REMINDER!!! If you haven't already taken the cream cheese and butter out to soften for your glaze - do It now!*3
Preheat oven and melt butter: preheat your oven to 350°F, and place your baking rack one rung below the middle. Melt your butter and set it aside.
Prep your pan: grease and dust a 10-cup Bundt pan with cocoa powder by brushing the melted butter thoroughly throughout the inside of the pan, then knocking the cocoa powder around the pan over a sink or trashcan to fully cover the butter. Knock all excess cocoa out of the pan once coated.*4
Combine dry ingredients: in a large mixing bowl, whisk together to flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
Combine wet ingredients: in another small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring.
Combine the dries, wets, and melted butter: pour the wet ingredients and melted butter into the center of the dries. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds using a hand or stand mixer, then medium speed for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy.
Transfer and bake: transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly to all edges. Shake gently to level. Bake for 42-48 minutes until the cracked ring around the center of the cake is dry, feels fully set, and springs back when gently pressed. (Another good trick is to listen for a quiet little crackle and pop which is the air bubbles in your batter popping when the cake is finished baking.)
Cool fully in pan: cool cake for at least 30 minutes (or ideally until it's at room temp) while upright, then flip over onto a wire rack and un-pan to finish cooling completely. If the cake is sticking to the pan, gently use a small offset spatula or dinner knife to loosen the edges where possible, then knock the pan on the wire rack a couple of times until it releases onto the rack.
TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
Combine butter and cream cheese: place softened butter and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl. Mix together until smooth and fully combined by hand or with a hand mixer (a hand mixer will give you a smoother glaze here).
Mix in remaining ingredients: add in the powdered sugar and buttermilk, and blend until fully combined and smooth. The glaze should be fairly thick, but still just barely pourable. If you prefer a thinner glaze, add milk, a ½ teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency (and be careful - just a little extra milk can really thin out the glaze!)
Drip, slice and enjoy! Slowly pour and spread glaze in a ring around the top of the cake, in the center of the arch and allow it to slowly drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set for at least 15-20 minutes, then cut off a slice (and maybe one for a friend too!) and enjoy this rich and colorful treat!
Notes
*1Natural cocoa or blend, not dutch: for this cake, because we are using baking soda as our leavener, we need to use natural cocoa (which is acidic) to react with that baking soda fully (otherwise you can get a soapy taste in your cake.You can also use a blend of cocoas that includes natural cocoa as well, but avoid using all Dutch-process cocoa as it’s had its natural acidity removed.
*2Buttermilk or milk? The buttermilk in this recipe adds acidity to balance the flavor, and give the crumb a really nice, tender texture. It's also just a classic part of the "red velvet" flavor profile. That said, in a pinch, you can definitely use regular milk instead. If available, you can always combine a teaspoon of lemon juice with your cup of milk, then stir it together and let it sit for about 10 minutes before adding it to your batter for a homemade buttermilk option as well.
*3Forget to soften your cream cheese and/or butter? To quick soften both, place them each in their own ziplock bag (while still in their wrappers) and make sure to seal the bags really well. Fill a large pot or bowl with 2-3 quarts of hot (but not boiling) water from your kitchen tap.Submerge the sealed butter and cream cheese in the hot water, weighting them with a glass or bowl as needed to keep them submerged. Check back in about 20-30 minutes and they both should be softened and ready to go for the glaze!
*4Pan prep: make sure you take the time to grease and dust your pan well as it's the most important step in a Bundt recipe! I prefer to use melted butter, brushed on thoroughly to cover the whole inside of the pan, and then knock cocoa around in the pan to fully coat the butter. You can also use a paper towel dipped in the melted butter to coat your pan thoroughly as well if you don't have a pastry brush. Check out this recipe's full blog post for a detailed pan prep tutorial.
To make mini Bundts: depending on your particular style of mini bundt pan, this recipe will yield 12-18 mini bundts.You also may need to adjust your bake time for the minis, which will again depend on your particular pan’s shape/size.I’d recommend starting a timer for 25 minutes, and then checking every 5 minutes after that until your Bundts are done.You’ll still be looking for the center ring on top of the cake to be fully set and dry, springing back when gently pressed.
Storage and freezing: to keep this cake fresh, wrap a small piece of plastic wrap over the cut ends, then keep the whole bundt fully wrapped, air-tight for up to a week at room temperature. The moist and rich crumb doesn't fully return after thawing, so I wouldn't recommend freezing this cake before serving for the best results.
It’d mean so much to me if you could please give the recipe card a ⭐ rating on the site and leave a comment to help others find this sweet recipe! Xo, Jocelyn @ Mint+Mallow