Red Velvet Cake Mix Recipe

Red velvet cake is an undeniably delicious and special dessert but making it fully from scratch can feel a little daunting. This Red Velvet Cake Mix Recipe uses a box mix of red velvet cake as the base but a few easy steps transforms it into the most incredibly decadent dessert that practically melts in your mouth. 

Red velvet cake is a classic for a reason. It’s one of my absolute favorites — it was even our wedding cake! — and something about the rich, chocolaty flavor and the vibrant red color makes a slice of this decadent cake feel special every single time it finds it way onto your plate.

Red Velvet Cake Mix Recipe

Red velvet cake is not only one of my favorite cakes, but it’s one of my husband’s favorites and our boys’ favorites, too. When Ryan was recently in India, our middle son got the idea in his head that he wanted to make Ryan a “welcome home” red velvet cake as a surprise when he returned. Never wanting to shy away from an excuse to make a fun treat in our house, I said yes but when I looked in the pantry to see if we had a box of red velvet cake mix on hand, we only had half of a box. (I used the other half in a red velvet ice cream recipe. I need to share that recipe with you, too!) This semi-unfortunate discovery led us to this Red Velvet Cake Mix Recipe — aka a semi-homemade red velvet cake that absolutely knocked all of our socks off!

Yes, we could’ve made red velvet cake from scratch but, honestly, a completely homemade red velvet cake is kind of a pain to make, especially if you’re just making it for a random “welcome home” surprise. (I’ll put in a little more legwork for a birthday cake — never forget Rhett’s rainbow cake! — but I have my limits.) And we honestly lucked out with this recipe because it ended up being a better fit for our family, as our boys don’t love overly chocolaty desserts. The flavor of this red velvet cake was a bit more mild — it reminded me more of a red velvet marble cake with a mix of chocolate and vanilla — and the texture was melt-in-your-mouth moist but not too fluffy.

How to Make Red Velvet Cake with Cake Mix

Bless boxed cake mixes for making our lives a little easier. A simple (and convenient!) box of red velvet cake mix shines when you add a few homemade touches to elevate the box cake mix and turn it into a showstopper recipe. And with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, this one also feels a little festive, too! (I’m planning to make this one again for Valentine’s Day for our family, topped with pink and red sprinkles!)

Here’s everything you need to make this easy red velvet cake recipe:

Ingredients

• Box of red velvet cake mix
• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Greek yogurt (I prefer whole milk Greek yogurt; sour cream may also be used)
• Butter (salted or unsalted — doesn’t matter which!)
• Whole milk
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract

And here’s how you make it:

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Use (additional) butter or non-stick cooking spray to coat the bottom and inside edges of three cake pans to prevent sticking.

Step 2

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, flour and sugar. Stir to make sure everything is mixed together.

Step 3

Add Greek yogurt, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla and use a hand-mixer or stand mixer to combine, scraping the sides and bottom halfway through to make sure your batter evenly combines. (And check out that beautiful vibrant red color emerge!)

Step 4

Divide cake batter between three cake pans and bake for about 22-25 minutes or until top of the cake is spongy to the touch or a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Step 5

Let cake cool and then use a knife to help release the edges of the cakes before flipping the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 6

Once cakes are cool, top one layer completely with your preferred icing. (I know cream cheese icing is the traditional pairing for red velvet cake, but I am all about buttercream!) Add next layer and repeat until you have three layers of cake, all covered with buttercream icing. Now your cake is ready to slice and enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake Mix Recipe

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How To Make Red Velvet Cake Mix Better

Even a recipe that starts with a cake mix can taste homemade! If you’re looking for a few additional ways you can change up this easy red velvet cake recipe, here are a few simple tips for making this box mix recipe even more special:

Add More Cocoa Powder

Adding an extra tablespoon or two of cocoa powder to the above recipe will help deepen the chocolate flavor, making it taste richer. If you’re looking for a more traditional chocolaty flavor in your red velvet cake, versus the more mild chocolate-vanilla red velvet flavor we loved, I highly recommend trying this tip! (Also, don’t worry about the cake turning brown. There’s enough red food coloring in a box mix to keep the vibrant red color of the cake in tact.)

Use Buttermilk Instead of Whole Milk

While we love whole milk in this recipe, you can experiment with swapping the whole milk for buttermilk. This will give the cake a tender crumb and slight tang, just like homemade red velvet cake.

Mix in Sour Cream instead of Greek Yogurt

I’m all about Greek yogurt from a nutritional standpoint, but sour cream works perfectly in this recipe, too. Just swap it for the Greek yogurt in the above recipe to help this cake remain deliciously moist.

Use Room Temperature Ingredients

For the best texture, using room temperature eggs can make a difference and help your ingredients mix more evenly.

Make Your Own Frosting

While store-bought frosting is convenient, nothing beats homemade frosting. The extra effort makes a huge difference in flavor! While I know cream cheese frosting is the traditional pairing with red velvet cake, I prefer buttercream.

What To Make With Red Velvet Cake Mix

A boxed red velvet cake mix is incredibly versatile — you can make everything from cupcakes and cake pops to cookies, donuts and more — and if you’re hoping to use red velvet cake mix to make something other than a cake, here are a few additional ideas for recipes you can make with red velvet cake mix:

• Red Velvet Cupcakes – Perfect for parties (especially Valentine’s Day!) and fun for kids to help decorate
• Red Velvet Cake Pops – A bite-sized treat with a rich cake batter center (and a huge hit with kids)
• Red Velvet Cookies – Soft and chewy
• Red Velvet Brownies – Fudgy and rich with a subtle cocoa taste — perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
• Red Velvet Trifle – Layered with whipped cream and berries
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Cake Mix – Try this fun twist on red velvet using this  crinkle cookie cake mix recipe

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Have you ever used a cake mix as the base of a recipe before?

Any semi-homemade cake mix recipes we need to try?