I began exploring the world of bundt cakes this past fall, and decided to play around with a red velvet bundt cake recipe this winter.
I’d made red velvet cupcakes, red velvet layer cake, and it was time for a red velvet bundt cake. It took me longer than I expected to get this one right though.
I experimented with cake flour and all-purpose, oil and butter, and no filling vs. cream cheese filling. In the end, I feel like I finally got it right.
This red velvet bundt cake is extremely moist, swirled with a cream cheese filling, and completely slathered in a cream cheese glaze.
I love that each component of this recipe comes together pretty easily. The entire recipe can be made with an stand mixer/hand mixer or by hand with a whisk.
The Cream Cheese Ribbon / Filling
While I love red velvet cake, I equally love the cream cheese frosting that usually comes with it.
It’s a huge component of anything red velvet in my mind. I felt like having an entire bundt cake of just red velvet cake wasn’t right.
That’s why there’s a thick ribbon of cream cheese / cheesecake inspired goodness that swirls throughout this bundt cake.
Not only does this really elevate the flavor of this bundt cake, it also gives each slice a gorgeous cross section.
I think it’s an absolute must! However, if you don’t love cream cheese as much as I do you can omit it.
If you chose to skip it, your bundt cake will bake up slightly shorter than mine, and it will bake a bit more quickly.
Giving This Red Velvet Bundt Cake Some Color
When you make anything red velvet, you expect it to have that gorgeous, deep red color when you cut in. I’ve found that it’s a lot easier to achieve that using gel food coloring.
I prefer Americolor’s super red gel food coloring, but any gel food coloring will work! If you don’t have gel food coloring on hand, you can also use liquid food coloring.
I’ve found that you need to use an entire bottle of liquid food coloring to get the deep red color, so be sure you have a full bottle if you go this route.
Or if you’d prefer to naturally color your red velvet cake, you can always use a little beet root powder!
You can swap out the red gel food coloring for 1 Tbsp of beet root powder. I know it sounds crazy, but it doesn’t really impact the flavor of the cake.
The color of the cake won’t be quite as vibrant, but it will still be red!
What Type of Bundt Pan Should I Use?
The final component of this red velvet bundt cake recipe is the pan you use. That’s the fun of making a bundt cake, it’s shape is solely reliant on the pan it bakes in.
I think most people have their tried and true bundt pans, and I totally respect that. They’re those iconic curved pans we grew up with, with short grooves and fluted edges.
This recipe will work great in just about any bundt pan, as long as it has a capacity of at least 10 cups. Any 10-inch bundt pan should be able to hold this much batter.
To make this bundt cake, I used my Nordic Ware heritage bundt pan, which has deep, beautiful grooves.
One word of advice, if you use a bundt pan with a fun design or deep grooves, be sure you butter and flour them SUPER WELL before adding your batter.
Make sure you get a thin layer of butter (or you HEAVILY spray non-stick baking spray) into every nook and cranny.
It sounds dramatic, but you’ll thank yourself later when your gorgeous bundt cake pops right out of the pan.
Tips to Make The Best Red Velvet Bundt Cake:
- Be sure to mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated; this will ensure your cake turns out tender and fluffy
- Use red gel food coloring to give your cake a vibrant, deep red color
- Bake time can vary a lot based on your bundt pan, so keep an eye on your cake and check in every 5 minutes once it’s been in the oven for 55 minutes.
- Be sure you butter and flour your bundt pan really well, to help your bundt cake pop out easily once it’s baked.
- Use a serrated knife to level the bottom of your bundt cake once it’s fully cooled, to help it sit flat on your cake stand or plate.
How To Store This Red Velvet Bundt Cake:
Sadly this cake cannot be left out at room temperature because of the cream cheese and heavy cream in the glaze!
However, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days if you make it in advance or have leftovers.
It can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted) for up to 1 month if stored in an airtight container.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this red velvet bundt cake recipe, I’d love to hear what think of it!
Please leave a rating, and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Red Velvet Bundt Cake
This red velvet bundt cake is insanely moist and tender, and has a ripple of cream cheese filling right through the middle of it! It's everything you could want and more!
Ingredients
Red Velvet Bundt Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (325 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 1 Tbsp baking cocoa powder (6 grams)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda (9 grams)
- 1 tsp salt (6 grams)
- 2 large eggs, room temp (113 grams)
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (228 grams)
- 1 cup vegetable oil (224 grams)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract (8 grams)
- 1 tsp white vinegar (4 grams)
- 1 tsp red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Ripple Filling
- 1 cup cream cheese, room temperature (18 oz, 226 grams)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (56 grams)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg (56 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (4 grams)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (16 grams)
Cream Cheese Frosting Glaze
- 1/2 cup of cream cheese, room temperature (4 oz, 113 grams)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (114 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (3 grams)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (250 grams)
Instructions
Cream Cheese Ripple Filling
- Make the cream cheese filling first! Beat together the cream cheese and unsalted butter with a whisk attachment of a stand mixer or a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. If you don't have an electric mixer, you can mix this by hand with a whisk.
- Add in the granulated sugar, and mix on a medium speed.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Mix in the flour on a low speed.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Red Velvet Bundt Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10 inch bundt pan (with 10 cup capacity), being sure to get into all the nooks and crannies of your bundt pan to ensure an easy release.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl, and set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, vinegar, and red gel food coloring. Don't worry if it looks a bit separated, it'll come together as we add the dry ingredient.
- Fold in half of the the dry ingredients, until only a few streaks of flour are visible. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix the batter.
- Pour 1/2 of the batter into the pan, and add the cream cheese ripple filling. Top with the remaining cake batter.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. My bundt pan took about 60 minutes.
- Allow the pans to cool for a couple hours, until the cake reached room temperature.
- Once cooled, use a serrated knife to level the bottom of the cake. Save the scraps and crumble them with a fork to decorate the cake later.
- Carefully invert the pan, and flip the cake onto the plate or cake stand you plan to serve the cake on.
Cream Cheese Frosting Glaze:
- While the bundt cake bakes and cools, make the cream cheese frosting glaze.
- Add the heavy cream and cream cheese into a medium-sized bowl, the mix together until smooth.
- Mix in the vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
- Stir in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix until smooth.
To Decorate This Red Velvet Bundt Cake:
- Drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the ridges of the bundt cake, covering as much of the cake as possible.
- Sprinkle the red velvet cake crumbs on top of the glaze, and enjoy!
Notes
I used this Bundt Pan Mold to make this cake, which is 10 inches across, and has a capacity of 10 cups.
Bake time can vary a lot based on your bundt pan, so keep an eye on your cake and check in every 5 minutes once it's been in the oven for 55 minutes.
How To Store This Red Velvet Bundt Cake:
Sadly this cake cannot be left out at room temperature because of the cream cheese and heavy cream in the glaze!
If you make it in advance or have leftovers, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
It can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted) for up to 1 month if stored in an airtight container.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 416Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 59mgSodium 302mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 0gSugar 37gProtein 4g
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Kim
Tuesday 26th of October 2021
I've made this cake before, and as far as I know, it came out amazing (it was gifted to someone). Well, this time, as I'm making it, I'm an idiot, and didn't go with my gut. I used all EIGHTEEN OUNCES OF CREAM CHEESE! So I guess we will see what happens. I put a cookie sheet underneath my pan to hopefully catch any overflow. And am going to hope beyond hope that it isn't a total bust. Otherwise, I'm gonna be remaking it. Paaaaleasee fix the measurements. I always go by weights when they are there, and that one really screwed me.
Ana
Tuesday 16th of February 2021
I divided the recipe by half, weighed all ingredients in grams, and it worked BEAUTIFULLY for a 4 cup tube pan. I don't like frosting so I omitted the glaze and was pleased by the level of sweetness in the plain cake; I think that the frosting would be nice without being too sweet. Cake still moist and tasty days later (left unrefrigerated). This is my go-to from now on!
Emily
Thursday 11th of February 2021
Made today - fantastic! One note: the cream cheese ripple says “1 c. Cream cheese (18oz)”. ?
Vicky
Sunday 27th of December 2020
Hi! Just made this Bundt red velvet cake as I always wanted to try making red velvet cake. Can’t wait for the family to comment. It was so easy to make. Will try to post pic somehow