Mini Red Velvet Cake

This homemade mini red velvet cake is soft and tender with an irresistible cream cheese frosting. Perfect for one or two people to enjoy.

A red velvet cake made from scratch has always been a favorite of mine. Its beautiful bold red color and subtle chocolate flavor make this beautiful cake perfect for any occasion.

What makes this recipe truly spectacular is that we've scaled down the ingredients to create a perfect small red velvet cake. It's baked in a small baking dish and is absolutely perfect for one or two people to enjoy.

The flavor and texture are superior and it's truly the best red velvet cake!

Why This Recipe Works

• It's super moist: We use oil instead of butter in our Southern red velvet cake recipe because it helps make the cake extra moist. The tenderness of the cake is also achieved by using buttermilk and vinegar.
• Perfect for one or two people: This mini red velvet cake is baked in a small baking dish and is perfect to enjoy yourself, with just a small amount of cake leftover, or for sharing with someone special. Be sure to read the Frequently Asked Questions section below for the best baking dish sizes to use with this recipe.
• Easy to make: Made with easy-to-find ingredients, this red velvet cake comes together quickly. We use a simple, yet decadent cream cheese frosting which goes so well with the chocolate and slight tang of the buttermilk. If cream cheese isn't your favorite, you can try our buttercream instead.
• It's beautiful!: A perfect red velvet cake is a real show stopper! It gets its fun and festive color from food coloring but you can certainly leave the red dye out or use less if you'd like. Alternative and natural dyes are available at many grocery stores and are perfectly fine to use. Natural dyes will often cause a red velvet cake to be more brown than red.

What Is Red Velvet Cake?

Popular in the southern United States, red velvet cake is a vanilla cake with a small amount of cocoa powder and red food coloring (an optional ingredient) added in. It is rumored to have originated during the Great Depression and is known for its soft, velvety crumb and signature reddish-brown color.

Red velvet cake has a very mild chocolate flavor since very little cocoa powder is added in.

Cake Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Oil: We use vegetable or canola oil in our red velvet cake recipe because oil tends to produce an incredibly moist cake.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake perfectly!
• Egg: One large egg is all you need. We recommend that your remove your egg from the refrigerator when you begin to set out the ingredients needed to bake your cake. It's best to use a room temperature egg so that it incorporates seamlessly into the batter.
• Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for very best flavor.
• Red food coloring: Red food coloring is needed for the vibrant red color. I use McCormick food coloring because it's a brand that's easy to find in most local supermarkets. Feel free to use any other brand you feel comfortable using. If using a gel brand of food coloring, you may find that you will need to use less than called for in this recipe because gel food coloring is more concentrated.
• Vinegar: White vinegar gives the cake a little extra tang for a traditional red velvet cake.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk is creamy, tangy, and makes baked goods extremely moist. It is a key ingredient in this cake recipe. Buttermilk also reacts to the baking soda which helps the cake to rise. If you don't have access to buttermilk, the closest substitute would be a little dairy with a touch of acidity added. To make ¼-cup of buttermilk alternative, measure ¼-cup milk and add ½-tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before using.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder is all you need to provide a hint of chocolate flavor.
• All purpose flour: No need for cake flour in this recipe. Regular all purpose flour will produce a tender and velvety crumb.
• Baking soda: Baking soda is the perfect leavener in this cake recipe. The buttermilk and vinegar react with this ingredient which will give the cake a perfect rise.
• Salt: Use ⅛ teaspoon of salt for flavor.

See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

How To Make This Recipe

See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

Note: This small red velvet cake can be baked in a 5x5-inch baking dish, a 5x7-inch baking dish, a 4x6-inch baking dish, a 6-inch round cake pan, or 2 (10-ounce) ramekins. See the FAQ section below for additional information.

We are using a 5-inch baking dish and a 6-inch round cake pan in the photos in this section.

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix together the oil and sugar in a medium-sized bowl for 1 minute.

2. Add the egg, vanilla, food coloring, and white vinegar and beat for 1 minute.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Pour half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Next, add the buttermilk and mix. Then, add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined.

5. Lightly spray or butter a small baking dish or mini cake pan and pour the red velvet cake batter into the dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

6. Remove the cake from the oven to cool before frosting.

7. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. You will need:
   • softened cream cheese
   • softened butter
   • sifted powdered sugar
   • vanilla extract

Add butter and cream cheese to a medium-sized mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until the ingredients are well combined.

Slowly pour in the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until all the sugar has been fully mixed in. Sifting the powdered sugar after measuring is always helpful because it breaks up any lumps.

Add the vanilla and continue whipping until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

8. Frost the completely cooled cake.

Because the cake is frosted with cream cheese icing, it should be stored in the refrigerator.

Note: This small red velvet cake can be baked in a 5x5-inch baking dish, a 5x7-inch baking dish, a 4x6-inch baking dish, a 6-inch round cake pan, or 2 (10-ounce) ramekins.

Expert Tips

• Use a room temperature egg. Set the egg out on the counter 30 minutes before using.

• To make the frosting easier to mix, use room temperature cream cheese and butter.

• In order for a red velvet cake to turn out correctly, it’s important that the flour is measured out accurately. In fact, this is important for all baked goods. Whenever a reader asks me why something doesn’t turn out right, whether it’s my mini pound cake recipe or my oatmeal cookies recipe, the first question I ask is, “How did you measure the flour?”
  Weighing ingredients is by far the most accurate way to measure flour, but it isn’t a common practice here in the U.S.
  A digital scale is useful for measuring and weighing flour as well as sugar. If you don’t have a scale, you can still measure flour successfully. Here’s what you do:
  • Use a spoon to stir the flour inside the container. You want to loosen it up in case it’s packed tightly inside.
  • Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a dry measuring cup.

• It takes me 35 minutes to bake a small red velvet cake. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or the tip of a sharp knife into the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, the cake is done. You may find that you need to leave your cake in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make- Ahead Instructions

• To refrigerate: Cover the cake and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
• To freeze: A red velvet cake freezes very well. Cool the cake and wrap it in plastic wrap. Freeze the unfrosted cake for up to 2 months.
• To thaw: Thaw the cake in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature 1 hour before adding the frosting and slicing.

More Mini Cake Recipes

If you love this easy red velvet cake recipe, then you won't want to miss these popular mini cake recipes:

• Devil's Food Cake
• Hummingbird Cake
• Pound Cake
• Texas Sheet Cake
• Spice Cake
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this small red velvet cake recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Vegetable or canola oil: Apple Fritters, Vegetarian Enchiladas, Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies, Irish Stew
• Sugar: Mini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie, Apple Cider Donuts, Mini Dutch Apple Pie, Deep Dish Brownie
• Eggs: Eggs Benedict, Cheesy Baked Eggs, Crustless Quiche Lorraine, Corn Muffins
• Vanilla: Mini Boston Cream Pie, Chocolate Coffee Creamer, Shortbread Cookies, French Toast
• Cocoa powder: Triple Chocolate Scones, Hot Chocolate, Mini Chocolate Zucchini Bread, 2 Chocolate Cupcakes
• Flour: Tortillas, Lemon Bars, Mini Pie Crust, Chicken Stew
• Baking soda: Pancake Mix, Peanut Butter Cookies, Banana Bread, Strawberry Shortcake
• Buttermilk: Mini Irish Soda Bread, Red Velvet Donuts
  • Buttermilk freezes well. My preferred method is to freeze the buttermilk in 1 tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, the cubes can be stored in a zip-topped freezer bag. Since they are already measured, just pull out the amount you need, thaw and use.
• White Vinegar:
  • Use for poaching eggs: Add a splash to simmering water. It helps the egg whites set and gives you a more perfectly-shaped poached egg.
  • Use in marinades and salad dressings: Use white vinegar like any other vinegar to balance out sweetness. When used in marinades it helps to tenderize the meat.
  • Use distilled white vinegar as a cleaner: Combine 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and 3 cups of water in a spray bottle and use it to clean windows, stove-tops, tiles, and so much more. If you have a pet, use this mixture to spot clean your carpeting.
  • Use for cleaning your coffee maker: To dissolve built-up minerals, fill the water reservoir in your coffee maker with distilled white vinegar and run it through the brewing cycle. Empty the carafe. Repeat the brewing cycle with water to rinse away the vinegar. As aways, read and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

If you’ve tried this mini red velvet cake or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

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