This recipes is wonderful but like some people have said it is a drier cake. I tried some of the changes a couple of reviewers did and the result was a much moister cake. I used 2 cups sugar instead of one and a half. and I used one and quarter cups buttermilk instead of only one cup. I used 1 cup oil instead of shortening. I also put 4 tbsp of cocoa instead of 2. i also used 2 1/2 ounces of red food coloring instead of 2. The color was gorgeous very rich and dark. I made luscious butter cream frosting, a recipe you can find on this site this time I made chocolate butter cream on the cake all I can say is yummmmmm!! this is definitely a keeper!!

loved by all that came within smelling distance but I had to take the advice of more experienced Allrecipes cooks and make these modifications (hence the 4 star rating) -4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder instead of only 2 -1 cup of oil instead of the shortening -OMITTED THE VINEGAR ALL TOGETHER -used and entire tube of red food gel. Made for a beautiful deep garnet color! -I made cupcakes so I only baked for 22 min @ 350. Absolute perfection with these modifications, and passed the firefighter taste test, so you know they have to be awesome:)

I have been making this cake for almost five years now (since the first piece of Red Velvet cake I tried from Marita's Sweet Potato Pie Co in San Leandro CA). Each time I modify the recipe slightly. So my rating is based on several cakes and taste tests. I do not use shortening but instead oil and increase amount slightly for added moisture. I do the same with the buttermilk (probably 1 1/4 c) and I free hand the red food coloring until I have the rich red color that I want. I have tried the traditional butter cream frosting however, we have found that it is not as rich nor tasty as the cream cheese frosting we were introduced to. My boyfriend is not a fan of the traditional frosting (I tried it out once) and asked that I never use it again! I use a combination of cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. It makes for a nice consistency that my entire family loves!

This cake is messy and putzy, but it's gorgeous and delicious. I followed other reviewers' recommendations to use more cocoa powder (4 Tbsp) so I increased the sugar a bit as well (1 3/4 C). I made three layers (baked them for 20 min at 325 for dark nonstick pans) and they were done but didn't turn out easily, so I would definitely grease AND flour the pans next time, or use parchment paper. Humidity may have been a factor. There wasn't quite enough frosting to do the sides, but it was pretty with frosting just between the layers.

This recipe is good! I also elected to use a cup of oil in lieu of the shortening, 2 cups of sugar rather than just the cup-and-a-half, and omitted the vinegar all together. I baked the cakes in a 9-inch round cake pans (lined with parchment paper) for 40 minutes at 325 degrees F. I must be one of the lone crazy folks who doesn't like their tongue to be red after eating red velvet cake, so rather than use two 1-ounce bottles of red food coloring, I used one. To compensate for the loss of liquid, I filled up the empty bottle with water and then used that water in place of the extra bottle of color. The last modification I made was to use cinnamon buttercream frosting. It's still a traditional roux-based frosting, but it's whipped with a teaspoon of vanilla and two teaspoons of cinnamon. You can find it on Martha Stewart's website (many apologies to AllRecipes.com). Overall, the cake could have been a wee bit more moist. I didn't have a terrible problem with crumbs when I torted it. I think I'll ask my mom for her red velvet recipe, but I'm sticking to the cinnamon buttercream!

even with the changes others suggested i found that I had to bake longer than the recipe called for which made it dry. the flavor was good but will prob not make again.

This cake, based on the recipe plus another tablespoon of cocoa, was rather dry and bland. The icing was good though.

Cake was very good, however the frosting did not come out correctly and I don't know why. Maybe I should have cooked it longer?

This cake was great, I did follow the other reviewers recommendations about the oil substitute, less sugar and extra cocoa powder. The icing was delicious and I now use it with many other recipes.

I made two dozen red velvet cupcakes with this recipe, and they turned out moist and delicious. After reading the reviews, I substituted one cup of oil for the half cup of shortening and added an extra half cup of sugar as well as an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder. I baked the cupcakes for about 23 minutes at 350 degrees F. I used a separate recipe for cream cheese frosting, which worked perfectly with the cupcakes from this recipe. Thank you to those who wrote such helpful reviews. This was my first successful cupcake experience!

It came out a bit drier than I was hoping, but with a few minor modifications, this cake can be top notch. Aside from being dry, it tasted great.

This is the first layer cake I've made but it turned out great despite lack of experience (it's pretty simple!). After reading a review I added only 1 oz of food dye and that was definitely enough. I also didn't make the frosting (just bought some) so I can't speak for that, but the cake was delicious.

I was a little leary but followed the directions as listed (except added 2 Tbsp extra cocoa as I love cocoa). This recipe was FABULOUS! The frosting is THE BEST EVER! I love cream cheese frosting but I am so glad I gave this a try. It compliments the cake wonderfully! Thanks for a new recipe. Will use it again and again!

Very good recipe, I do use a little more shortening, and I add a bit of almond extract to mine. I am very pleased to see someone get the icing right! A red velvet cake should never be frosted with cream cheese frosting! It should always be frosted with a roux based butter cream. Great recipe!

Followed the suggestions for replacing shortening with oil, and we added close to a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, but my friends and I thought that the cake was still quite bland, even though the texture was excellent. I would most likely not make this again, as the taste is just quite lacking. I also replaced the icing with a cream cheese icing(upon request), which happened to be everyones favourite thing about the recipe.