Red Velvet Snack Cake

This easy Red Velvet Snack Cake is a little taste of Southern goodness! Moist, tender, and perfectly chocolatey with that signature red velvet flavor, it’s topped with a creamy frosting for a simple homemade dessert everyone will love.

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword red-velvet-cake-recipe, red-velvet-snack-cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Cooling time 2

Total Time 2 50

Servings Pieces

Calories 611kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped pecans toasted
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup whole buttermilk
1 1/2 Tbsp red food coloring
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Icing:
1 8 oz package Neufchatel cream cheese softened
6 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spritz a square 8x8-inch baking pan with baking spray or butter and flour.
Spread the pecans on a sheet pan. Place into a preheated 350°F oven for 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl use a whisk to sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a separate medium bowl use an electric mixer to combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, red food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.
Beat the wet ingredients gradually into the dry ingredients on low speed mixing just until combined. Increase the speed of the mixer and beat for 30-60 seconds until smooth. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 minutes until the cake springs back when gently touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Do not over bake.
Cool for 1 hour in the pan then carefully remove from the pan to a baking rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
Frost the cake and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Cut into squares.

Notes

Use All Purpose Flour or Cake Flour - This cake has a tender crumb using all purpose flour. You can use cake flour, if preferred, but rest assured all purpose flour works perfectly.
Cream Cheese - You can use Neufchatel cream cheese, classic full fat cream cheese or mascarpone cheese for the frosting.
Vanilla Bean Paste - You can add vanilla bean paste to the frosting for a more intense vanilla flavor. Add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste for a delicious vanilla bean cream cheese frosting.
White Chocolate Ganache - You could skip the frosting and slather the top with white chocolate ganache or vanilla buttercream.
Chocolate Chips - You could add 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips to the batter.

Nutrition