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Dessert

Red Velvet Bundt Cake

A moist chocolate-flavored bundt cake with red food coloring, buttermilk, and optional chocolate chips.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Red Velvet Bundt Cake

Oven350°F
Time40–55 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the batter

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bundt pan and set aside.

  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

  3. In another bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, 4–5 minutes.

  4. Add oil and mix.

  5. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

  6. Add vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring.

Add the flour and buttermilk

  1. Add about one‑third of the flour mixture and stir to combine.

  2. Add half of the buttermilk and stir to combine.

  3. Repeat, alternately adding the flour and then buttermilk, ending with flour.

  4. Fold in chocolate chips, if using.

Bake and cool

  1. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 40–55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

  2. Cool in cake pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1242Calories
29 gProtein
62 gFat
138 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  2. Cocoa powder + vanillatop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together124,287 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,241 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Flour + cocoa powdertop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,244 recipes

    Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

All-purpose flour
Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
Granulated sugar
Creaming with butter traps air for a light, tender crumb and adds sweetness.
Unsalted butter
Adds fat for richness and tenderness, and helps trap air when creamed with sugar.
Eggs
Add structure and binding, and their yolks add richness and moisture.
Buttermilk
Adds moisture and acidity that tenderizes the crumb and reacts with the leavening.
Baking soda
Reacts with the acidic buttermilk and vinegar to produce gas that lifts the cake.

The step that matters

Alternating the flour and buttermilk. Adding the flour in portions and ending with flour keeps the batter emulsified and limits gluten development, so the cake stays tender rather than tough.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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