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
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.
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.
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.
Other Red Velvet Recipes
I truly love these Red Velvet Cookies. They are just like having a sugar cookie and red velvet cake combined.If you love those cookies you will adore these Red Velvet Sugar Cookie Bars.Finally, if you want something a little off the beaten path, make this Red Velvet Buttercream Frosting.
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