This red velvet bundt cake recipe is a moist and buttery cake that's so tender it will melt in your mouth! It merges the rich flavor of cocoa powder with the smoothness of vanilla and a little bit of tang from buttermilk.
There's also cream cheese swirl throughout the cake for a little decadence in every bite! Add a cream cheese glaze on top and you've got the perfect cake!
If you love red velvet cake recipes, you'll have to try out this Black Velvet Cake too!
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Red velvet cake is always such a treat. Whenever I make this recipe, my friends and family go bananas! It's tender, moist, and the flavor is so smooth and rich!
I took it a step further and added a little cream cheese swirl in the middle with a cream cheese frosting on top ... well, because I LOVE frosting and smooth cream cheese icing on top of this red velvet cake is absolute perfection.
Added bonus? All you have to do is pop it right out of the pan, add a little glaze on top of the cake, and you've got an beautiful cake that's gorgeous all on it's own. No special skills required!
Save this recipe for Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, special occasion, or just a cozy day when you want a delicious homemade cake.
What does red velvet cake taste like?
I think we all can recall the first time we ate a delicious red velvet cake. You may have wondered "what is this flavor??".
To really describe the flavor we have to talk about the ingredients. Red velvet cakes have cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and buttermilk - these are the ingredients that flavor the cake.
Given this, it has a very subtle chocolate flavor that's balanced with vanilla extract with a bit of tang from the buttermilk. The cream cheese frosting bring it all together for a creamy, buttery, smooth, and velvety cake.
Key Ingredients
This homemade red velvet bundt cake only requires a few common ingredients. Of note, you'll need a 12-cup bundt pan for this recipe so be sure to keep this in mind!
Cocoa powder - a red velvet cake is like a chocolate cake but isn't a true chocolate cake as you only need a hint of cocoa powder. Just enough to taste! Pro tip: For best results, use dutch cocoa powder - it provides a smoother, richer chocolate flavor. It's my secret ingredient. 🙂
Vanilla Extract - the vanilla extract with the cocoa powder are what give this bundt cake the perfect red velvet flavor.
Buttermilk - buttermilk enhances the flavor and texture of the cake. Buttermilk also reacts with the leavening agents in the cake and give this cake a fluffy and soft texture.
Vinegar - white vinegar is used for homemade red velvet cake for a multitude of reasons. Vinegar tenderizes the flour and gives the cake its moist texture, but also enhances the color of the cake while working with the baking soda to give the cake more of a life in the oven. Don't worry, you will not taste the vinegar!
Butter and Vegetable Oil - using this combination of butter and oil ensures that the cake is moist and has that velvety texture.
Cream cheese - there's cream cheese all throughout this cake for both a swirl and a frosting. It pairs exceptionally well with the cocoa and vanilla flavors and adds to much deliciousness!
Red gel food coloring - I HIGHLY recommend using Ann Clark's Super Red Food Coloring for this recipe. It doesn't have that weird food dye taste and it provides a beautiful red color to the cake that a lot of food coloring simply can't provide.
Substitutions
- If you don't have white vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar.
- Don't fret if you don't have buttermilk. It's is super easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in your house. Here's a guide on how to make buttermilk from just two ingredients!
- If you don't want to use vegetable oil, you can use any neutral oil such as grapeseed oil, light olive oil, or canola oil.
Tips
- To get the perfect bundt cake every. single. time. - use nonstick spray. Nonstick baking spray has never let me down and it my secret to getting the most beautiful bundts cakes that plop right out of the pan! I use Baker's Joy.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients. This will ensure the perfect and consistent bake every time!
- Test your leavening agent (baking soda and baking powder) to make sure that they aren't expired. If they are expired, your cake won't rise in the oven and it'll be flat and hard as a brick. Add a little boiling water to a small amount of baking powder and baking soda. If it bubbles up, your leavening agents are good to go.
- Add chocolate chips for added chocolate flavor.
- For valentine's day, I turn this recipe into mini bundt cakes and they're so much fun to make! If doing this, be sure to adjust baking time as the mini bundts will bake a little faster.
How to Make a Moist Red Velvet Bundt Cake
- Begin by making the cream cheese swirl. Combine room temperature cream cheese, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, eggs, and flour to a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer or whisk to combine and mix until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - cocoa powder, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Give it a good whisk and set aside.
- Make the cake batter. Start by creaming together room temperature butter and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix for about 2-3 minutes then add sugar and continue to mix for another 2 minutes. Mixture may be a little soupy, this is OK/normal.
- Begin adding eggs, one at a time while continuing to mix the cake batter. Then, pour in vanilla extract and vinegar.
- Add the flour mixture into the batter, pour in buttermilk and mix until just combined. Then add the red gel food coloring and mix until the batter is red.
- Spray a 10-cup bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray (I used Baker's Joy). Pour ¾ of the batter into the prepared pan then gently spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter. Add the remaining batter on top and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a tiny bit of crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 5 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack / cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely.
- Make the cream cheese glaze. Mix together room temperature cream cheese with butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Heat it in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds and drizzle all over the cake once the cake has cooled completely.
Storage
- Store at room temperature: Store this cake in an airtight container or a cake stand with a lid for up to 4 days. Do not cut the cake, store as a whole. This will allow it stay moist and won't dry out. If you've already the cake, store the slices in a ziploc bags.
- Freezing: if freezing, I recommend wrapping the cake in plastic wrap and storing in a freezer safe airtight container. It'll last for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, red velvet cake can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer safe airtight container.
It is said that red velvet cake was invented in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It began as a velvet cake that had a slight reddish hue due to chemical reaction between buttermilk and cocoa powder. Once food coloring was invented, it was added to make the velvet cake more red.
To prevent your red velvet cake from turning brown while baking, it's best to use red gel food coloring as opposed to water based dyes.
More Bundt Cakes!
There's a lot of bundt cakes here on my small corner of the internet, check out these recipes below!
- Cardamom Cake with Maple Buttercream
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Irish Cream Glaze
- Sweet Potato Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze
- Lemon Cream Cake with Saffron Glaze
- Sour Cream Pound Cake
Red Velvet Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 12 cup bundt pan
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz Cream Cheese , room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg
Red Velvet Cake
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter , room temperature
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 ¼ cups Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 tsps Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsps Red Gel Food Coloring
- 1 cup Buttermilk
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 8 oz Cream Cheese , room temperature
- ½ cup Butter , room temperature
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsps Heavy Cream
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Begin by making the cream cheese swirl. Combine room temperature cream cheese, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, egg, and flour to a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer or whisk to combine and mix until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - cocoa powder, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Give it a good whisk and set aside.
- Make the cake batter. Start by creaming together room temperature butter and vegetable oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix for about 2-3 minutes then add sugar and continue to mix for another 2 minutes. Mixture may be a little soupy, this is OK/normal.
- Begin adding eggs, one at a time while continuing to mix the cake batter. Then, pour in vanilla extract and vinegar.
- Add the flour mixture into the batter, pour in buttermilk and mix until just combined. Then add the red gel food coloring and mix until the batter is red. Spray a 10-cup bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray (I used Baker's Joy).
- Pour ¾ of the batter into the prepared pan then gently spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter. Add the remaining batter on top and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a tiny bit of crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 5 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack / cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely.
- Make the cream cheese glaze. Mix together room temperature cream cheese with butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Heat it in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds and drizzle all over the cake once the cake has cooled completely.
Notes
- If you don't have white vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar.
- Don't fret if you don't have buttermilk, simply mix together 1 cup of milk and 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to create buttermilk at home.
- To get the perfect bundt cake every. single. time. - use nonstick spray. Nonstick baking spray has never let me down and it my secret to getting the most beautiful bundts cakes that plop right out of the pan! I use Baker's Joy.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients. This will ensure the perfect and consistent bake every time!
- Test your leavening agent (baking soda and baking powder) to make sure that they aren't expired. If they are expired, your cake won't rise in the oven and it'll be flat and hard as a brick. Add a little boiling water to a small amount of baking powder and baking soda. If it bubbles up, your leavening agents are good to go.
- Add chocolate chips for added chocolate flavor.
- For valentine's day, I turn this recipe into mini bundt cakes and they're so much fun to make! If doing this, be sure to adjust baking time as the mini bundts will bake a little faster.
Can't wait to try, can I freeze for a few days ?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze for a few a days! Just make sure it's in an airtight container.
This cake was insanely delicious. I cannot get over the texture and that cream cheese filling was just incredible!
Thank you!
The cream cheese swirl is my favorite part! I'm making this cake again for a Friendsgiving dinner.
I LOVE red velvet cake and this bundt cake was so easy to make and way faster than messing with layers. This is going on the holiday dessert table for sure!
This cake is to die for! I especially loved the cream cheese filling -- so perfect with the buttery red velvet flavor!
Seriously, just as the recipe mentions it's a moist and buttery cake...the texture, sweetness, the cake overall was just so good! Definitely made my saturday baking one for the books!
This cake is as gorgeous as it was delicious. I will be making it again at Christmastime.
I can't stop slicing this cake and eating it. It's SO good and better than my mom's cake - and I love her cakes!!
Well, thank you! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it!
My son's favorite cake is red velvet, but I shy away from making layered cakes as they're too time-consuming. This bundt version has all the flavors we love without all the fussiness.
This was the most delicious red velvet cake i ever made. It was soft and dense, kind of like a pound cake, but so moist! I really liked the cream cheese filling too, it was cream cheese inside of the cake and outside of it - so delicious.
Thank you so much!