I have been trying to bake an awesome red velvet cake.  Here's the stress.  I have used the recipe from Joy of Baking.  It tastes really good.  it bakes great for cupcakes but when I try to make an 8" or bigger cake with it the center falls everytime.  I have checked the temp of my oven and it appears to be true. I don't open the door to check on it frequently.  I know I am mixing the ingredients thoroughly.  the falling happens in the oven before I even remove the cake and the center is cooked when I check it.  It's not gooey or anything.  I bake a LOT.  I have never had this problem with any of my other cake recipes.  Do you have a fantastic recipe you can share that is reliable?  I prefer to use a recipe with cake flour since I find the texture is usually nicer than recipes with AP flour.  Suggestions anyone??

This is the recipe I use.  It's quite delicious, and I've never had a problem with it, other than I overbaked it once, and will never do that again.  :-)

http://www.food.com/recipe/waldorf-astoria-red-velvet-cake-8972

I've also carved it successfully.

Thank you for sharing KathleenC!

I'll have to give this one a try..  have you ever tried making it with butter instead of shortening?

I use butter for everything, but not this one...mainly because I've wanted to remain true to the recipe - didn't want to screw up a good thing. 

However, I don't see why you couldn't.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/throwdown-with-bobby-flay/red-velvet-cupcakes-recipe/index.html

I use this one. People love it. It always comes out light and fluffy. 

Did you dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar before adding it to the cake? That's essential for a red velvet cake. The vinegar changes the baking soda (making it bubble up and use up some of it's strength) so it doesn't work instantly upon the batter, but waits until the heat from baking activates it.

Also, when cakes sink in the middle it's from too much leavening. So you would cut back on the amount of soda or baking powder to correct that.

I dissolved the baking soda in the vinegar waited for the fizzing to slow and then added it to the batter. folding it in and then immediately turning into a pan and straight into the oven.  I have read a couple of recipes that suggested adding the baking soda, mixing and then adding the vinegar and mixing.. any luck with this method?

Update... so I tried the waldorf recipe which is essentially the same as the joy of baking recipe just the method is different.  I made some of my own changes based on some reading I have been doing... here's what I did.

1. this time instead of measuring by weight I measured by volume which yielded an additional 50g of flour!

2. I mixed the red color in with the buttermilk and mixed the cocoa in with the flour mixture

3. at the end of the mixture when it suggested adding vinegar to the BS and letting it fizz then fold into cake batter instead I added the BS and mixed it in and then added the vinegar and mixed it thoroughly.  ( I found this tip online somewhere)

my cake rose twice as high as the last one... it is currently cooling on the counter... it smells fabulous and the texture seems good from poking it.... I am excited to taste it.

I wish this forum had a "like" button.

ME TOO!!

If you don't like the one you tried, this is the one I have been using for years.  It tastes good and gets rave reviews.  I have made it for countless wedding cakes.

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/224271/red-velvet-cake

I do scale the oil back 1/4 cup.  You will notice this is almost identical to the Cakeman Raven recipe that most everyone on this site loves.