Red Velvet Marble Pound Cake

Rich vanilla pound cake swirled with red velvet chocolate delivers dramatic color and enough flair to impress your guests. Fuss-free elegance nails the bliss point perfectly.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Southern

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Resting Time 30

Total Time 1 45

Servings

Calories 453kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Red Velvet Swirl

¼ cup (20-24g) unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup (50g) sugar
1 tablespoon (15ml) red food coloring
½ teaspoon (2-3ml) white vinegar for the classic tang

The Cake Batter

2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3g) salt
1½ cups (350g) sugar
1½ cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened
5 large eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15ml) vanilla extract
¾ cup (180g) sour cream at room temperature
½ cup (120ml) whole milk at room temperature

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan, two 8.5”x4.5” loaf pans, or two 9” round cake pans.
Combine the cocoa powder, ¼ cup sugar, red food coloring, and vinegar in a small bowl for the red velvet layer. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, and set aside.
Cream the softened butter and 1½ cups sugar until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time.
Mix in sour cream until smooth and fully incorporated.
On low speed, mix in the flour in three additions, alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour. Do not overmix.
Pour ⅔ of the batter into your pan(s). Mix the chocolate red velvet mixture into the remaining ⅓ batter. Add more food coloring if needed for the right color. Spoon it on top of the vanilla batter and swirl with a knife or skewer.
Bake for 50-60 minutes in a bundt, 60-70 minutes for a loaf pan, or 30-35 minutes in round cake pans or until done (see notes).
Cool 10-15 minutes in the pan, then gently flip it over on a cooling rack, and allow to finish cooling. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with vanilla glaze.

Notes

How to tell if a cake is done? It smells great, it springs back to the touch, a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, internal temperature 200-210℉ (90-100℃), and the edges of the cake start pulling away from the side of the pan.
You can omit the white vinegar if desired.
An easy vanilla glaze is 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon (15ml) vanilla extract, and just enough milk to achieve the desired consistency. Thick, yet pourable.
This versatile cake makes a bundt cake, two loaves, or two 9-inch cake layers. The loaf pans may take the same baking time or a little longer, while the cake layers will take less.

Nutrition