This truly is the Best Red Velvet Cake with Boiled Frosting! Moist, soft and fluffy with a vanilla cooked frosting that’s traditional to Southern red velvet cakes, this cake is a must-make!
So I’m done with online dating. It is the worst.
If you met your significant other online, or if your brother’s second cousin’s friend’s sister married a dude from eHarmony, that is AWESOME and congratulations! I do not want to know how many duds you had to weed through before you found The One. Or, at least, Someone For Now.
I have been on four different sites and all have yielded poor, substandard results. I had better hopes of dating the tomatoes that I matched with on OkCupid (I’m serious. I matched with tomatoes) but alas, I thought I was too good for that fruit and moved on, only to be severely disappointed down the line.
So I’m saying it once here and now, and there is nothing you can or will say that will change my mind: I am done with online dating. Like, forever forever, for real for real. I cannot handle one more “hey gorgeous, u wanna chat?” message. I feel like I will actually burst into flames if I am the recipient of one more lousy pick-up line.
If I don’t meet my One in the line at the grocery store, or through mutual friends (once I, ya know, get friends), or reconnect with my One who was once in my high school math class 10 years ago, I suppose I’ll just be alone. And that’s okay. Because it’s just too dang hard to find someone who meets all of my Must-Haves, and I never check off any of the boxes for their Must-Haves, like camping. Dude, why does everyone like camping so much? Is there something about it that I’m missing here, because it seems like literally all you do is get eaten alive by bugs, sleep on the ground and do your business in a hole. Also, I have a forever fear of mountain lions. And being dirty. And eating hot dogs for every meal.
What I’m saying is, if you like camping, go camping every summer, have awesome memories of camping as a kid, and need to camp with someone, I am not your girl. If you enjoy hotels with award-winning spas attached to them, Jacuzzi tubs with lots of bubbly jets and a restaurant with nary a hot dog in sight, hello, I’m single.
Also: I promise I’m not high-maintenance. I barely wear makeup, I take a shower in 10 minutes flat and never ask if I look fat in something because the answer is always ‘yes’. So really, camping just cramps my style.
ANYWAY, can we talk about food, aka, my One True Love?
I used to dislike red velvet cake, if we’re being frank. I thought it was either a really poor chocolate cake or a really bland vanilla cake and just didn’t get the hype for it… until I tried this recipe. No joke.
Once I sampled the cake batter, I couldn’t wait to try the finished product. This is chocolaty but not too much so, sweet but not cloying and utterly perfect. And the TEXTURE is INCREDIBLE. Moist, fluffy, soft, everything you want in a cake crumb.
And okay, this boiled frosting? I know the term “boiled” conjures up gross images like eggs and hairy potatoes, but I promise y’all, this frosting is where it’s at. It’s the traditional red velvet cake frosting and is incredibly scrumptious. I’ll never frost a cake with cream cheese again.
Even if you’ve found The One, I promise he or she won’t be bothered that you give this cake a try!
*adapted from Big Book of Cakes cookbook
The Best Red Velvet Cake with Boiled Frosting
Ingredients
- FOR CAKE:
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (1 oz) bottle red food coloring
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- FOR FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ cups butter softened
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- White chocolate curls or shavings for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 9x13" rectangular baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the cake ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds, until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat for an additional 2 minutes or until completely combined and smooth. Pour into the pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for approx. 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, not wet, crumbs. Cool completely.
- To make the frosting: In a medium saucepan, mix the flour and the milk with a wire whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat until mixture becomes very thick, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add in the flour mixture gradually, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract until smooth.
- Frost the cake evenly with the frosting. Top with white chocolate curls or shavings, if using. Cover cake and store in the fridge to set for about 2 hours before cutting into slices.
Moist, fluffy, tender and soft with that vanilla cooked frosting on top… this cake is HEAVEN!!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Miranda says
Boiled frosting sounds really interesting, I’ll have to try it out! And this cake does look absolutely perfect!
thedomesticrebel says
Miranda, I was skeptical at first (I mean, BOILED frosting!?!) but it’s SO good. I don’t think I’ll do cream cheese again!
annie says
woah! how have I never heard of boiled frosting!?!?
on a separate note, if you want to share snarky stories about bad matches, we’re all ears. boyz r dum.
Jennifer says
That’s the frosting we have always used on red velvet but we call it butter frosting . Yummy!
thedomesticrebel says
Yes! I had no idea it was traditional since most people use cream cheese nowadays. But I loved this frosting so much!
Gayle says
On the recipe for Red velvet Cake with boiled icing is the 11/2 cups of sugar granulated or powder? Thanks!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Gayle! Granulated!
Grace says
Hi Hayley,
Im a newbie in baking stuff, can i make cupcakes using this recipe? Any tips? ? Thanks a bunch
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Grace! You absolutely can make cupcakes with this recipe. It should yield about 20-24 cupcakes, maybe a couple more. Bake them for approx. 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, not wet crumbs 🙂
KarenB says
I can’t wait to make this! My mom always made a boiled frosting. I remember her cooking it on the stove and then beating the crap out of it. Lol. There was also a 7 min frosting she made, I think it had egg whites in it and she used the hand mixer while the frosting was cooking on top of a double boiler. I want to make this cake, and I WILL, even tho hubby thinks red velvet cake is just something that is a hype. Lol. And a fad. But he will eat it. He always does. Lol
Shelley says
Ah Lawd I understand about the online dating. I just can’t even anymore! Camping is the worst. My type of camping is a cottage/cabin with wifi and hot water.
My mom made a boiled frosting that would always taste like marshmellow fluff. Yuck!
I will have to try this, especially since I have never had red velvet cake before.
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Shelley, this doesn’t taste marshmallow-y to me; it’s sweet but not super cloyingly sweet like marshmallow can be! Hope you like it 🙂
Mrs. E says
Hi, I’m also not a big fan of red velvet but when I saw your recipe I decided why not give it another try. My only question is, is is really 2 tablespoon of baking powder or just 2 teaspoon? Thank you!
Rose says
I’ve always used this type of frosting on my Velvet cakes; but we know it as “Poor Man’s Frosting”, lol!
I prefer it much better to the Cream cheese version for Velvet cakes.
Janet Bates says
1 tablespoon baking powder – is that right? can you freeze your Boiled Frosting……looks like you could
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Janet, yes that’s correct about the baking powder! And I generally advise against freezing frosting. I feel like freezing it compromises the frosting texture.
Robin says
I have made this . OMG it Is delicious. I have one question. Can this be made in advance? If so how many days
Ravi says
Finally I saw it, which is boiled frosting….
Rosario Brondolo says
Coul I use a Bundt pan to bake
This?
Thanks!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Rosario, you could but you’ll need to adjust the baking time.
Rosario Brondolo says
Thanks for the prompt reply!! I can’t wait to try this!!
Paula says
This is the same old recipe I’ve been making since I tasted it in 1959. Everyone else uses cream cheese icing but this is the one pasted down to me and bar none it’s my very favorite icing EVER…. y’all are gone love this! Glad to see the correct icing recipe finally!! Thanks my southern sister… from your southern sister in South Texas
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Paula! I am so glad you are aware of how amazing this boiled frosting is compared to cream cheese!! Thanks for sharing your comment!
Yasani Valerio says
Hello, I’m hosting a party on a Sat. Can I bake this Friday and frost the cake Sat?
Thank you
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Yasani, absolutely!
becky tapp says
This is the recipe my dad always used.)since the 1950s. It us awesome. Making some right now.
craig says
hello, can I use this batter to make 2 rounds , as a layer cake ?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Craig, yes, that should work! Just adjust the baking time.
Sommer says
It’s my hubby’s birthday and this is the only thing he wants so I gotta get it right! Something about the boiled frosting has got his standards held high…wish me luck! Lol ?