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Red Velvet Bundt Cake with a Cream Cheese Ribbon

Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling viii You know, I didn’t think that I was in the mood for Valentine’s Day but, I guess I am!!  I mean, it is such a pretty and fun holiday that is really  all about…….sweets!!!    And one of my favorite sweets is ANYTHING red velvet!  And naturally, red velvet is MADE for Valentine’s Day!!

Did you know that red cakes have been around for a long time??  Even before red food coloring was common?  Apparently, early red cakes were colored by the chemical reaction that occurs when vinegar interacts with cocoa powder.  Of course, the resulting red color was not as vibrant as we are now able to achieve with red food coloring, but that is really why you still find cocoa in a red velvet cake.  It is more for coloring purposes than actual chocolate flavor.  In fact, I would not really call a red velvet cake a chocolate cake at all.  It is a sweet tangy cake with a vanilla flavor and a hint of chocolate.  But enough of the history lesson (though being a history teacher, I can’t help it! )  Let’s get to this cake!!

Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling v Now being a lover of red velvet cake I have to tell you that this is truly the BEST red velvet cake I have ever made!!  It’s not really that surprising because I used the Cook’s Illustrated version for the cake base of this bundt cake.  Because I always feel that if you want to do something right, just go to Cook’s  (or the TV counterpart, America’s Test Kitchen)  These people know what they are doing!!  So I took their cake version of red velvet, ran a thin ribbon of cheesecake through it, put it in a bundt pan and poured a cream cheese icing over the top.

Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling vii I have to tell you, that this is seriously one of the best cakes I have ever made.  While I was shooting the photos, I literally stopped in the middle of the shoot and scarfed down the slice that I was photographing.

And when I say “scarfed” down, I mean I inhaled it!!  People, I didn’t breathe until I finished the whole piece!  It was that amazing.  It was everything I love about a good red velvet cake.  Moist, dense, buttery, tangy, sweet with hints of vanilla and chocolate.

Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling c  My kids agreed.  Before they even finished their first slice they were begging me to make this again.   And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you can be sure that I will!

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Red Velvet Bundt Cake with a Cream Cheese Ribbon

Ingredients

    For the cream cheese ribbon
  • 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese -softened
  • 1/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 t. vanilla
    • For the cake
  • 2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 t baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 c. buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 TBLS distilled white vinegar
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 2 TBLS unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 oz. bottle of red food coloring
  • 12 TBLS unsalted butter -softened
  • 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
    • For the icing
  • 4 oz. cream cheese -softened
  • 4 TBLS butter -softened
  • 2 c. powdered sugar
  • 1/2 t. vanilla
  • 2-3 TBLS milk (until you reach a pourable consistency)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
    2. Make cream cheese ribbon
  2. In a small mixing bowl, place all ingredients and beat until well incorporated. Place aside.
    3. Make the cake
  3. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray.
  4. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Place aside.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vinegar and vanilla. Place aside.
  6. In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder with red food coloring and place aside.
  7. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternatively together, mixing thoroughly after each addition until well blended. 2-3 incorporations apiece. Add cocoa mixture and blend thoroughly.
  8. Assemble cake by pouring half the cake batter into the prepared pan. Using a large spoon or spatula, drop cream cheese mixture carefully around the center of the bundt pan, trying to keep it away from the sides. Pour the remaining cake batter over the top.
  9. Bake for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until the cake is no longer jiggly when moved and the top is beginning to brown and if a toothpick is inserted, the crumbs sticking should be "cake like" and not 'batter like".
  10. Remove to a cooling rack till cool. Then invert onto a serving tray or plate.
    11. Make the Icing
  11. 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 till smooth. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, blending after each addition. Add the vanilla and 2 TBLS of milk (I used 1%) If needed, add 1 more TBLS milk. (The icing needs to be pourable)
  12. Pour over the cooled cake and garnish with sprinkles or decorations as desired.
https://two-in-the-kitchen.com/red-velvet-bundt-cake-with-a-cream-cheese-ribbon/

Recipe Source:  Two in the Kitchen

Cake portion source:  Cook’s Illustrated

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    • Oh, thank you so much Jess! I love Bundt Cakes too! They are so much easier to assemble than layered cakes….and taste just as good! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Red velvet cake is my favorite and this bundt looks awesome!! And that thick cream cheese glaze and the ribbon – gah amazing. I wish I had a slice right now!

    Reply

  9. Okay, three things. (1) I did not know that red cakes had been around forever. (2) the thin ribbon of cheesecake was probably the most brilliant idea in the world, ever! and (3) I totally would’ve scarfed down a slice (or 7) with you. So, note to self – invite me over next time will you?

    Looks FABULOUS! Pinned!!!

    Reply

    • Kristi, I swear we are going to get together one day and well be sitting around in the kitchen laughing our heads off, eating great food and having a good ole’ time!! …and we’ll probably fight it out over the last piece of red velvet cake! Lol!!

      Thank you so much for your kind words and just always lightening my mood!! 🙂

      Reply

  14. You are just hilarious… I do the same when I am taking the photos of food. And, especially when it’s as gorgeous as this! I just want to grab a spoon and eat some icing. Love red velvet, and bundt cakes! Pinning. (=

    Reply

    • I’m telling you Gloria, I have NO will power! And Red Velvet is my faaaavorite. Especially with cream cheese frosting. Thanks so much for your sweet compliments and the pin.

      Reply

      • Cream cheese icing is my one thing that is hard to resist! Your pics are always so gorgeous. I’m so happy you shared this recipe with all of us over at the SSS party… so I’m featuring your beautiful cake in the morning! Hope you are enjoying your evening! (=

        Reply

  16. I’m a huge lover of red velvet, Renee, and I’ve had red velvet recipes swirling around my head the past few weeks for Valentine’s Day. This cake is gorgeous and I want to dive in and grab myself a slice! I’m pinning…I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  17. It Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it! Just a question thought – on the list of ingridients for the cream cheese ribbon you list cream cheese twice in different quantities. What is the difference in the cream cheese you use?

    Thanks again!
    Sofia

    Reply

    • Oh Sofia, thank you so much for catching that error!! I fixed it now but the second “cream cheese” measurement should say (and now does) 1/4 c. granulated sugar. So there is 8 oz. of cream cheese in the ribbon! I am SO glad you caught that! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂

      Reply

    • This is a great question and unfortunately one I don’t really have a great answer for since I have not done it myself. Because this frosting is a cream cheese frosting, I looked up freezing techniques on the Cook’s Illustrated site because I trust them. Their experience with freezing cream cheese was not a good one as they say the water separates and causes a grainy texture. On other sites it says freezing frosting can be done and certainly there are frozen fully frosted cakes out there. My best answer is to say that if I was going to try it myself, I would make the frosting, put it in a ziploc bag. Put it in the freezer for a few days, take it out, let it thaw and see how you like the taste and texture. That should give you a pretty solid answer as the cake itself should hold up well. Hope this helped. 🙂

      Reply

  25. I made this last night and it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo delicious!! everyone loved it! I also found the same sprinkles too!!! so pretty and tasty!!

    Reply

    • Joyce, that Red Velvet Bundt is seriously one of my favorite things I’ve made in the past several months!! Let me know how it turns out for you!! 🙂

      Reply

  27. I would love to have feedback if you have actually made this cake. Yes, I love the pictures and it sounds amazing but I would like to know what you thought about how it tastes. I am actually looking at it for our office Christmas Party this weekend.

    Reply

    • Hi Laurie. Yes I did actually make the cake and as I indicated in the post: I literally inhaled the first piece. It is absolutely delicious!! I had a hard time stopping myself from eating the whole thing!! 🙂

      Reply

  29. Making this now for my son’s birthday as he requested a red velvet cake and it’s in the oven as I type!!.. Not sure If I did something wrong, but no matter how much I tried or how carefully I put it in the center, the cream cheese ribbon was thin enough that it spread out and touched the pan everywhere… Any suggestions?? Thanks!

    Reply

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