With a characteristic tang and a heaping pile of cream cheese frosting, this one-bowl Red Velvet Bundt Cake with a cream cheese swirl is easy, delicious, and a true crowd-pleaser! The red velvet flavor and color you love – in an easy-to-make bundt cake form!

You guys knew this was coming, right?  A bundt cake of the month series, so what else would we choose for February other than… red velvet!

Red velvet is such a confusing cake flavor, because… what is it, exactly? There’s a little chocolate, but it doesn’t have a distinct chocolate flavor. There’s a little hint of sourness and tang. The texture is a little different too – it’s so light and fluffy compared to other cakes.

And of course, the most obvious part: it’s red!

Red velvet cake usually comes as a layer cake, but as we all know – layer cakes can be complicated and time-consuming.

Instead, we’re going to use the classic characteristics of red velvet (buttermilk, vinegar, cocoa powder, red food coloring) and turn it into an easy bundt cake.

And since red velvet cake always has cream cheese frosting, we’ll include this two ways: cream cheese frosting on top AND a cream cheese swirl in the middle of the cake!

This is not only delicious but also beautiful – the crisp white swirl of cream cheese in the middle of a deeply red cake is such a lovely contrast. It’s a celebration-worthy dessert with minimal effort, which we can all agree is the best kind of dessert, right?!

Why is Red Velvet Cake Red?

Let’s talk a little bit about the history of red velvet cakes. It involves my favorite topic: science!  Have you ever wondered why red velvet cakes are red?  I mean, a bottle of food coloring does nothing to add to the flavor, so why do we use it?

Time for a little science and history lesson with my favorite subject, kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Back in the day, cocoa powder contained a compound called anthocyanin.  Anthocyanins are flavonoids that change color based on pH.  Red velvet cake gets its unique tang and texture from some acidic additions: buttermilk and vinegar.  When the anthocyanins react with the acid, the color changes from brown to deep red.  Science!  So why do we now add red food coloring?  Most cocoa powder today is processed with an alkalizing agent to neutralize the pH.  This makes cocoa powder taste more chocolatey, but it also makes it darker brown and prevents the color change.

Pretty interesting, right?  (Okay, maybe I’m the only one who loves kitchen chemistry.)

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cream Cheese: This should be at cool room temperature, roughly 65°F. Cool to the touch, but soft enough to indent with a finger.
• Sugar
• Egg
• Sour Cream: Full-fat yogurt also works here.
• Heavy Cream: Half and half can also work as a substitute.
• Vanilla Extract
• Vegetable Oil: Use any neutral-flavored oil, like grapeseed or canola oil.
• Buttermilk: If you can find whole milk buttermilk, use it – it’s extra thick or tangy!
• Vinegar
• Red Food Coloring: Optional, but traditional for red velvet. For a brighter red color, use more food coloring or gel-based food colors.
• Flour: The recipe uses all-purpose flour but you can use a 1:1 gluten-free baking mix containing xanthan gum to keep the recipe gluten-free.
• Baking Soda
• Salt: The recipe is written for either table salt or Morton kosher salt; adjust accordingly if using Diamond Crystal salt.
• Cocoa Powder: I always use natural unsweetened cocoa powder for the cake, but if you only have Dutched cocoa powder on hand, you can use it in this recipe since it is a small amount and will not significantly impact the pH of the batter.
• Butter: Unsalted butter at room temperature.
• Confectioners’ Sugar

Best Red Velvet Bundt Cake Recipe

To get the characteristic red velvet flavor and texture, we need to use buttermilk and distilled white vinegar for the acidic component.  Don’t worry, you don’t taste the vinegar at all!

We need some baking soda to help give the cake a little extra rise.   You guys all remember the vinegar and baking soda volcano experiment from elementary school, right?

And now, we add some red food coloring to replicate the traditional color change from the anthocyanins. Here’s the great debate on red velvet: should it be BRIGHT red or brownish-red?  A lot of cakes now are super red.  Like, red red.

You can achieve this by adding a lot of food coloring.  A lot of recipes call for a full one ounce bottle.  I… I just can’t get behind adding that much food coloring when there’s no real reason. This red velvet bundt cake uses 3/4 of a tablespoon, which gives it a reddish color, but not super bright red.  I prefer to think of it as a more authentic color, versus the modernized super red version.

(Another fun history fact: the super bright version started thanks to Adam Extract, a company that made food coloring. In an attempt to boost sales, they created a recipe for red velvet that required lots of red food coloring… leading us to the BRIGHT red color we often see today.)

Making this cake couldn’t be any easier – mix together the oil, eggs, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Then add in the dry ingredients. You can use a mixer or even whisk the batter by hand in a mixing bowl.

Cream Cheese Swirl

Of course, since this is a bundt cake, the texture will be a little more dense than a layer cake.  Even with all the baking soda and vinegar and buttermilk, the increased depth of a bundt cake adds to the density.

But this thickness means that bundt cakes are ideal for adding a little layer of something in the middle – like a cream cheese swirl!

Traditional red velvet cake includes cream cheese frosting. We’re doubling up here, with a cream cheese frosting swirl right in the middle, too! Just drop dollops of the cream cheese mixture on half the cake batter, use a knife to spread it around, and top with the rest of the batter.

As the cake bakes, the batter will bake around the frosting, leaving a perfect cream cheese swirl running right through the middle!

Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

Of course, we can’t make a red velvet bundt cake without the best cream cheese frosting!

For super smooth, creamy dreamy frosting, make sure to use room temperature cream cheese – otherwise, there will be lumps and bumps!

I like to use a thicker consistency frosting that can be spread on the cake with a spatula. If you prefer a thinner frosting that can be poured on the cake like a glaze, add an additional tablespoon of milk or water at a time until the consistency is more like white craft glue.

And of course, you can never have too many sprinkles – so top liberally with your favorite colorful sprinkles!

Recommended Tools to Make Red Velvet Bundt Cake

• Stand Mixer: While you can make this cake by hand, beating the cream cheese for the filling and frosting is much easier with an electric mixer!
• Beater Blade: I always used a Beater Blade with my stand mixer to automatically scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
• 12 Cup Bundt Pan: Metal bundt pans are best for even baking. This recipe is written for a 12-cup pan.
• Red Food Coloring: While optional, red food coloring is classic for a red velvet cake! Use more food coloring for a brighter red color, but I prefer a deeper brownish-red color.
• Cooling Rack: This three-layer cooling rack is foldable for easy storage but sturdy enough to support cooling a bundt cake still in the pan.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Red Velvet Bundt Cake

1. New to baking in bundt pans? Looking for the best tips and tricks to ensure your cake doesn’t stick? Check out THIS POST for all my best bundt tips!
2. No bundt pan?  No problem!  Bake this cake in two loaf pans instead of a bundt pan.  Divide between two well-greased 9×5-inch loaf pans and bake for 40-50 minutes.
3. Don’t overbake the cake – this will result in a drier, crumbly texture.  Bake just until the edges begin to pull away from the pan and the top is springy when pushed back.
4. Wait until the cake is fully cooled before adding the frosting – otherwise it will not set and will run off the sides of the cake.
5. Refrigerate the cake.  Because of the cream cheese swirl and cream cheese frosting, the cake should be stored in the refrigerator.

More Recipes with Cream Cheese Frosting

• Carrot Cake with Lemon Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
• Red Velvet Cheesecake
• Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
• Carrot Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Swirl
• Chocolate Oreo Cake

2017 Bundt Cake of the Month Series