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Red Velvet Bundt Cake

5 from 12 votes
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posted: 02/10/22

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This Red Velvet Bundt Cake with cream cheese frosting is moist, rich, and packed with them most amazing flavor. This is a red velvet lover’s dream cake.

a red velvet bundt cake on a cake stand

If you have never had a red velvet cake, then this is a very special day. Let me introduce you to the magnificence that is red velvet. It is a cake that is deep chocolate in nature, but with the delicious tang of vinegar and buttermilk. The contrast of sweet and sour meld together perfectly to bring you a delightful and rich dessert.

In this Red Velvet Bundt Cake we are using sour cream as our magic ingredient to make the cake delightfully moist. Then we top it with a cream cheese frosting made with buttermilk. The addition of this tangy frosting goes perfectly with the rich cake.

How to Make Red Velvet Bundt Cake

  1. Select the correct bundt pan. Bundt pans are not interchangeable, and the volume of the pan you use will greatly impact the outcome of the recipe. Make sure for this recipe that you use one that is 12 cups in capacity. (Read more about this below.) Grease the bundt pan extremely well.
  2. Whisk together your dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set this aside.
  3. Cream the sugar and butter. In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the sugar into the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  4. Add the remaining wet ingredients. To the butter-sugar mixture, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Then add in the sour cream and buttermilk, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl well before you add each next ingredient. Finally, add in the vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. I like to do this all at once. Then I turn my mixer on low just long enough for the dry ingredients to be somewhat incorporated, and then I turn it on very high to finish it off. This results in minimal mixing which is best to not over work the gluten in the recipe.
  6. Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake.
  7. Make the frosting. After the cake cools, whisk together the frosting and pour it over the top of the cake.
close up of a cut red velvet bundt cake

Making Red Velvet Red

Historically speaking, some say that the original red velvet cakes did not use any sort of food dye. They say that the redness from the cake came from a chemical reaction in the pure cocoa powder and the buttermilk.

While this might be true, that won’t work for this particular cake. This cake needs red food coloring to get it’s signature color. You can have a perfectly delicious cake without the food coloring, but it won’t be red.

Picking the Right Bundt Pan

As mentioned above, size matters when it comes to bundt pans. This recipe was developed for a 12 cup bundt pan. To ensure that your pan is the correct size, use a liquid measuring cup and measure how many cups of water you can fit in the pan with the water going to the very top of the pan. This is not how full your pan should be of cake, but it is how you measure the pan.

My preference for bundt pans is Nordic Ware. It is the brand I use and I have had great results in general with their pans. This bundt pan is 12 cups and only $18.

piece of red velvet cake sitting up on a white plate

Making a Moist Red Velvet Bundt Cake

Besides the sour cream, there are two things that really help keep this cake moist and delightful. The first is the use of cake flour and the second is adding in some extra egg yolks.

Using Cake Flour

You will notice that this recipe calls for cake flour. It is incredibly important that you use cake flour and do not substitute with all purpose flour. The lower protein content in cake flour will help ensure that your bundt cake isn’t overly dense.

Adding Egg Yolks to Cake

In addition to using three large eggs in this cake, we are also throwing in two egg yolks. Egg yolks help hold water and fat together in a cake. The result of this is that more moisture gets trapped in the cake and you have moist and tender cake.

a red velvet cake frosted with cream cheese frosting on a cake stand

More Tips and Tricks

  • Read the whole recipe and all of the instructions before you start.
  • Use cake flour. There are several resources online to make your own. The ratio of the other ingredients are based on the use of cake flour.
  • Measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly. Scoop from the containers they are kept in with a spoon and into a dry measuring cup. Then level the measuring cup off with the flat end a spatula. This will ensure that you do not over measure either ingredient by packing it into the measuring cup.
  • Use room temperature butter. You should be able to press your finger into the butter and make a dent but not have it go all the way through. You can make this happen faster by cutting it up, putting it on a plate, and leaving it on the counter for 30 minutes.
  • Use room temperature sour cream, buttermilk, and eggs. If they aren’t room temperature, when you add them to the butter and sugar they will cool downtime sugar too much.
  • Fully cream the butter and sugar. This step is crucial to beating air into the butter.
  • Grease the pan more than you think you need to. Bundt pans, especially those that are more decorative, are notorious for sticking. Using a baking cooking spray that has flour in it is a great trick.
  • Let the cake cool in it’s pan for just 15 minutes. When you take the cake out, you need to let it cool long enough so it sets (15 minutes) but not completely or it won’t come out of the pan.
a piece of red velvet bundt cake on it's side with a fork sticking out

Other Red Velvet Recipes

a red velvet bundt cake on a cake stand
5 from 12 votes

Red Velvet Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Serves: 10 pieces
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
This Red Velvet Bundt Cake with cream cheese frosting is moist, rich, and packed with them most amazing flavor. This is a red velvet lover's dream cake.

Ingredients

For Red Velvet Bundt Cake

  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 yolks room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon red food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons buttermilk room temperature

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a bundt pan very generously with butter or a non stick baking spray that contains flour.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
  • Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Make sure that you scrape the bowl down so all of the butter gets well combined with the sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add the yolks one at a time. Beat in the sour cream, scrape down the sides, then beat in the buttermilk. Then beat in the vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring one at a time.
  • Add in the flour mixture and turn the mixer on very low to just begin to combine. Then turn the mixer on high to finish. Beat until just combined, being careful to not overmix.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Be careful not to overbake.
  • Let it cool in it's pan for 15 minutes. Use a toothpick to loosen it gently from the sides. Gently flip it onto a cooling rack and let it cool there completely.
  • While the cake is cooling, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and buttermilk. Once the cake has cooled, spoon the frosting over it. You may not use all of the frosting.
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
a red velvet bundt cake on a cake stand

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Red Velvet Sour Cream Bundt Cake

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. Melissa says

    Thank you for all the helpful tips! I never feel like cake mixes come out well. We NEVER used them growing up (except for Angel Food Cake) but my husband buys them now, and I am always disappointed. I am a totally from-scratch girl. when it comes to cakes! Still I have trouble finding cake recipes that actually turn out to my liking. These tips will surely help! Plus, adding sour cream ALWAYS makes things better!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Thank you Melissa!

    • Martha Maggitt says

      Can you omit the buttermilk when making the frosting

      • Lisa Longley says

        You would need to replace it with regular milk

  2. Glory/ Glorious Treats says

    Totally gorgeous! I want a big slice of this so badly!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Thank you Glory!

  3. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says

    Lisa!!! This is the prettiest cake EVER. I’m in love.

    • Lisa Longley says

      Thank you Dorothy!

  4. Rachel says

    OMG, this cake looks amazing!!! I appreciate all of your tips…I’ve learned quite a few things about what I’ve done wrong with baking from you!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Awww, thank you Rachel! I just love you.

  5. Lauren Kelly Nutrition says

    Red Velvet is my absolute favorite! I bet the sour cream makes it so moist, I am pinning this for Valentine’s day!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Thank you Lauren!

  6. Rachel Cooks says

    This looks absolutely perfect!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Thank you Rachel!

  7. fabiola@notjustbaked says

    Wow, that cake crumb texture is perfection! I am so making this asap. I love using beets for the coloring of red velvet, and have not used sour cream though, so I’ll try it!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Thank you so much!

  8. Nicole says

    Ooooh, this cake does look absolutely perfect! Will you be my Valentine?…and make this cake for me :P

    • Lisa Longley says

      Absolutely! Thanks Nicole!

  9. Linda says

    I only have salted butter, will it make a big difference?

    • Lisa Longley says

      I can’t say for sure how big of a difference it will make, Linda. The affect will be on the taste. By using unsalted butter you can control how much of a salt taste the cake has by adding salt.

  10. Michael Tomney says

    I just made this cake, Taking it to the Bishop Storehouse tomorrow for the LDS Mixssionatys. I was a about 2 Tablespoons shy of sour cream so I used 2 Tablespoons of Ricotta cheese. I also used salted butter but cut back a little on the salt. Thanks for the receipe I like to take something each Tuesday to the storehouse were I serve as a LDS Missionary, never a drop left. I will print off this receipe to take with me. From a 67 year old legally blind man who loves to bake.

    • Lisa Longley says

      Michael, this comment made my day. I hope everyone liked the cake!

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