Peeps, I’m not going to lie: this red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting basically blew the birthday boy’s mind, not to mention his father’s, and those of the assorted party guests . . . It is unbelievably moist (I know the word “moist” is controversial – sorry) due to oil, unbelievably chocolate-y (I add a bit more cocoa powder than you might find in your run- of-the-mill go-to red velvet), and the addition of sour cream in the batter and cream cheese frosting atop provides the perfect tangy contrast to the sweetness of its layers.
My favorite red velvet cake of all time is the one Cake Man Raven made back in the day in Fort Greene Brooklyn, where I used to live. Apparently he is no longer baking up cake in that part of Brooklyn, and that is a tragedy, to say the least. The fact that I survived the early days of child rearing – and more importantly that my children survived me – had much to do with my daily intake of a large slice (cake man, like me, does not do “slivers” of cake) of Cake Man’s famous red confection. 
My second favorite is Matt and Nato’s red velvet served up at Baked, which i had the pleasure of baking – for many years – while working there. In fact, it was that cake that inspired me to develop a red velvet icebox cake, when writing the Icebox Cakes cookbook. But I digress.
Long story short, this red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting is really easy and really yummy and gorgeous: I love the deeply red color that comes from food coloring, not beets – sorry, haters. Please make this cake and watch your guests swoon. This cake is a winner all day long, and then some.
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I feel like you can always eat more cake.
