Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake

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This gluten-free red velvet cake is made with healthy and natural ingredients. It is also sugar-free and, low-carb, and has less than 30% carbs per serving!

This healthy red velvet cake is everything you could imagine and expect from an authentic red velvet cake. It is dense and soft with a moist and velvety crumb. However, the best part about red velvet cake is the cashew cream frosting. My cashew cream frosting recipe is vegan, dairy-free, delicately sweet, and undeniably creamy. This is my go-to recipe whenever I want to please chocolate and non-chocolate lovers alike!

RED VELVET CAKE WITH BEETROOT

Red velvet is usually made with artificial food coloring and has a deep red color. But there are also natural ways to dye this cake! I used beetroot juice to get its red color! Shortly I will tell you how to make beetroot juice, don’t worry!

The key to keeping the red velvet cake’s natural bright red color is acidity and sugar. The problem with this recipe is that it doesn’t contain any sugar to set the color. Therefore, to achieve the red color for this cake naturally is important to use the correct amount of cocoa powder with some acid, such as lemon, yogurt, and vinegar. Don’t get scared, a touch of vinegar is normal in red velvet desserts! You can’t taste it.

Although my red velvet cake is more like a burgundy brown, the taste is amazing and not affected in any way by the beetroot juice. Beetroot mixes well with flavors of cocoa and vanilla, so there’s no way to taste the beetroot, and most people wouldn’t be able to guess my secret ingredient in this recipe! Beetroot also adds natural sweetness and moisture, which means no sugar and oil are needed to produce this soft and moist red velvet cake. Natural food coloring is always a winner for me!

HEALTHY RED VELVET CAKE – GLUTEN FREE AND LOW CARB

When it came to choosing flours for my gluten-free red velvet cake, I went with a blend of buckwheat flour to help with the structure of this cake, almond flour for moisture, and arrowroot starch for fluffiness. These flours add fiber and nutrients to the cake. Buckwheat and almond flours also complement perfectly cocoa, vanilla, beetroot, yogurt, and lemon. With all these great flavors, I can guarantee this will be the tastiest red velvet cake you’ll ever taste.

HOW TO MAKE BEST RED VELVET CAKE

1. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and xylitol powder together on medium-high speed until combined and becomes a smooth cream light in color, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
3. Gradually add the eggs one at a time and beat on high speed until the cream doubles in volume, about 2 minutes.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the yogurt, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Continue beating until everything is smooth.
5. Add the flour mixture, beetroot juice, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. With a rubber spatula or whisk, mix everything slowly until combined and without pieces of flour.
6. For last, add baking powder and fold gently.
7. Divide batter between cake pans. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 20 minutes. This red velvet cake has a “wet” appearance and will be baked when it is firm. Wait at least 15 minutes to unmold the pans.
8. When the red velvet cake layers are completely cooled, frost and decorate using your imagination!

HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT JUICE

To prepare the natural food coloring, you need to make beetroot juice. For that, you will need two medium beetroots. There is no need for you to remove the skin at this point. Wrap the beets in parchment paper and place them on a baking sheet. Bake the beets in the oven for at least 60 minutes at 180°C/350°F.

Avoid cooking the beetroots in water, as boiling the beets can destabilize the color. After roasting, the beetroots should be soft. Remove the skin and blend them in a blender with approximately 300 ml/10 fl. oz of water to obtain an intense red juice. Then strain the mixture using a cheesecloth.

DAIRY-FREE FROSTING FOR RED VELVET CAKE

I used vegan, sugar-free, and dairy-free frosting in this recipe. This frosting is made with cashew nut cream, tofu, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and xylitol. It is an easy-to-make cake filling or frosting. All you have to do is put the ingredients in the way they appear in the recipe and run the blender or food processor.

The frosting usually used for the red velvet cake is cream cheese. If you prefer cream cheese frosting, check out my Carrot Cake recipe. There, I have included two types of cream cheese frosting.

The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

HOW TO MAKE CASHEW NUTS CREAM

To make the cashews cream, soak the cashews for approximately 6 hours. Discard the water and wash the cashews well. Blend the cashews with the filtered water until it becomes a very smooth cream. See my recipe for how to make cashews cream, where I explain everything in detail.

ASSEMBLING THE RED VELVET CAKE

After the cake layers are completely cooled, assemble the cake. Starting with one of the cake layers as a base, add the frosting and repeat this process. Finish by placing the frosting on top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour to firm it up. Decorate with fresh fruit before serving!

TIPS

• Bake this red velvet cake at a medium to low temperature (170-180°C/340-350°F). The low temperature does not alternate as much the red pigmentation of the cake.
• It is necessary to combine a sufficient amount of cocoa powder, beetroot juice, and the acidic elements of the recipe to achieve the correct pigmentation of this cake. important
• I do not recommend using too much almond flour, as it decreases the ability to fix the pigmentation in the batter. Make sure to use the scale to get more accurate measurements! You can use my homemade almond flour recipe as a more affordable choice!
• When choosing yogurt for this red velvet cake, use good-quality yogurt. A good-quality yogurt contains only milk and live and active cultures and nothing else! If you prefer, you can use my homemade yogurt recipe. In my opinion, homemade yogurt is the best quality yogurt!
• Use all ingredients at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge a few hours before starting the recipe. When the ingredients are near the same temperature, they mix evenly and produce a uniform texture.
• When adding the egg to the butter, separation may occur. This happens because of the difference in temperatures. The eggs could be colder than the butter, or the mixer bowl could be cold. If the separation occurs, it does not affect the recipe in any way. Continue with the preparation!
• If you don’t have three baking pans or if your oven is too small to put three baking pans in one go, divide the recipe ingredients into three and make each cake layer separately.

CAN I MAKE THIS RED VELVET CAKE IN ANOTHER FORMAT

This recipe makes a small 9 in/20 cm cake with 3 layers. That’s about 16 slices with a good amount of frosting. You can easily bake this red velvet cake in a square cake pan or sheet pan. You will need to extend the baking time. Keep your eye on the cake and use a toothpick to test for doneness.

For red velvet cupcakes, fill cupcake liners to two-thirds with batter and shorten the baking time as needed. My cupcakes were ready in 13 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.

RED VELVET CAKE STORAGE

The layers of a red velvet cake can be made a day ahead. After cooling, gently wrap with plastic wrap and leave on the counter overnight.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*Note: over time, the xylitol used in the frosting can crystallize in the fridge! If this happens, you can warm the cake in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.