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Air Fryer Red Velvet Cake

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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

  1. Grease and line a 6-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
  1. In a medium bowl, with an electric whisk, beat the softened butter, oil, and sugar until light and creamy.
  1. Beat in the egg, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring.
  1. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, adding the buttermilk as you go.
  1. Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake the cake in the air fryer at 320°F (160°C) for around 25 minutes. 
  1. After 25 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake.
  2. 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.
  1. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  2. Once cool trim the top to make it flat and slice the cake in half horizontally to make two layers.
  1. Whip together the cream cheese frosting when the cake has cooled.
  1. 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

Yield: 6-inch cake

Air Fryer Red Velvet Cake

Slice of 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.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

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

  1. Grease and line a 6-inch cake pan that fits in your air fryer.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.
  3. 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.
  4. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, adding the buttermilk as you go.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Take one cake layer and spoon on ½ of the frosting. Use an offset spatula to smooth it out.
  3. 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. 
  4. 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

    8

    Serving Size

    1

    Amount Per Serving Calories 404Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 64mgSodium 256mgCarbohydrates 58gFiber 1gSugar 42gProtein 5g

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