How to Make This Red Velvet Sheet Cake
Combine dry ingredients.
Beat eggs, sugar, and oil, then add buttermilk and vanilla.
Mix in dry ingredients.
Get prepped first.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×13-inch pan. Lining it with parchment gives you the option to lift the cake out later for cleaner slices, but a thorough greasing works just fine if you’re serving straight from the pan.
Whisk the dry ingredients.
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. This small step helps distribute the cocoa and leavening evenly, which means better rise and more consistent flavor throughout the cake.
Build the base.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and oil until the mixture looks smooth and slightly glossy. You’re not looking for volume here — just a cohesive, well-emulsified batter that will bake up tender.
Add the liquids.
Mix in the buttermilk and vanilla until the batter is smooth. Don’t worry if it looks thin at this stage. That looser texture is what gives you a lighter, fluffier crumb in the finished cake.
Bring it together gently.
Add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed just until you stop seeing streaks of flour. Over-mixing here is the easiest way to lose that soft, delicate texture.