an even deeper flavor, try adding a bit of strong coffee to the cake batter.

If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy this banana pudding cake.

Equipment

All the equipment needed for this recipe is basic kitchen stuff.

Measuring cups and spoons
Mixing bowls
Spoon
Round cake pans
Spatula

Storage

This cake will keep for about 3 days in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.

Open-air freeze the cake, then wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and again in foil.

Tips

Although this is an easy recipe, there are some tips that will help make it even better. These are simple tips but they make a big difference.

Fully soften your butter and cream cheese.
Beat your frosting thoroughly to get it light and fluffy.
If you have a hand mixer, it makes things easier.

Closeup shot of naked red velvet cake on plate with more cake in background

More Chocolate Recipes

Do you like chocolate? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.

FAQ

Do you have questions about naked red velvet cake? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about red velvet naked cake.

What is a naked cake?

A naked cake is a layer cake consisting of layers of cake with frosting in between but no outer frosting.

Why is it called a naked cake?

Because it's completely or almost bare on the outside, allowing the whole world to see what's typically underneath the frosting on the outside.

How long is red velvet cake good?

It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How do you freeze red velvet cake?

Open-air freeze the cake. Then, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and then again in foil.

How do you defrost frozen cake?

Leave it in the refrigerator overnight.