Red Velvet Loaf Cake

Name: Red Velvet Loaf Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups multipurpose gluten free flour ((I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)); 2 tablespoons cocoa powder ((I use natural unsweetened)); 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 pinches kosher salt; 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water; 1 1/3 cups milk; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white vinegar; 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring; 1/2 cup unsalted butter (or vegan baking stick, room temperature); 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature); 2 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1 pinch kosher salt

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This Red Velvet Loaf Cake is fluffy, sweet with a soft chocolate flavor mixed with a mild tang. The luscious cream cheese frosting blends beautifully with the red velvet cake creating a light yet decadent treat that's perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert! If that wasn't enough, this simple loaf cake requires zero mixer so you'll have this gluten free red velvet cake in no time! Best yet, it is also nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan; it's a must try for you red velvet lovers!

Stacked slices of Red Velvet Loaf Cake with frosting and sprinkles showcasing its vibrant texture.

This Red Velvet Loaf Cake is an easy red velvet cake for when you don't want to spend hours making a layer cake! Yes, we make cream cheese buttercream frosting but it is a small batch cream cheese frosting so it mixes up with just a spatula! No mixer required! This is the perfect red velvet cake with buttercream frosting for when that craving hits!

For more red velvet recipes, try my Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies, my Red Velvet Ice Cream, my Strawberry Red Velvet Cake and my Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies.

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Reasons to Love this Loaf Cake
Ingredient Notes
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make Red Velvet Loaf Cake
Expert Baking Tips
Recipe FAQs
Other Red Velvet Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Loaf Cake

Reasons to Love this Loaf Cake

Allergy Friendly- This red velvet cake recipe is gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!
Soft & Fluffy- The eggless red velvet cake is super soft and delicious.
Cream Cheese Frosting- It is topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. For a fun twist try it with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting! If cream cheese isn't for you, it also tastes delicious with my vanilla frosting!
Easy To Make- The batter and frosting mix up with a whisk and spatula...no mixer is needed like in my Chocolate Loaf Cake!

Ingredient Notes

Here are some of the ingredients in red velvet cake.

Milk, gluten free multipurpose flour, cornstarch water, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, white vinegar, cocoa powder, baking powder, pure vanilla extract, kosher salt, baking soda and red food coloring in separate containers.

Cake Ingredients

Vanilla, salt, cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar in separate containers.

Frosting Ingredients

Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use this gluten free flour because it’s free of the top 9 allergens. It also contains xanthan gum which really helps give baked goods their bounce and prevents them from falling apart.
Cocoa Powders- Use Dutch or Natural Unsweetened. Do not only use Dark as it will make the loaf cake too dark, dry and bitter.
Cornstarch and Water- This is an eggless red velvet cake so this mixture helps bind everything together.
Granulated Sugar- I use this instead of light brown because it helps the loaf keep that gorgeous red hue.
Milk- If there are no dairy allergies or if you’re not vegan, you can use regular whole milk. For non-dairy, use a dairy-free milk of your choosing.
White Vinegar- It helps everything rise and gives us that tang that’s specific to red velvet.
Cream Cheese- If you're vegan, use your favorite vegan cream cheese.
Red Food Coloring- Make sure to read the label to keep your food safe for your family. I use McCormick.

See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Substitutions and Variations

Make this into a Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.
Make sure the brand of sugar you use is vegan.
Only use a non-dairy milk of choice.
Use vegan baking sticks instead of butter for the frosting.
Only use a vegan cream cheese for the frosting or make my vegan vanilla frosting instead.
Make sure the red food coloring is made in a vegan facility or is plant based.

How to make with All Purpose Flour

Use 1 ¾ packed cups AP flour (294 grams).
Use 1 cup milk.
Use ⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil.

Red Velvet Cake without Food Coloring

Simply omit the red coloring. The cake will be a very light brown instead.

For Alternate Red Velvet Cake Frosting

Use my recipe for my Vegan Vanilla Frosting!
Divide the recipe in half; you'll still have some frosting left over.

This recipe has not been tested with all of these substitutions and/or variations due to celiac disease and food allergies. If you change any of the ingredients, please let us know how the recipe turned out in the comments below!

Red Velvet loaf cake with white frosting and red-pink sprinkles, a festive and delicious dessert.

How to Make Red Velvet Loaf Cake

Here are the step by step instructions for making this red velvet cake with buttercream frosting!

Step 1: Make The Homemade Buttermilk

Measure out the milk and stir in 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Let it sit for 5-10 min then stir again. The milk will appear chunky; that’s normal.

Step 2: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Step 3: Make The Cornstarch Water

In a medium bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until it is thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.

Whisking the red wet ingredients together.

Step 4: Add The Other Liquid Ingredients

Into the homemade buttermilk, whisk in the cornstarch water, vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring. Whisk till fully combined.

Mixing the wet and dry ingredients into a red velvet loaf batter.

Step 5: Combine The Ingredients

Using a whisk, slowly mix the liquid ingredients into the dry until just combined. If it gets too thick, switch to a spatula.

Filling a loaf tin lined with parchment paper with the red velvet batter.

Step 6: Add Batter to Pan

Add the batter into a parchment lined 9 x 5 loaf pan; smooth the top with a butter knife.

A Red Velvet Loaf risen from the tin with a gorgeous score running down the top.

Step 7: Bake and Cool

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 65 minutes until the loaf is risen and springy.

Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan.

Covering the top of the loaf with delicious cream cheese frosting and Valentine’s sprinkles.

Step 8: Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream and Frost the Loaf

Mix together the butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, pure vanilla extract and a pinch of kosher salt until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Use an icing spatula or a butter knife to spread the frosting all over the top of a completely cool loaf. Add sprinkles if desired.

Expert Baking Tips

For the Loaf

Use Packed Cups of Flour- Normally in baking we do not use packed cups however, when working with gluten free, I've found using packed cups works best to help the baked goods keep their shape. Or read the gram measurement.
Make The Homemade Buttermilk- Measure out 1 ⅓ cups of milk of choice. Add in one 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and stir to combine. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then stir again. It will appear chunky and that’s normal.
Smooth the Batter- When the batter is in the loaf pan, gently smooth the top with a butter knife prior to baking.
Leave a Parchment Overhang- When lining the loaf pan with parchment paper, make sure to leave about a one inch overhang on either side of the loaf pan. This way, when the loaf has cooled a bit after coming out of the oven, you can just lift the entire loaf out using the parchment overhang. In addition, this prevents you from having to grease the loaf pan. I find that greasing the pan can make the cake soggy on the bottom.

For the Frosting

Making The Frosting- If the frosting is too liquidy, here is how to thicken cream cheese frosting; add more confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If the cream cheese buttercream appears too thick, add a little water ¼ teaspoon at a time. Make sure your butter isn't too soft. It should be room temperature, not softened.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this loaf cake ahead of time?

Most gluten free baked goods are best made the same day, but you can make this cake the night before.

Once it cools, wrap it in aluminum foil and then place inside a zip top bag at room temperature.

Frost it the day you plan on serving it. Once frosted, it must go in the fridge. Do not leave it at room temperature since the frosting contains cream cheese.

Am I able to make the cream cheese frosting in advance?

Yes! If making the frosting ahead of time, store the frosting in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge.

When ready to use, bring the frosting to room temperature and mix with a spatula or electric mixer to regain that creaminess.

What is red velvet cake? Is it just chocolate cake with red food coloring?

No. If you were to eliminate the red food coloring, there wouldn’t be enough cocoa powder to make this a true chocolate cake. In addition to a small amount of cocoa powder, red velvet contains buttermilk and white vinegar. Those things help give it that tang that we know so well.

Is red food coloring safe for people with celiac and nut allergies?

Many food colorings are not safe for those with celiac and nut allergies.
It appears to me that McCormick is.

Their website and it said that any product that contains a gluten free label is produced on a dedicated gluten free line and has been validated as gluten free.

McCormick says if gluten appears in a product, they will always list it on a label.
They will never hide allergens under the term “natural flavors.”

I called the company and the statement said, if a product ever contained an allergen it would be declared on the label. If it is not declared, this means the product does not contain it.

I feel very confident in using McCormick products due to these procedures they have in place, but of course you need to make your own decisions.

You can also use plant based natural food colorings but keep in mind it won't be as deep a color as mine are.

I can buy it at my local grocery store, but you can also buy McCormick Red Food Coloring on amazon.

How do I store this Red Velvet Loaf Cake?

Storing: Once the loaf is cut into, cut the entire thing into slices, wrap each slice in foil and store in a zip top bag in the fridge for 2 days.

When ready to eat, let the slices sit on the counter, in the foil for about an hour or until the cake is room temperature and soft.

Freezing: Take the slices wrapped in foil and in the zip top bag and freeze them.
You can keep the slices frozen for up to 30 days. When ready to eat, put the slices in the fridge the night before or leave them out on the counter for 2 hours prior to eating or until the cake is room temperature and soft.