Very moist, traditional recipe with cream cheese frosting, with adjustments made for cooking at high altitude (7200 feet, to be exact.)
1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, milk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined.
Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Do not overbeat either the liquids or after adding the dry ingredients, as this adds excess air which may cause your cake to fall at this altitude.
4. Divide batter evenly between 3 greased and floured 8″ round cake pans, or 2 9″ round pans.
5. Bake cakes, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 25–30 minutes. Let cakes cool 5 minutes, then invert each onto a plate, then invert again onto a cooling rack. Let cakes cool completely.
6. For the frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add sugar and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, 5–7 minutes.
4. Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate, level off with a serrated knife, and spread one-quarter of the frosting on top. Set another layer on top, level, and repeat frosting. Set remaining layer on top, level, and frost top and sides with the remaining frosting.
5. Chill for 2 hours to set frosting.
Notes: for two 9″ layers instead of three 8″ layers, make 2/3 of the frosting (8 oz each of butter and cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 cups confectioner’s sugar)
At altitude, the edges of the cakes may be slightly “chewier” than the center, but still delicious.
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Followed recipe exactly, and although it didn’t come out super high, it didn’t sink either, which is great cause I live at 9000 feet! It is a little chewy around the edges, but that is to be expected.
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by Beth Pierce in
Desserts
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3 Comments
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Sandra S on 6.25.2021
Thank you so much! We now have a vacation home in a high altitude area, and my first few attempts at baked goods were just mediocre. We’re at 7,000 feet!
I love the butter taste in red velvet, so I used half butter and half oil. Additionally, I used all buttermilk and no regular milk. (I wanted to use up the buttermilk.)
Otherwise, I made the recipe exactly as is.
I followed another commenter’s advice and baked cupcakes for 17 minutes at 350. They were perfectly moist and no “chewy” parts.
I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Jessica on 2.6.2021
Excellent– I made these as cupcakes at 7,000 ft, baked for 17 minutes at 350 and were exceptionally moist. I used 1 and 1/4 cups of buttermilk (as opposed to 1/4 cup of regular milk). Was a big hit. Makes 24 cupcakes easily + a small bit of batter left over.
pharmgirl on 10.17.2010
I made this into cupcakes at 6200 feet. They baked up perfectly moist with that characteristic tang. 20 minutes at 350 worked great for me! Thanks!