This Red Velvet Pound Cake is moist, dense and super tender! It tastes subtly chocolatey and decadently rich. The cream cheese glaze locks in the moisture and adds a delightful tangy sweetness!
The perfect pound cake recipe but make it red velvet. Challenge accepted!
You know I love a good baking challenge and apparently I am still on a bundt cake kick.
I blame the bundt pan binge purchase of 2021 for this continued obsession. I am obsessed with the way they look; the sexy powdered sugar dusting and glaze drizzle; and the challenge of developing a perfectly tender cake in all the flavors that unmolds beautifully.
Brace yourselves for the Year of the Bundt! And the ubiquitous trifle that follows!
But, like, we came here for the nerdy deets, Lindsey.
I see you! ?
What makes this the Perfect Red Velvet Pound Cake?:
- Sour Cream: The extra fat and the low liquid content help add flavor, lock in moisture, lower gluten and add to that dense, moist texture. It hydrates the flour but the fat shortens the gluten strands. This keeps it moist and tender. It adds to the tight crumb structure.
- Hello Butter ?: The butter to sugar ratio is key here. I have found that a 1:1 ratio actually produces a lighter cake than more sugar to butter. There is a serious amount of sugar in this recipe. That is intentional. It adds to the flavor but also helps keep a tight crumb that still melts in your mouth. The sugar also highlights the cocoa flavor and balances it. No one came for a bitter cake.
- Creamed Just Right: Technically this is the creaming method; however, you want to beat the butter and sugar just until the point when they form a paste. If you keep beating, then you will begin to trap air between the sugar and fat molecules. This is how cakes and other baked goods get that light, airy texture without a ton of leavening. That’s not our goal. Turn off that mixer. Don’t be overzealous; you’re good.
- What Leavening?: ¼ teaspoon of baking soda? Is that a joke? Nope. I never joke about pastries. I know it might seem odd but just a tiny bit of baking soda will immediately react with the acid in the sour cream and cocoa powder and will add just enough leavening to your pound cake. You guessed it! That adds to the tight crumb and dense texture that still melts in your mouth. Nothing by accident, my friends.
- Liquids: As in, just enough but not too much. This is a silky, thick batter. You will gaze at it in wonder—so luscious, so smooth. Don’t omit the red food dye and vanilla. They are the only liquids in this cake. You could replace the food dye with water if you’d like. Or maybe beet juice. {Did I actually just say that? Who am I even today!?} LMK how it goes with my least favorite flavor.
- Flour that Pan, Peeps: Do not underestimate the power of a well-greased and floured pan. It is especially key with a detailed bundt pan like the one I used. No cake left behind! I actually added my flour back to the pan and then tapped it around a second time to get every millimeter of the surface. Then tap that out. No weird patches of flour on the outside of your cake. For shame. Plus it is soooo satisfying.
- Let her cool: It’s the hardest part of the whole process, but it’s so important. I am the queen of impatience but I also know that a bundt cake turned out too soon will end in disaster. I tried something new here and turned it out after 20 minutes because I read that butter and floured pans should be cooled completely, but nonstick spray and floured pans should be still warm. The internet did not disappoint here! This is my new move. You still have to let it cool completely on a baking rack. Sorry. Cake that is cut when it is still too warm will turn into a gloppy, dense cake situation. Trust me here. The crumb hasn’t set and it will be compressed by the cutting process. This is the bad kind of dense. ?
Can I just say that, while pound cake is simple at a glance, it is a delicate balance of ingredients? I highly suggest weighing your ingredients. Eggs vary in sizes and a cup of flour can vary by 50 grams. If you do measure by volume, fluff your flour in the bag then spoon it into the cup, mounding it on the top. Use a knife to slice off the excess but don’t tap or compress it. Ok? Just remember too much flour = dry, flavorless cake. That’s it for today’s soapbox.
Red Velvet Pound Cake
This Red Velvet Pound Cake is moist, dense and super tender! It tastes subtly chocolatey and decadently rich. The cream cheese glaze locks in the moisture and adds a delightful tangy sweetness!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 339 g Butter
- 520 g Sugar
- 170 g Light brown sugar
- 300 g Eggs
- 315 g All Purpose Flour
- 50 g Cocoa powder (⅓ cup + 4 t)
- 1 t Kosher Salt
- ¼ t Baking soda
- 225 g Sour Cream
- 2 t Vanilla extract
- 2 T Red Food Dye
Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 400 g Confectioner’s Sugar
- 100 g Milk (⅓ cup + 2 ½ t)
- 128 g Cream Cheese (room temperature )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F convection.
- Prep your Pan: I sprayed my pan with cooking spray and then floured it. Tap the flour around until every inch is covered. Tap out the extra flour onto a piece of parchment on the counter. You should be left with a perfectly floured pan.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar just until a thick paste forms. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after every two eggs or so.
- Switch the mixer to low and then alternately add the flour and sour cream. I don’t wait until all the flour has incorporated until I add the next batch. I just keep adding with two hands. Pro-style. I do stop the mixer to add the last of the sour cream because I like to scrape it all out with a rubber spatula.
- Once you have added your last bit of flour, add the red food dye and vanilla. Add it slowly because it is A LOT of food dye and you don’t want to dye everything red. Turn the mixer up to quickly incorporate. You should have a silky, smooth batter.
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake in preheated oven until a cake tester comes out with a few clinging crumbs. This will take about 60-85 minutes depending on your oven. Mine baked for 70 minutes. If you overbake it will be dry. Even that much butter, sugar and sour cream can’t over compensate for overbaking. Just sayin’.
- Let her COOL 20 minutes and then loosen the edges with a paring knife and then turn it out onto a rack. Allow to cool completely.
- I chose to level it with a serrated knife just a smidge for the photos. Don’t worry, the cake scraps did not go to waste!
- Dust with powdered sugar, drowned in glaze or just slice it right up!
- To make the cream cheese glaze: whisk cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar and milk together. Pour over the top.
Video Instructions
Notes
Yield: 1, 10-12 cup bundt cake
Tried this recipe?Mention @cheflindseyfarr
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