Red Velvet Bundt Cake

Fall in love with this beauty! A light chocolate Red Velvet bundt cake drizzled with amazing cream cheese glaze, that you’ll want to eat with a spoon. This cake is super easy to make, perfectly moist and fluffy, and an awesome Holiday bake or Valentine’s Day surprise!

All the heart eyes

Just look at it! It’s beautiful, isn’t it? If my face was an emoji, it would be the heart eyes one every time I look at it.

That red colour is amazing, and it would be an ideal festive choice to take centre stage on your dessert table this Christmas! That said, there is nothing stopping this Red Velvet bundt cake being welcome on my dessert table at any time of the year. 

And what if you made it for your one true love next Valentines? Imagine it!

It’s such a fun cake to make and it’s delicious to eat, so how could anyone look at it and not be wowed.

Ready to give it a try? Watch the video on how to make this cake then head on down for top tips and the full recipe.

What is Red Velvet cake?

Are you like me, and you first came across Red Velvet cake, or cupcakes, watching Sex and the City, and the delights of the Magnolia Bakery?

But did you know that Carrie Bradshaw is not responsible for bringing us this beautiful and decadent baked delight? No, she’s not!

In fact, the origins of the Red Velvet cake go all the way back to the Victorian era when it was served as a dessert, where the soft and fluffy cake crumb gave it it’s ‘velvet’ name’. 

If asked to describe the taste flavour is not one you can easily put your finger on. Is it a vanilla-y-chocolate or is it chocolatey-vanilla? And whilst it’s often referred to as a chocolate cake, there’s absolutely no ‘actual’ chocolate in it. Instead, the recipe calls for cocoa powder.

And that’s how it also got its colour!

What makes the cake red?

Originally the red tint of a Red Velvet cake came from the reaction of the cocoa powder with the acidity in the buttermilk. However, as we now Dutch-process cocoa powder, this prevents that magical colour change from taking place.

So now, there’s a few different ways to achieve that gorgeous red colour:

• Liquid Food Colouring – a lot of recipes out there will ask you to add a bottle of liquid red food colouring. I’ve had mixed results with these – either with the cake batter being too runny, it looking an odd shade of red-brown or tasting of beetroot as it’s an ingredient in liquid colourings.
• Beetroot or Beet Powder – if you don’t mind the taste of beetroot overshadowing that light cocoa flavour, and you’re looking for something more natural, then this is what you want. Alas, it’s not for me.
• Red Food Colouring Gel – in my opinion, food gel is the best way to get that ‘wow’ red colour without compromising on the flavour. Add it a little at a time until you get the shade of red you’re looking for.

Which bundt pan to use?

The choice is yours – there are so many to choose from!

I’ve used the trusty bargain-buy that I picked up in Aldi – you can find a similar one on Amazon. It does the trick when I want a smaller, ‘chuck it in the tin and bake’ kind of bundt cake. 

But if I’m looking for something that has the ‘wow factor’, there’s nothing better than a Nordic Ware bundt pan. These are simply the most amazing pans!

There are so many different designs for all occasions and holidays. Even the most intricate design slides straight out without any problems, so the design is there for all to see. Sometimes it seems such a shame to decorate them!

Here’s some that I love and recommend…

TOP TIP: Don’t mess with melted butter and flouring your Bundt pan. Get into all the nooks and crannies with this quick and easy homemade cake release.

How to make a Red Velvet bundt cake

Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card

This cake couldn’t be easier to make – there’s no butter and sugar to cream together, and there’s no need to use a stand mixer unless you really want to. I whisk mine by hand with a balloon whisk (that counts as an arm workout, right?). The cream cheese glaze is super simple too.

Start off with a large mixing bowl, and mix together the flour, caster sugar, cocoa powder and baking soda (1-3).

In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients – the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vinegar and vanilla bean paste. Then give them a good whisk until they’re all combined (4). 

Next comes the red food colouring gel! Add this a little at a time depending on how red you would like your cake. Whisk each time you add some colour so you can see what it is like. You will want to make sure the mixture is at least a scarlet red colour (5).

Add the buttermilk mixture to your dry ingredients and whisk until you’ve got a nice, smooth batter. Then pour it straight into your greased bundt tin. Then it’s into the oven for 45-55 minutes (6-7).

Skip forward to a beautifully baked Red Velvet bundt, and depending on how gnarly the bottom of your cake is, you might want to level it off – this also gives you something to crumble over the top. 

Whizz together a quick and simple glaze. All you’ll need is cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla bean paste; maybe a drop of milk if it’s a little too thick. Then drizzle it all over and scatter those offcut crumbs (8-11).

How simple is that?

Top tips for perfect bundts

• Cake Pan Release – whether you’re a butter person or more of a release spray fan, I’ll guarantee that you’ll never use anything else again once you’ve tried this quick and easy homemade cake release. Make a batch and keep it in the cupboard, it’s a baking miracle!
• Fill about 3/4s full – don’t be tempted to fill your bundt pan to the top, otherwise when you bake it you’ll end up with an overflowing mess. For best results don’t fill it more than 3/4s full, and if you have any batter leftover pop it in cupcake liners for a little extra treat.
• Let it cool in the pan – demolding the bundt when it’s still warm in the tin risks it breaking or leaving pieces of your pan design behind. So make sure you let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out.
• Think about the design – there are so many intricate cake pan designs out there, and it would be a shame to cover them up with frosting or a glaze. If you have a fancy design like a gingerbread house bundt pan, then just a dusting of icing sugar does the job.