It’s finally here! I have been wanting to do this “6 Essential Cake Recipes for Every Baker” series for a while and it’s finally time to share everything with you! It’s something special that I think will help so many bakers immensely. First up – the best red velvet cake with almond cream cheese buttercream! Before we dive into the red velvet, here’s a little intro on this series:

Six Essential Cake Recipes for every baker Series

I know we all love the new flavors with different textures and flavors, but there’s always a few cakes I come back to. We will always need a few classic flavors that our clients, family, friends, and even kiddos will request for their gatherings. It’s always nice to have a handful of classic cake recipes in your back pocket that you know will work each and every time. You want them to be easy to make, you want them to taste delicious, and you need them to be a winner that you come back to each and every time.

You guys, I have you covered!!! Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be sharing SIX of my go-to-classic cakes that I know will up your baking game, improve your business (if that’s what you’re here in cake land for – your clients will go crazy over these cakes!) and become your new favorite recipes. They’re easy, fool-proof, and have been proven over the YEARS to be the best of the best. They’ve won blind taste-tests, sold hundreds of thousands of cookbooks, and earned so many bakers increased revenue because their customers LOVE the way these cakes taste.

Let’s dive right in with the best red velvet cake with almond cream cheese buttercream!

Classic red velvet cake

When I was creating this series, I knew this needed to be top of the list. I can’t tell you how many people love red velvet cake. My recipe is incredibly moist, decadent, easy to make, and a recipe you’ll never forget. It’s just that good! I originally had this posted as a Bloody Knife cake, but thought maybe we needed a little non-holiday/gory upgrade, haha.

Ingredients for the best red velvet cake

Most of these you’ll already have around for your cake layers, except for the red velvet cake mix. I know cake mixes aren’t for everyone, but hear me out – we’ve done blind taste tests with this doctored cake mix (meaning, we add in different ingredients other than the usual oil, water, egg) recipe against some of the most famous baker’s scratch recipes and guess who won…. yep. You’re looking at it right here! So trust me, give it a try, and tell me what you think. I know you’re going to just love it!

  • BUTTERMILK – Use room temperature. If you don’t have any, you can make some! Simply add in lemon juice or white vinegar to whole milk and let it curdle for an hour or so into buttermilk.
  • SOUR CREAM – Room temperature is best. I love the huge Costco tub of sour cream. You can also sub in plain greek yogurt.
  • EGGS – Room temperature (notice a pattern here?). And I always use large eggs, not extra large.
  • VANILLA – There’s plenty of flavor in the cake, but this adds in a little something extra.
  • VEGETABLE OIL – You can also use melted butter, but vegetable oil is pretty inexpensive these days, so I usually stick with it. I would not sub in canola oil or anything else.
  • FLOUR – All purpose flour works perfectly here.
  • RED VELVET CAKE MIX – I prefer the taste and texture of Duncan Hines Brand, but whatever you can find will be fine.

Mix everything together in a bowl with a whisk (yep, no mixer needed for these cake rounds!), and then sift in the cake mix. Bake them up and let them cool on a wire rack. Detailed directions are below.

I LOVE using my favorite mixing bowls (the bottoms have a good grip so they stay in one place).

Almond cream cheese buttercream

This buttercream is what makes this cake that much more special. Almond cream cheese is classic with red velvet, but adding in that touch of almond really is magic. It’s something everyone always comments on when they’ve tried this cake. Trust me, the almond is SO GOOD with this cake, so pretty please don’t skip it.

Cream cheese tends to be a bit more soft to work with. The way I’ve gotten around this is by using 1 1/2 cups of butter ALONG with the cream cheese. This helps the cream cheese buttercream’s texture to not be too goopy or soft to work with. As for the rest of the ingredients, they’re as follows:

INGREDIENTS FOR ALMOND CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM

  • UNSALTED BUTTER – I used unsalted and then add in a little salt later. This helps me control how much salt is in it to balance out the sweet. Leave your sticks of butter out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before using it. This makes it so you don’t have to fight with the colder texture and temperature while whipping it up.
  • CREAM CHEESE – You want this to be nice and cold to start out with. I whip it up with my butter and make sure that it’s thoroughly combined before adding in any other ingredients.
  • SALT – Gotta balance out that sweet!
  • VANILLA – I love this brand, but also the one from Costco is a frequent pick in my kitchen.
  • ALMOND EXTRACT – I love using Porsha’s PK Elixir brand here. You can also use regular almond extract from the grocery store, too. Just go easy, it’s a strong flavor and a little goes a long way.
  • HEAVY CREAM – You may not need all of it. This is already a pretty soft buttercream.
  • POWDERED SUGAR – Sifted or unsifted. I don’t care, haha. You’re going to need a lot of it!

The directions are below for the almond cream cheese buttercream. So you’ll find everything you need typed out below.

Red velvet cake crumbles

For cakes that are frosted white on the outside, I love to give a little hint for what’s on the inside. Our red velvet cake has that gorgeous bright red hue, so it was pretty simple to just skim a tiny bit of the cake off the layers before decorating. I used that little tiny (I’m talking SUPER TINY) sliver of flat cake top to use as a crumble on top of the cake. This cake is super moist, so it may need to dry out on a plate for a few minutes before crumbling it on top (or else you’ll just have moist cake mush).

It’s stunning, simple, and classic. I know you’re going to fall hard for this cake!

Videos of the process:

Here’s TWO videos of the cake batter & cake decorating process:

As always, I LOVE to see what you’re baking! If you make my cake, make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Youtube so I can join in on all the fun!

Happy Baking,

xo, Mandy

Get the Recipe: The Best Red Velvet Cake with Almond Cream Cheese Buttercream

4.25 from 4 votes
The most soft and tender red velvet cake layers with delicious cream cheese buttercream with a touch of almond extract to give it a little something extra.
Servings: 12 servings
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Ingredients
 

For the Red Velvet Cake Layers

  • 2/3 cup sour cream , room temperature
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 3 whole eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 15.25oz Box Red Velvet Cake Mix, Duncan Hines is my favorite, but you can use Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, etc.

For the Almond Cream Cheese Buttercream

  • 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter (3 sticks), left out a room temperature for about 10 minutes
  • 8oz or 1 brick cream cheese
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon almond extract, start with 1/2 teaspoon, then finish making the buttercream. If the almond isn't strong enough for you, add in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon at the end.
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 7-8 cups powdered sugar

Extras

  • 1/2 cup reserved red cake crumbles from baked cake, *Optional. But when cakes are baked, use a serrated knife to skim off a tiny bit of the cake flat on top, let the cake crumbles dry out a little, then crumble them into pieces for the top of the cake as decoration.

Instructions
 

For the Cake Layers

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (convection bake. If using traditional bake, you'll just need to leave the cakes in the oven a little longer is all – about 2-3 minutes extra). Prep two 8" cake rounds (or three 6" cake rounds) with a swipe of shortening and dust of flour to prevent sticking. Set the prepped cake rounds aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the cake mix. Sift in the cake mix, then gently fold it together until it's just combined (don't overmix). Split the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake rounds, then bake the cakes for 27-32 minutes. Flip the cake rounds onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
    If you're using the little bits of red velvet cake on top of the cake as decoration, carefully slice off a bit of the top (barely skimming) and let dry on a plate for 10 minutes so you can easily crumble them on the top of the cake. Wrap up the cake rounds in plastic wrap and freeze until it's time for assembly (it's much easier to frost a frozen/chilled cake!)

For the Buttercream

  • With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter and cream cheese until they're thoroughly combined and there are no little bits of cream cheese, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add in the salt, vanilla, almond extract, and heavy cream. Whip up again to combine.
  • With the mixer on the lowest speed, add in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until all of it has been added. Flip the mixer on the highest speed and whip up for 1-2 minutes to lighten the texture. If it's too goopy, add in a little more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add in a little more heavy cream.

Assembly

  • On a cardboard cake round on a cake turntable, dab on a little buttercream in the center to act as glue to hold the cake round in place. Place down the first cake round, then add on a generous layer of buttercream. Place the next cake layer on top.
  • Crumb coat the cake by adding on a very thin layer of buttercream, then freeze the cake for about 5 minutes to set the buttercream.
  • Use a wooden spoon to whip out any remaining air bubbles, then spread on a final layer of buttercream around the outside of the cake. Use a cake scraper for flat sides, then use a straight icing spatula for the lines on the side of the cake (using a turntable while holding the spatula against the cake for the design) and an angled icing spatula for the swirl on top. Leave the top edges unfinished for a more rustic look. Add on the reserved red velvet cake crumbles around the top outside rim.