The iconic crimson of red velvet bundt cake wrapped in a luscious cream cheese frosting makes this a must-have dessert for a celebration — especially Valentine’s Day!
Instead of serving the usual flat, round red-velvet layered cake, how about transforming it into a show-stopping high-rise bundt cake stuffed with a cheesecake filling and drizzled with a sweet cream cheese glaze?
If your only red-velvet cake-baking experience has come from a boxed mix, take heart: This easy made-from-scratch recipe will have you feeling like a cake pro. The batter is a simple combination of typical cake ingredients, plus buttermilk, vinegar and red coloring. There’s nothing challenging about adding ingredients to a mixer bowl and mixing them up.
Once you’ve made the simple cheesecake filling, pour about one-fourth of the red-velvet cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Carefully spoon the cheesecake filling onto the batter, keeping the cheesecake filling centered in the batter. Cover with the remaining batter and slide the pan into the oven. An hour later, you’ll have a gorgeous red-hued cake with a cheesecake surprise inside.
When your mouthwatering masterpiece cake has cooled, generously drizzle with the cream cheese glaze and serve. Every heavenly scarlet slice showcases a luscious cheesecake center enrobed in a tender red-velvet cake. Yum!
The secret ingredient that gives this red-velvet cake a taste above all others is a splash of chocolate raspberry balsamic vinegar. It sneaks in an extra hint of chocolatey, fruity tartness. You can find specialty vinegars at gourmet food stores or olive oil and vinegar shops. (Don’t worry if you can’t find this particular vinegar. Simply substitute any vinegar you have on hand — either way, the result is an incredibly wonderful dessert.)
Why vinegar in a cake? Red-velvet cake is made with baking soda, a leavener that needs to be activated by an acid. Vinegar is acidic and reacts with the baking soda to produce rise and a light texture.
Red velvet bundt cake with cream cheese center
Yield 16 servings
Ingredients
Cake batter:
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups canola oil
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1-1/2 teaspoons red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon chocolate raspberry balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream cheese filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cream cheese glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Make cake batter: In large bowl, sift together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer, add eggs and whisk on high with whisk attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add oil, buttermilk, red food coloring, balsamic vinegar and vanilla. Continue mixing on medium until well blended.
- Add dry ingredients made in Step 2 of cake batter.
- Make cream cheese batter: In bowl of stand mixer, mix cream cheese with sugar using paddle attachment until well combined.
- Add egg, vanilla extract and flour; continue to mix until well combined. Set cream cheese batter aside.
- Assemble cake: Spray bundt pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Flour inside of bundt pan, tap gently, and pour out and discard excess flour.
- Pour red velvet cake batter into bundt pan about 1/4th of the way up. Set remainder of red velvet cake batter aside.
- Spoon cream cheese filling evenly around batter, keeping filling centered.
- Pour remainder of red velvet cake batter on top of cream cheese filling.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick stuck in cake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven, and allow to cool for about 20 minutes.
- Turn bundt cake onto metal cooling rack. Allow cake to completely cool before proceeding to next step.
- Make cream cheese glaze: Using mixer, mix cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and vanilla together until well blended.
- Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until glaze reaches slightly runny texture.
- Drizzle glaze over top of cake.
- Serve.
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