This recipe for Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing makes a stunning change to the traditional layer cake. The best part is that it’s quick and easy too!
Red Velvet Cake is one of those cakes you almost always see in coffee shops and bakeries. With it’s stunning red, velvety texture, it’s always a winner.
I think baking it so you can show off that deep red color is a better way to go so I created a Red Velvet Bundt Cake with plenty of cream cheese icing that’s simpler to make and will wow your friends!
This was my very first blog post back in 2014. Since then, I’ve made this cake a lot (it’s my son’s very favorite). Over the years I’ve made some changes. I used to use a creaming method for the butter and sugar, but a friend’s grandmother (who’s a big baker) told me that the best red velvet cakes are made with oil and not butter. Who am I to argue with a seasoned baker? I tried it her way and she was right – the cake was much lighter and it was super moist. I missed the butter flavor though, so in the end I did half melted butter and half oil – perfection!
To make the cake start with sifting together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, butter, oil, vinegar vanilla, and red food coloring until well blended. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Add the batter to the prepared pan.
Bake for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack till cool. Then invert onto a serving tray or plate. Remove a small bit from the bottom of the cake and crumble it onto a small plate and set aside to use as decoration later.
Make the icing. apply to the cooled cake and sprinkle with the cake crumbs. Serve and enjoy!
Baking tip:
I would definitely say the key to the recipe is good quality food coloring . Using the little liquid bottles you can buy from the grocery store just won’t work. You’ll just end up with a cake that looks chocolate more than anything else. I’ve tried a lot of food coloring and I find that Pro Gel works best, You can get it here on Amazon.
Update Notes:Â This recipe was originally posted in 2014, but was updated in 2017 with slight changes to the recipe as well as including step by step photos as well as nutritional information.
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
A simply baked version of an iconic cake, with an irresistible Cream Cheese Icing. This easy, foolproof recipe is perfect for a birthday, dinner parties or a weekend treat
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose/plain flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring paste
- For the Frosting:
- 1 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 f/180 c and generously grease bundt pan.
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Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, butter, oil, vinegar vanilla, and red food coloring until well blended.
-
Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
-
Add the batter to the prepared pan.
-
Bake for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
-
Remove to a cooling rack till cool. Then invert onto a serving tray or plate.
-
Remove a small bit from the bottom of the cake and crumble it onto a small plate and set aside to use as decoration later (see photo).
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For the Icing: Make sure cream cheese and butter are at room temperature or icing will be lumpy. Blend the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl until smooth.
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Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending after each addition.
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Add the vanilla and hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the the icing is the the desired consistency and can be poured (I like mine quite thick).
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Pour the icing over the cooled cake and use the cake crumbs to decorate by sprinkling them over the icing.
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Mmm, I’ve never seen a red velvet bundt cake before but this looks amazing. I’m loving the cream cheese icing. 🙂
Hi Chloe! I can’t say I’ve ever seen a red velvet bundt cake either, but let’s face it, with food blogging, sometimes you have to try to do things a bit different! I’m so glad you like it!
Thank you for doing it in English
measurements,your a wee star…x
You are very welcome! 🙂
any chance this could be converted into english uk ingredients? ie sticks of butter- red food colouring paste- buttermilk????? what would we use instead please
Hi Ruth, I actually live in the UK and so I can assure you all of the ingredients are available in UK grocery stores (although I use Wilton paste food coloring that you can buy at lakeland).
thank you
Hello Errin, Nice to meet you and to have found your blog so that I can follow you on all of your social media. Thank you for allowing me to share your beautiful red velvet bundt cake today on my roundup – – it is featured in the center. I adore red velvet and am constantly on the search for that perfect recipe!
Blessings, Roz
How many cups of powdered sugar in the icing? It says 1 cups and in directions it says add 1 cup at a time.
Hi Susan, sorry about that; it was meant to say a 1/2 cup at a time. Thanks so much for letting me know!
How many cups of powdered sugar for the icing?
Hi Susan, 1 cup.
What an impressive-looking cake! I really like the trick of saving a few crumbs from the bottom of the cake to decorate the top with 🙂
I am making this bundt cake for my husband for Valentines day. Thank you for sharing!!
Finally, a uk-friendly red velvet bundt recipe, thank you!
Just a couple of quick questions: salted or unsalted butter? Medium or large eggs? I’m going to try to bake this for a cake competition next week, and will definitely share your post on Pinterest!
Hi Hannah, I don’t specify the butter because it’s a personal preference. I personally always bake with salted, but it’s what ever you prefer. Large eggs are best, but I have done it when I only had medium so any will work. I hope you like it! Please let me know! 🙂
Hi, so I’ve now made the cake, and it went down very well at the cake competition!
The only issue I had was with colouring. The first time, I had liquid red, so I added the cocoa with the flour and then added red to the completed batter. The second time, my red paste finally arrived and I mixed it with the cocoa as the recipe suggested, but it wouldn’t integrate properly, so in future I’ll add it in like I did with the liquid attempt.
Here are the link to the pics of the cake: https://imgur.com/a/R5Lcq
Thanks for the recipe!