Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet Bundt Cake Recipe
A gift box from Nothing Bundt Cakes adds up fast, especially when your family wants more than one slice. This copycat Red Velvet Bundt Cake has the same dense, deep red crumb and thick cream cheese frosting piped into the center hole. Dutch-process cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips give it a noticeably deeper chocolate flavor than most red velvet cakes, while sour cream and melted butter keep it moist. Bake it for a birthday or holiday table and skip the trip to the bakery entirely.
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This copycat Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet Cake starts with a doctored white cake mix, so it comes together more easily than a fully scratch-made bundt cake while still tasting like it came from the bakery counter. The deep red crumb gets its color from liquid food coloring and its flavor from Dutch-process cocoa powder, which is smoother and less bitter than natural cocoa.
Instead of a glaze, this recipe uses a thick cream cheese frosting piped in vertical lines down the sides of the cake and into the center hole, the same way Nothing Bundt Cakes finishes its own cakes. The result is a dense, moist cake with a tangy, sweet topping in every bite.
What makes the Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet taste so good?
While the bakery’s name may be a pun, the baked goods at Nothing Bundt Cakes are no joke. If you have never tried the Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet variety, you may be surprised by just how chocolatey it tastes.
The slightly bitter Dutch-process cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips gave this copycat Red Velvet Bundt Cake a noticeably richer flavor than more traditional Red Velvet cakes. Adding sour cream and melted butter to the batter ensures the cake has a dense, moist crumb, and the thick cream cheese frosting adds a sweet and tangy element.
Serve your family this copycat Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet recipe, and they’ll think you spent a fortune on a decadent gourmet bakery dessert.
How this copycat recipe is unique
There are many copycat recipes online for Nothing Bundt Cakes; in this recipe, most miss that it is made with white cake mix and contains sour cream. The white cake mix helps give this the brighter color. The sour cream adds richness and moistness to the cake.
Ingredients and their roles in this recipe
For this Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet recipe, you’ll need:
- White cake mix – provides a simple base for the Red Velvet Cake.
- Unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder – gives the cake a subtle, smooth chocolate flavor with less bitterness than traditional cocoa powder.
- Eggs – bind the ingredients and give the cake richness and structure.
- Full-fat sour cream – adds a mild tang and helps keep the cake moist and tender.
- Mini chocolate chips – boost the chocolate flavor of this Red Velvet Bundt Cake recipe.
- Unsalted butter, melted and cooled – offers additional richness.
- Water – hydrates the cocoa powder and the cake mix.
- Liquid red food coloring – gives the cake its traditional vivid color.
- Vanilla extract – pairs well with chocolate, rounding out any harshness from the cocoa powder.
For the cream cheese frosting, you’ll need
- Full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature – acts as the base of the frosting. Gives it a creamy tang.
- Unsalted butter, room temperature – adds richness, slightly thins the cream cheese, and gives it more of the traditional bakery flavor.
- Powdered sugar, sifted – sweetens and thickens the frosting. Sifting ensures there are no lumps, and it dissolves well.
- Vanilla extract – gives the frosting the classic vanilla flavor.
- Kosher salt – enhances the taste of all the other ingredients.
How to make the copycat version
To prep for this Red Velvet Bundt Cake recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 10 – 12 -cup bundt cake pan and dust with flour. Reserve for later.
To mix the batter for the cake:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the white cake mix and Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, melted unsalted butter, water, red food coloring, and vanilla extract.
- Set the mixer to medium speed and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the stand mixer bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix for a minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another minute until the cake batter is thick, glossy, and deep red.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the mini chocolate chips with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased and floured bundt pan. Lightly tap the bundt cake pan on the counter to break up any air pockets and fully distribute the batter.
To bake the cake:
- Put the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, and then test if it is done by sticking a skewer into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it is still wet, cook for a minute or two more and retest. Do not overbake the cake.
- Remove the bundt pan and place it top-side down on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, invert the cake on the wire rack, and it should slide out.
- Cool until the cake is room temperature.
- Wrap the cake in plastic and chill for at least four hours, up to overnight in the fridge.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
- In a clean stand mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and room-temperature unsalted butter on medium-high until smooth. The color should lighten in about two minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and sprinkle a cup of powdered sugar into the bowl at a time. When all the powdered sugar is added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for two more minutes until the frosting is white and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and kosher salt. Beat for 15 more seconds.
To finish the Red Velvet Bundt Cake recipe:
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a large round tip.
- Starting 1 inch from the bottom of the cake, dispense a line of frosting from the bottom to the top. Repeat, moving around the cake.
- Pipe any remaining frosting into the center hole.
- Store the covered cake in the fridge.
What to serve this with
This Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet recipe pairs perfectly with your favorite beverage or refreshing fruit. Try pairing a slice of cake with one or more recipes below.
Jason’s Deli Fruit Dip – This slightly sweetened sour cream-based dip with a touch of orange extract has enough tang to cut through the richness of a Red Velvet Cake. Serve over cut pieces of your favorite fruit for a refreshing side.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee – Skip the hot coffee when it’s warm out and go with this Iced Vietnamese Coffee instead. The strong New Orleans-style coffee is tempered with sweetened condensed milk for extra creaminess.
Spiced Pecans – These glazed pecans with a generous coating of warm baking spices add a crunchy nutty contrast to the tender cake, while the spices pair amazingly well with the cream cheese frosting
Storing instructions
- Refrigerator Storage: Store the covered cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Slice while cold, then let pieces sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving for the best texture.
- Reheating Method: This cake is served chilled or at room temperature, so reheating is not necessary. If you prefer a slightly softened frosting, let a slice sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Freezer Storage: Wrap individual slices loosely in foil and place them in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Related recipes
- Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake – Another red velvet cake, made from scratch, for comparing bakery style to classic Southern style.
- Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake – A bundt cake built on the same rich chocolate base with a holiday peppermint twist.
- Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze – A bundt cake for serious chocolate lovers, finished with a glaze instead of cream cheese frosting.
- Red Velvet Brownies – The same red velvet and cocoa flavor combination in an easier, no-pan-flipping bar format.
Check out more of my easy cake recipes to make for any occasion.
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Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box (15.25-ounce) white cake mix
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- ½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10–12 cup Bundt pan very generously — every ridge — with softened butter, then dust with flour (or use Baker’s Joy spray). This step is not optional; a dense, moist cake will stick to any under-greased surface.
- In a large bowl, whisk the white cake mix and cocoa powder together until fully combined and no cocoa clumps remain.
- Add eggs, sour cream, melted butter, water, red food coloring, and vanilla to the dry mixture. Beat on medium speed with a hand or stand mixer for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway through. The batter will be thick, glossy, and deeply red.
- Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Tap the pan firmly on the counter three times to release air pockets.
- Bake 35–40 minutes, until a thin skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few moist crumbs — not wet batter, not bone-dry. Start checking at 35 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for exactly 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack. Cool completely to room temperature. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill the cake for at least 4 hours; it is better to do this overnight. The cold crumb accepts piped frosting without the stripes sliding, and the texture firms to the characteristic dense-yet-moist eating quality.
- Make the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high until completely smooth and light, 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time on low speed, then increase to medium-high and beat for 2 more minutes until fluffy and bright white. Add vanilla and salt; beat briefly to combine.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (Wilton 1A or similar). Starting about 1 inch from the base of the cold cake, hold the tip slightly away from the surface — do not press it flat — and pipe thick vertical stripes straight up the side of the cake. Repeat stripes all the way around, close together. Pipe any remaining frosting into the center hole of the cake.
- Refrigerate until serving. NBC-style bundt cakes are eaten cold or at cool room temperature, not warm.
Notes
- Room temperature eggs and dairy blend more evenly into the batter, so pull them out about 30 minutes before you start.
- Measure the cocoa powder by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off. Scooping directly from the container packs in too much and can dry out the crumb.
- Chilling the cake before frosting isn’t optional here. It firms up the crumb enough to hold the piped frosting lines cleanly.
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