red velvet fudge

Rich and creamy Red Velvet Fudge topped with a layer of Cream Cheese Frosting is so easy to make in the microwave and it has a wonderful flavor reminiscent of red velvet cake. 

If you are a huge fan of red velvet cake then you are going to love sinking your teeth into this creamy Red Velvet Fudge. The decadent milk chocolate layer is so silky and smooth and it pairs beautifully with the luscious cream cheese frosting on top. Plus the off white frosting fudge looks striking against the bright red fudge layer.

This fudge will be a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day or Christmas just as it is but imagine it topped with some blue sprinkles for the 4th of July or rainbow sprinkles for a birthday party. There are so many possibilities.

Plus this fudge, just like all our other recipes here, is quite easy to make either in the microwave or on the stove-top.

To create this fudge, you will start out by making a layer of our delicious Milk Chocolate Fudge. That fudge is then topped with a layer of cream cheese frosting fudge to give it that red velvet cake taste.

What is red velvet cake?

• Originally red velvet cake was a chocolate cake made using natural cocoa powder which when mixed with buttermilk and the other cake ingredients had a slightly red hue.
• Some bakers added beets to the cake to infuse moisture and flavor during a time when sugar was being rationed in the United States which intensified the red coloring.
• Today most red velvet cakes get their color from red food coloring.
• Red Velvet Cakes traditionally are topped with an Americolor Super Red Soft Gel Paste and its tangy flavor is a wonderful contrast to the rich chocolate flavor of the cake.

What is red velvet fudge?

• Simply put, red velvet fudge is a layer of red-colored milk chocolate fudge topped with a layer of cream cheese frosting that is blended with white chocolate to give it the texture of fudge.
• To make this fudge, you start by making a layer of milk chocolate fudge and add red coloring to it.
  • If you are opposed to using red food coloring, you can leave the milk chocolate fudge layer brown. It tastes and looks just as good without the coloring, but of course, you won’t want to call it Red Velvet Fudge. Perhaps you can call it Chocolate and Cream Fudge.

Red Velvet Fudge Ingredients:

• 16 ounces milk chocolate
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• pinch of salt
• red food coloring (I used Americolor Super Red Soft Gel Paste)

Cream Cheese Frosting Fudge Ingredients:

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon salted butter, softened
• 3.5 ounces (1 cup) sifted powdered sugar*
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ounces melted white chocolate

*If you don’t have a scale to weigh your powdered sugar, sift it before measuring out one cup.

What milk chocolate should I use?

• It is best to make this fudge using pure milk chocolate bars, blocks, or chips.
  • Pure milk chocolate will have cocoa butter and some form of milk listed in the ingredients.
  • Milk Chocolate is sweet and creamy and has a mild chocolate flavor.
    • I personally love using Peter’s Ultra Milk Chocolate. It has a lovely delicate chocolate flavor with slight caramel notes.
      • This is the milk chocolate I use for all of my candy making. It is available in 10-pound bars or 50-pound cases. If you love milk chocolate and plan to make a lot of fudge, then purchasing one of these bars will be totally worth it.
    • Callebaut makes wonderful milk chocolate too which is available in callets (large chips) and smaller quantities. They also sell large bars, as well.
    • Of the grocery store brands, I prefer Kroger Private Selection Milk Chocolate Chips but have also enjoyed making fudge using Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips and Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips.

NOTE: Finely chop, grate, or shave chocolate bars in order for the chocolate to melt more quickly.

You can find these milk chocolate bars, callets, and chips from amazon (commission earned for sales).

What pan should I use?

• Use an 8-inch non-stick metal, glass, ceramic, aluminum, tin foil, or silicone pan.
• Line the pan with non–stick tin foil or parchment paper. The fudge is easy to remove from the pan and it allows for easy cleanup, but you can also…
  • butter the bottom and sides of your pan
  • spray the pan with cooking spray (the least desirable option as the outer edge of the fudge will taste like the spray)

You can find a huge selection of pans from amazon (commission earned for sales for all affiliate links listed below)

Can I use dark chocolate to make this fudge?

• Yes, you can, but you will need to change the ratio of chocolate to sweetened condensed milk in order for your fudge to set up correctly.
• See our Dark Chocolate Fudge Recipe if you’d like to use dark chocolate to make this red velvet fudge.
• The color of the fudge will be more muted and the flavor more intense if you use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

What about white chocolate?

• Red Velvet Cake is a chocolate cake so I personally don’t recommend using white chocolate fudge to make this.
• Plus I think a layer of vanilla white chocolate fudge topped with cream cheese frosting would be a bit too sweet.
• You will use some melted white chocolate to make the cream cheese frosting layer though. That is what will give the frosting a fudgy texture.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

• This recipe calls for one 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.
  • Sweetened Condensed milk is milk that has been pasteurized and condensed (heated and cooked to remove most of the water) and sweetened with sugar.
  • Sweetened condensed milk is quite thick. Some store brands are a bit thinner than national brands and if you use a thin condensed milk to make this fudge you may need to add an additional ounce or two of chocolate in order for the fudge to set up properly.
• DO NOT use cans of Evaporated Milk for this fudge recipe.
  • Evaporated milk is not sweetened and is not thickened with sugar.
  • Some fudge recipes do use evaporated milk, but not this one!

How to make red velvet fudge:

Microwave Method:

1. Blend the finely chopped milk chocolate (or chips) and sweetened condensed milk together in a large microwave-safe bowl.
2. Heat at 70% power for 90 seconds.
3. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for 3 minutes.
4. Remove and stir 2-3 times.
5. Add a pinch of salt and some red food coloring.
   • I used Americolor Super Red Coloring and needed about 1/2 teaspoon to make my fudge bright red.
6. Stir slowly until the chocolate is melted and the red is well blended.
7. If all the chocolate does not melt, let the bowl sit for another 3 minutes then stir again.
8. Only if needed, heat for another 10-15 seconds at 70% power and repeat the process above.
9. Spread the thick fudge into a prepared pan, cover and set aside.

Stove-top method:

1. Stir the milk chocolate and sweetened condensed milk together in a saucepan.
2. Heat over low heat, stirring often, until about 75% melted.
3. Remove from heat and let sit for 3 minutes.
4. Add the salt and red food coloring.
5. Stir until all the chocolate melts.
6. If needed, let the milk chocolate fudge rest, allowing the residual heat from the melted chocolate to melt any remaining chips or chunks.
7. If all the chocolate still doesn’t melt, return the pan to low heat and heat for about another minute to warm the fudge.
8. Remove and stir.
9. Pour into a prepared pan, cover, and set aside.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting Fudge Layer:

1. Beat together  2 ounces of softened cream cheese and 1 tablespoon salted butter until well blended.
2. Stir in 3.5 ounces of sifted powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
3. Beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add 2 ounces melted white chocolate and beat until creamy and smooth.
   • If this becomes lumpy, heat in the microwave for 10 seconds on 70% power and stir until smooth.
5. Spread over the milk chocolate fudge layer.
6. If you’d like, you can swirl and spike the frosting to make it look like a frosted cake.
7. Cover the fudge with plastic wrap or tin foil and chill in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours until firm.
8. Remove fudge from pan and peel off the tin foil.
9. Cut into 36 squares.

This fudge needs to be stored in the refrigerator and will keep for up to 3 weeks.

If you’d like to learn more tips and tricks for making easy fudge be sure to see our Easy Fudge FAQ page. You’ll find tips for freezing fudge, fixing greasy fudge, and more.

Red Velvet Fudge Video

If you enjoy this Red Velvet Fudge and want to make some other easy fudge for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or any day, be sure to check out these other recipes.

dark chocolate cherry fudge

chocolate covered strawberry fudge

strawberry fudge