This Red Velvet Bundt Cake has a cream cheese glaze and is completely homemade. It’s incredibly moist, and it’s the perfect cake for the holidays, Valentine’s Day, and year-round.

This cake makes twelve servings for just $0.77 per serving. The entire recipe costs about $9.22 to make. 

Red Velvet desserts are perfect for the holidays or any other occasion throughout the year. For more red velvet inspiration, check out my Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes, my Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake Copycat, these Red Velvet Cookies, and these Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

A slice being taken out of the red velvet pound cake.

Red Velvet Pound Cake

This cake combines two of my favorite types of cake: red velvet and pound cake. The two combine to create a perfectly light and tender crumb with that tangy, mild chocolate flavor that we all love. 

The deep red color makes this the perfect cake for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July. The flavor and minimal effort required to make the cake makes this the perfect cake for any other celebration or day of the week really.

Spoon on the glaze and watch it cascade down the sides of the cake, and sprinkle it with chopped pecans or festive sprinkles. It truly is a beautiful and festive cake you can serve for any occasion.  

You will love how rich and moist the cake is. A dense and dry cake is the worst!

This cake is delicate with a slight chocolate flavor that is not too sweet. Everything about it is just perfect, and I am so excited to share it with you!

The finished Red Velvet Pound Cake on a serving platter surrounded by red and pink hearts.

Ingredients and Cost

Per Serving Cost: $0.77

Recipe Cost: $9.22

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour – $0.50
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder – $0.50
  • ½ teaspoon salt – $0.01
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda – $0.01
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter – $2.40
  • 3 cups granulated sugar – $0.58
  • 5 large eggs – $0.50
  • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar – $0.01
  • 4 ounces cream cheese – $0.98
  • 3 cups powdered sugar – $0.58
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – $0.31
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract – $0.08
  • 1 cup buttermilk – $0.58
  • 3 Tablespoons milk or cream – $0.03
  • 1 ounce bottle liquid red food coloring – $1.75
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans – $0.40

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.

All of the ingredients needed to make this Red Velvet Bundt Cake.

Instructions

  1. First, preheat the oven. Then spray a bundt pan with baking spray and coat lightly with baking cocoa or flour. 
  2. Next, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. 
  3. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. 
  4. Add the eggs one at a time. 
  5. Beat in the vinegar and vanilla extract. 
  6. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. 
  7. Beat until combined. 
  8. Stir in the food coloring and then spoon the batter into the bundt pan. Bake for 70-75 minutes. 
  9. Place on a wire rack to cool for about ten minutes. Then flip the cake over and let it cool completely before removing from the pan. 
  10. Meanwhile, make the glaze by beating the cream cheese, and then adding in the rest of the ingredients. Heat the glaze on the stovetop on low heat or in the microwave until it is pourable. 
  11. Finally, spoon the glaze over the cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans before slicing to serve.

***For complete instructions, see the recipe card below.

A picture collage showing how to make this recipe.

Recipe Variations

  • Instead of chopped pecans on top of the cake, you can use festive sprinkles, white or chocolate curls, or simply nothing at all.
  • If you don’t have butter milk, then you can make some! Check out my Buttermilk Substitute recipe.

Storage Tips

SERVE: Allow the cake to cool completely before spooning on the glaze. 

STORE: Store the cake in an airtight container for up to five days. 

FREEZE: You can freeze this cake after baking and cooling it. Cover it tightly with two layers of plastic wrap and foil and store in the freezer for up to two months.

Cook’s Tools

  • Bundt pan
  • Wire rack
  • Mixing bowls
  • Handheld mixer
  • Wooden mixing spoon
  • Whisk
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Liquid measuring cup
The finished Red Velvet Pound Cake on a white platter.

Recipe FAQs

Is red velvet cake just vanilla cake with food coloring?

Red Velvet Bundt cake gets its distinct flavor from the combination of buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa powder. These flavors combine to make a red color typically enhanced by red food coloring and a cake that tastes like a mixture of chocolate and vanilla cake.

Why are bundt cakes so moist?

A bundt pan is a unique design for a cake pan. Because of this, the cake cooks differently than a rectangular pan. As a result, more of the cake’s surface is exposed to the oven’s high temperature than a rectangular pan. Therefore, using wet ingredients, like buttermilk, helps produce a moist cake baked in the well-known donut-shaped baking pan.

Why does my red velvet cake taste bitter?

Double-check your ingredient measurements before pouring them into the bowl. If you use too much baking soda, vinegar, or buttermilk, you can easily end up with a bitter-tasting cake.

More Cakes

A slice being taken out of the pound cake.
4.89 from 9 votes

Red Velvet Bundt Cake

Recipe Cost $ $9.22
Serving Cost $ $0.77
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
12 people
This Red Velvet Bundt Cake has a cream cheese glaze and is completely homemade. It's incredibly moist, and it’s the perfect cake for the holidays, Valentine’s Day, and year-round.

Equipment

  • Bundt pan
  • wire rack
  • mixing bowls
  • handheld mixer
  • wooden mixing spoon
  • whisk
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • liquid measuring cup

Ingredients
 
 

RED VELVET BUNDT CAKE:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 ounce bottle liquid red food coloring

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:

  • 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar * depending on how much glaze you want
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract **see notes
  • 1 teaspoon milk or cream

TOPPING:

  • 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans

Instructions

MAKE RED VELVET BUNDT CAKE:

  • Move oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Spray a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and coat lightly with baking cocoa or flour.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
  • Add vinegar and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
  • Gradually add the flour mixture alternating with buttermilk and beating just until combined after each addition.
  • Stir in food coloring.
  • Spoon batter into prepared bundt pan.
  • Bake for 70-75 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack about 10 minutes.
  • Flip cake over and let cool completely before removing from pan, about 1 ½-2 hours.

MAKE THE GLAZE:

  • Add cream cheese to a medium bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
  • Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Beat until smooth.
  • Heat the glaze in on the stovetop on low heat or in the microwave until it has a pourable consistency.

TO FINISH:

  • Spoon the glaze over the cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
  • Slice and serve.

Notes

If you want a lighter glaze coating, use 2 cups of powdered sugar. If you want it thicker, use 3 cups.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 648kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 71g | Vitamin A: 846IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

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A slice of Red Velvet Bundt Cake on a white plate with a drizzle of cream cheese glaze.

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Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. Jessica Formicola says:

    I’m a sucker for anything red velvet, but this cake was especially delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

  2. Your cake looks so moist and delicious. I’ve had trouble with bundt cakes in the past coming out dry so I am definitely going to try your recipe!

  3. This is really impressive! Such an amazing cake for any occasion!

  4. This cake is so perfect for Christmas, and I can’t wait to make it again for Valentine’s Day too! So moist and flavorful.

  5. Sara Bowness says:

    Loved this red velvet cake! Incredibly moist and not expensive to make, definitely going to make this again for Christmas!

  6. Margo Kirby says:

    Haven’t made the recipe but was getting ready to make it tomorrow.
    I noticed in the recipe for the Cream Cheese glaze there was no mention of of how much cream cheese to use. Even in the directions it does not mention cream. Cheese.
    Was it accidently omitted?

    1. Margo, my apologies. I just updated the recipe and it’s good to go now. Somehow I missed the cream cheese when I typed out the recipe from my notes.

  7. D. Parker says:

    This was a great recipe. I made the cake Saturday for a Women’s Lunch. But I do believe I need to fold in egg whites at the end to help with moisture. Overall, i will make this again. ,