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5 from 16 votes

Red Velvet Pound Cake

By Britney
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12
red velvet pound cake on a cake plate with a cream cheese glaze on top.
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Red velvet pound cake is soft and moist with a smooth, buttery texture and subtle chocolate flavor. A classic, bakery style pound cake!

Equipment

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Ingredients 

Red Velvet Cake

  • 3 tbsp (16 g) Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder
  • 3 tbsp (45 g) Hot Water
  • 3 1/4 cups (406 g) All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 1/2 cups (336 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
  • 8 oz (226 g) Cream Cheese, (room temperature)
  • 3 tbsp (42 g) Vegetable Oil
  • 2 2/3 cups (532 g) Sugar
  • 6 Large (300 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
  • 1 tbsp (15 g) Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tsp (10 g) Butter Vanilla Emulsion, (or butter extract)
  • 2 tsps (10 g) Vinegar
  • 2 tbsps (30 g) Red Gel Food Coloring
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) Buttermilk, (room temperature)
  • 3 tbsp (45 g) Sour Cream, (room temperature)

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 4 oz (113 g) Cream Cheese, (room temperature)
  • 3 tbsp (42 g) Butter, (melted)
  • 2 cups (250 g) Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 g) Vanilla Extract
  • 3-4 tbsps (45 g) Buttermilk, (add more for a thinner consistency)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  • In a medium bowl, combine cocoa powder, hot water, and espresso powder. Whisk together until combined (it'll form a paste-like texture). Let it cool for about 10 minutes, while working on the remainder of the batter. 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder 1/2 tsp Espresso Powder 3 tbsp Hot Water
  • In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Give it a good whisk and set aside. 3 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • Make the cake batter. Start by creaming together room temperature butter, cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix for about 6-7 minutes, until fluffy and lightened in color. 1 1/2 cups Salted Butter 8 oz Cream Cheese 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil 2 2/3 cups Sugar
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin adding eggs, one at a time while continuing to mix the cake batter. 6 Large Eggs
  • To the bowl with the hot water and cocoa powder, whisk in vanilla extract, butter vanilla emulsion (or butter extract), vinegar, food coloring, buttermilk, and sour cream. Whisk together. 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract 2 tsp Butter Vanilla Emulsion 2 tsps Vinegar 2 tbsps Red Gel Food Coloring 1/2 cup Buttermilk 3 tbsp Sour Cream
  • Add the half flour mixture into the batter and mix until just combined, about 20 seconds. Then pour in the cocoa mixture, and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients and mix until smooth, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is fully incorporated.
  • Spray a 12-cup bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray (I used Baker's Joy). Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15-25 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
  • Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack / cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely.
  • Make the cream cheese glaze. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix together room temperature cream cheese and butter. Mix for for about 30-45 seconds, until smooth, then add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Continue to mix until smooth. Add more milk if you'd like a thinner texture. Drizzle all over the cake once the cake has cooled completely. 4 oz Cream Cheese 3 tbsp Butter 2 cups Powdered Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 3-4 tbsps Buttermilk

Notes

  • Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. Too much flour is a common cause of dry pound cake, especially recipes with cocoa powder (cocoa powder can dry out a cake like none other). A kitchen scale keeps things precise and consistent every time.
  • Cool in the pan briefly, then remove. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before turning it out. Too soon and it breaks; too late and it sticks to the bundt pan. 
  • Scrape the bowl often! Butter and sugar love to hide at the bottom, scraping ensures an evenly mixed batter and consistent texture throughout the cake.
  • Use gel food coloring instead of liquid. Gel coloring delivers a vibrant red velvet color without thinning the batter or throwing off moisture balance. It also doesn't have that weird after taste! I recommend using this red gel food coloring.

Nutrition

Calories: 787kcal, Carbohydrates: 94g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 43g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 193mg, Sodium: 563mg, Potassium: 162mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 66g, Vitamin A: 1354IU, Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 76mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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