Air Fryer Red Velvet Cake
This 6-inch air fryer red velvet cake is perfect for small celebrations. It’s a light and fluffy cake sandwiched together with cream cheese frosting.
This recipe is designed for a smaller cake, perfectly sized to fit in your air fryer. This cake may be baked unconventionally, but the air fryer still delivers a moist and fluffy cake!
Red velvet cake is known for its red color, tender crumb, and delicate chocolate undertones. Adding buttermilk and a touch of vinegar gives it a tender and soft texture. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can add a little more vinegar to regular milk. There are notes in the recipe card.
Ingredients
Here’s a rundown of the ingredients needed. Find the amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- All-purpose flour, baking soda, and a little cocoa powder. A hint of cocoa powder brings that subtle chocolate cake flavor, but not to much that it just becomes a red chocolate cake. Natural or Dutch-processed cocoa can be used.
- Vegetable oil and unsalted butter: Butter brings flavor, but oil keeps the cake moist.
- Red food coloring: Optional, but gives the classic red color. I use a gel color which brings a very bright red.
- Buttermilk and white vinegar: Adds a tangy flavor and a velvety crumb. A buttermilk substitute could be whole milk mixed with a little extra vinegar.
- Good quality vanilla extract: Enhances the cake’s flavors and the frosting.
- Large egg: provide structure
- Granulated sugar: Brings sweetness and texture.
Method
- Grease and line a 6-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, with an electric whisk, beat the softened butter, oil, and sugar until light and creamy.
- Beat in the egg, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, adding the buttermilk as you go.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake the cake in the air fryer at 320°F (160°C) for around 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake.
- If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it’s not clean, lower the heat to 300°F (150°C) bake the cake for another 5-10 minutes and check again.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool trim the top to make it flat and slice the cake in half horizontally to make two layers.
- Whip together the cream cheese frosting when the cake has cooled.
- Frost the cakes as you like. I crumble some of the top that I trimmed off on top.
Any cake leftovers can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Other air fryer desserts
Air Fryer Red Velvet Cake
This 6-inch air fryer red velvet cake is perfect for small celebrations. It’s a light and fluffy cake sandwiched together with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 156g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 7g (1 tablespoon) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 55g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 12g (1 tbsp) neutral vegetable oil
- 150g ( 3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons red gel food color
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120g (1/2 cup) buttermilk, room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 140g (5oz) block cream cheese, room temperature
- 30g (2 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 180g (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Grease and line a 6-inch cake pan that fits in your air fryer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, oil, and sugar until light and creamy. Then whisk in the egg, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, adding the buttermilk as you go.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Preheat your air fryer to 320°F (160°C) for 5 minutes. Place the cake pan in the air fryer basket and cook for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it’s not clean, lower the heat to 300°F (150°C), bake the cake for another 5-10 minutes and check again.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then run a knife along the edge to loosen it. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Use a serrated knife to level the cooled cake and make the top flat and even. Slice the cake in half horizontally to make two layers.
Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth in a large bowl. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and continue to beat until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Take one cake layer and spoon on ½ of the frosting. Use an offset spatula to smooth it out.
- Top it with the other cake layer. Spoon on the remaining frosting and use the offset spatula to spread it on top and the edges of the cake.
- Crumble up the offcuts of the cake and use them as decorative crumbs on top.
Notes
The buttermilk can be substituted with 1/2 cup regular milk minus one teaspoon. Add one teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Mix these two ingredients before beginning the recipe to let it sit and curdle for 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 404Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 64mgSodium 256mgCarbohydrates 58gFiber 1gSugar 42gProtein 5g