Copycat Nothing Bundt Red Velvet Cake is a red velvet cake with chocolate chips and a cream cheese frosting that tastes like the popular Nothing Bundt cake.
You might also like these chocolate mini Bundts cakes, decorated for Easter with Peeps on top! Or maybe you would like Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies - so quick and easy!
Summer is here! Well, not the season but the kids are out from school. Yay for them! I'm so happy they can relax and take some time off. I remember being SO excited for Summer when I was a child. It's so exciting. But now I'm a parent and it's a bit different. I love my kids so much and truly enjoy spending time with them, but Summer is HARD for blogging mommies. And also for work from home daddies.
It's very tricky trying to navigate a work from home situation when the kids are home from school! And summer camps are so expensive. I feel like I spend a lot of time trying to entertain the kids, coordinate play dates and basically just doing anything I can to keep them from staring at a computer screen or an iPhone all day long! It's the big challenge of parents today!
But you came here to find a recipe didn't you! Thanks for letting me get that out. It's not so bad, just needed a chance to complain a little. I'm very excited that I don't have to wake up at 6:30 am for a couple of months!
The Secret Ingredient
When all else fails, make Copycat Nothing Bundt Red Velvet Cake! Have you ever had a "Nothing Bundt" cake? They're super moist, delicious and of course, a Bundt shape. I had one for my birthday and I'm still thinking about it six months later! It's just that good but I figured I could make it myself. I started with this red velvet cake mix to make it easier. And my secret ingredient to make it moist is mayonnaise!
How to Make the Perfect Bundt
The key to a successful Bundt cake is to grease the pan REALLY WELL before pouring the batter in. I REPEAT, grease the pan REALLY WELL before pouring the batter in the pan. I used Crisco and the cake popped out very easily after it cooled. Isn't it pretty!
Then I whipped up my favorite cream cheese frosting which is the PERFECT icing for a red velvet cake!
You Need This to Frost the Cake!
I poured the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a standard coupler like this one. It's the Ateco brand, available on Amazon.
Then I piped long, thick lines of frosting up and down over the cake and a large dollop in the middle in the style of the Nothing Bundt cakes.
And then the tasting.
This Copycat Nothing Bundt Red Velvet Cake is amazingly delicious! So good, y'all! It tastes so much like the store bought version, but it's much more economical! Nothing Bundt cakes are a bit expensive, so why not make one at home!
It was fun creating a copycat recipe. Are there any other copycat recipes you wish you had? Let me know in the comments and maybe I'll create it for you!
Copycat Nothing Bundt Red Velvet Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix (Note - If you can't find a red velvet mix, use a white cake mix, plus 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons red food coloring)
- ¾ cup sour cream at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. (I use Crisco and lots of it.) Set aside.
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix on low with an electric mixer until ingredients are combined, then turn up the speed to medium and beat for two minutes. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool.
For the frosting
- For the frosting, add the butter and cream cheese to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer down to low and gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium and beat for another two minutes. Pour frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a standard plastic coupler (I used Ateco brand). Pipe onto cooled cake. Serve immediately. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Video
Nutrition
All text and images © Lise Ode for Mom Loves Baking. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate. This post may contain affiliate links.
Amanda says
I did bake it last night & thought about adding cocoa to it but I added extra chocolate chips of different sizes to moisten it up some.i also did 1/4c of melted shortening & 1/4c butter bc I don't have vegetable oil.. the only criticism I have is I too had the issue of had I not started checking my cake at 30 mins in 5 min intervals after 30 mins til it was cooked thru,it would have overcooked alot more than it did. I had to cook it for about 40 Mims to get the inside done, but the outside really browned alot luckily I just trimmed off the bad pieces,but still..it should be Said that if you use a silicone or very thin bundt pan that u need to follow the box directions on the cake mix u use & turn the oven down to 325F instead of the 350F & for those of us that have had issues of overdoneness,this should solve them. Other than that the flavor is great. I have to use cream cheese glaze bc to me & my family, red velvet can't go without the cream cheese glaze lol.
Amanda says
I'm making this recipe for my dad's belated birthday celebration tomorrow. I modified the recipe some & used 1/4c cream fraishe &1/2c sour cream instead of just sour cream. I would prefer to make a cream cheese glaze to go on top..Any suggestions?
Mari says
Amanda, have you already baked the cake? When I made it I used sour cream, too, also added 1/4 c of cocoa. Cream cheese frosting is delicious, for sure. I used a Betty Crocker frosting recipe called White Mountain frosting because I didn’t want to worry about the heat messing with the cream cheese. It was delicious, too.. no melting in the heat nor need to refrigerate. Happy birthday wishes to your dad!
Aurora Suarez says
Hi there! I can't wait to try this recipe! Can this Red Velvet recipe be used for a number cake, or is it so moist that it will fall apart?
Lise Ode says
Well it holds the shape of the Bundt pan very well, so I think it would work in a number pan. Just make sure to grease the pan REALLY well and especially in the corners.
Aurora Suarez says
Thank you so much!!!!
Kym says
How could you make this without using a box mix?
Lise Ode says
I'm not sure.
Suzanne says
Made this today in a standard Bundt cake pan. Only issue I’m concerned with is that the cake was done (clean toothpick) and starting to really brown at 34 minutes. I have a new, standard, non-convection oven. Wondering if I did something wrong… It was baked for a friend, so no way to really check the inside. Fingers crossed!
Lise Ode says
Hi Suzanne, Maybe it's your oven? Temperatures can vary from oven to oven. I've had lots of readers bake this cake with no problem. Hope your friend loved it!
Elizabeth Hudson says
I made this tonight and hands down worst cake I have ever made. I followed the directions to a T and it was an epic fail. Taste bland and absolutely nothing like a NBC. Just plain horrible. Made me super sad because I was depending on this recipe and had to go another route at 9 pm at night.
Lise Ode says
Do you think it's possible that you forgot an ingredient? I've never had a bad comment on this recipe which has been on my website for many years now. I"m sorry it didn't turn out.
MJW says
Agree with Elizabeth, it is bland and not a copy cat recipe. The intro does state “I tasted it and thought I could do better”, so not analyzing the taste of NBC. Recipe title shouldn’t really include NBC or copycat.
Kim says
The cake was so good. Everyone asked for second. Thank you for the recipe.
Lise Ode says
Yay!! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Carrie says
Made this for a Galentines get together and got lots of rave reviews.❤️ Several thought it was the ‘real’ NBC cake! I baked the cake one day before the event to allow the flavors to meld, and iced a few hours before serving. The frosting was delicious- I did add a couple tablespoons of sour cream to thin the icing a bit. Thanks for a great recipe.
Lise Ode says
Hi Carrie,
Happy Galentine's Day! So glad you enjoyed the cake. Great job! Thank you for your kind comments! xo, Lise
michele says
How do I adjust the time for a 9x13 glass pyrex pan?
Lise Ode says
You could follow the time recommended on the cake mix box for that size pan.
Rebecca says
I made the red velvet cake and it turned out amazing. I actually made 12 small individual bundt cakes and they were perfect. I want to try to make a confetti one now, would you use sour cream and mayonnaise in other flavors besides red velvet too?
Lise Ode says
Rebecca, Yay! So glad you're enjoying this recipe. And yes, you can substitute different flavors of cake mix using the same ingredients.
Lisa says
How would you adjust the baking time for mini Bundt’s?
Rebecca says
I just made these in small bundt cakes (6 in a pan) using a silicone tray. I filled them 3/4 full and baked them for 20-25 mins and they were perfect.
Amy says
Is there something else I can use instead of Crisco?
Heather says
I want to make this for Christmas Eve dinner. Can I make the cake ahead of time and then add frosting tomorrow?