This red velvet bundt cake is incredibly moist with the perfect red velvet flavor. It’s topped with cream cheese icing, and looks stunning with its beautiful red color. The recipe is so much much simpler than making a layer cake and you can never go wrong with red velvet!

**This post was updated February 6, 2025 with new photos, step-by-step tips, and a slightly updated recipe for an even more moist cake**

If you’re looking for a red velvet cake that’s moist and tender, doesn’t require that much effort, and looks stunning – then this red velvet bundt cake is the perfect option. I love the deep red color and slight tanginess of this recipe, and it looks beautiful without requiring all the work of a layer cake. 

What Exactly Makes a Red Velvet Cake?

There are a few key characteristics of any red velvet recipe:

1. A mild chocolate flavor. Red velvet cakes need a touch of cocoa powder to deliver the delicate hint of chocolate. The flavor is actually somewhere in between vanilla and chocolate.
2. A slight tanginess to the batter. Red velvet is typically made with both buttermilk and vinegar. Both of these being acid, add a slight tanginess to the flavor. If there’s something about red velvet that you can never quite put your finger on – it’s typically this tanginess.
3. An incredibly moist, almost “velvety” cake crumb. Baking soda reacts with the buttermilk and vinegar to not only help the cake rise, but also produce the incredibly tender cake crumb.
4. A deep red color. The exact shade will depend on the type and amount of red food coloring used. I like to use gel for a more vibrant shade.

This red velvet bundt cake easily meets all of those requirements.

The Perfect Red Velvet Bundt Cake Recipe – Step-by-Step

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350F (180C or 170C on a fan forced oven). Note that for this recipe, I only prepare the pan right before adding the batter to it and placing in the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Then give the ingredients a whisk so they’re evenly mixed.
   • Sifting the cake flour and cocoa is necessary as both can be very lumpy.
   • Cake flour gives the cake a more delicate crumb compared to all-purpose flour.
3. Then in a separate large bowl you’ll beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

4. Mix the oil, red food coloring, vanilla and vinegar into the butter mixture.
   • This cake uses a combination of butter and oil. The butter adds more flavor and beating together the butter and sugar aerates the cake to give it a better texture. Using oil keeps the cake moist for longer.
5. Then mix the eggs into the batter one at a time.
   • Note that the cake will look quite neon at this point, but the color will soften and deepen once the dry ingredients are added to the batter.

6. From there, you’ll mix the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the batter, alternating between additions. First, stir about 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then stir/whisk about 1/2 of the buttermilk into the butter mixture. Mix another 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the red batter, followed by the rest of the buttermilk. Lastly, stir/whisk the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the batter.
   • When mixing the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the batter, do this by hand. I always do a few stirs with a rubber spatula first, then whisk with a wire whisk until smooth.
   • DO NOT beat with an electric mixer. Using an electric mixer and this step can cause overmixing and lead to air tunnels and a tough cake crumb.

7. Prepare the bundt pan by brushing with pan release. There are both spray versions and versions that come in a bottle that you can purchase from baking stores, online or at some grocery stores.
   • You can also make your own homemade pan release using equal parts shortening (or butter), flour and vegetable oil (or canola oil).
   • I highly recommend pan release instead of greasing and flouring the pan because the cake will slide out far more easily AND it doesn’t leave an ugly flour film on the outside of your bundt cake.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Pop in the oven to bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

The cake will need to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before very gently inverting onto a cooling rack. Do not try to invert the pan immediately – otherwise the cake can get stuck and crack.

Cream Cheese Icing

This bundt cake is topped with a tangy cream cheese icing. It’s a thinner icing as opposed to a thick, creamy frosting and tastes delicious with the red velvet flavor.

Once the cake is cooled, you’ll whisk together (or use an electric mixer) softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and a little milk until it’s thin enough to drizzle but still opaque in color. Then pour/drizzle the icing over the cooled cake.

Baking Tips & Tricks

• Ensure your butter, eggs and buttermilk are room temperature before getting started – I always take mine out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking.
• If you don’t have cake flour, you can use a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch (aka cornflour) instead. Measure out 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, then remove 1/3 cup from the bowl. Add in 1/3 cup cornstarch. Sift the mixture together at least 3 times.
• If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon vinegar to 1 cup of whole or 2% milk. Let sit for 5 minutes for the milk to sour. You could also use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of vinegar. Note – this 1 teaspoon of vinegar is in addition to the vinegar called for in the recipe below.
• I do not recommend using an intricate bundt pan for this recipe, because it makes it much more challenging to remove the cake from the pan.
• Make sure to read this tutorial with all my favorite tips for making bundt cakes.

Or for more red velvet recipes, be sure to try:

• Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Red Velvet Cheesecake
• Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting