Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake Recipe is the best of two desserts in one! It’s rich, dense, buttery, and decadent.
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I’ve been brainstorming pound cake for my Pound Cake Series. I came up with this Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake recipe where I combined both a traditional pound cake and a red velvet pound cake. The two differenct batters are swirled together to create a marbled affect. It’s beautiful and delicious!
It’s THE BEST of both!
Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake Recipe has a nice red velvet flavor, which to me is a faint cocoa flavor. Does red velvet have a flavor other than cocoa? Red food coloring maybe. Not sure, but paired with the buttery vanilla pound cake, this is a really tasty cake.
The texture is dense, moist, and has a fine crumb. Furthermore, it has that crusty outside that everyone loves.
Additionally, it’s a beautiful cake, a real show-stopper, which makes it a really good dessert for holidays, celebrations, church socials, etc. I made it for game day and literally had people fighting over it!
Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake Recipe
I smothered my Vanilla Red Velvet Marbles Pound Cake Recipe with a sweet Buttermilk Glaze that is to-die-for! It’s sweet and smooth and the perfect crown for this jewel of a cake! I also tried it with a Cream Cheese Drizzle. If you’re a fan of Cream Cheese Frosting, you’ll love it. (Note – The photographs are taken with the Cream Cheese Drizzle on the cake. The video was made with the Buttermilk Glaze. Both are excellent.)
As well, I used a clear vanilla extract in the frosting. You may use a regular (brown colored) vanilla extract, however, it may discolor your frosting slightly to cream, not a pure white frosting. You can find clear vanilla in the baking department of craft stores, the craft department at WalMart, or a store that sells baking products.
Pound Cake Baking Tips
- Read through your recipe completely, once or twice before beginning. Prep any ingredients that need special attention, like chopping fruit, toasting nuts, sifting flour.
- I baked my cake in this Tube Pan.
- To bake in a 9×5-inch loaf pan. bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes. You can use an 8×4-inch loaf pan, but you’ll need to bake it slightly longer.
- Bring all the cold ingredients to room temperature before beginning.
- Use real butter.
- Measure carefully, especially the flour. How do you measure flour? To correctly measure flour, first, sift the flour. Then using a spoon or scoop lightly scoop flour out of its container into a measuring cup. Continue filling the cup until it is overflowing, then using the back of a butter knife level the flour. Scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour to fill can result in up to 25% more flour than lightly spooning the flour into the measuring cup. More flour in a recipe will make it dense and dry.
- Read all about how to Calibrate your oven in this post.
- Read all my tips for Baking the Perfect Pound Cake.
While you’re here, check out my most popular recipes
Vanilla Red Velvet Marbled Pound Cake Recipe
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
- 2 and ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
Buttermilk Glaze
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
Alternate icing - Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1 and ½ cups confectioners' sugar sifted
- ¼ cup heavy cream or whole milk (heavy cream is better)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cream the butter and shortening until smooth.
- Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time beating until just incorporated after each addition.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add flour alternately with the milk beginning and ending with the flour.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Transfer half the mixture to another bowl.
- To one batch of batter, add cocoa and food coloring. Stir until combined.
- Evenly pour half of the vanilla pound cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Top that layer with half of the red velvet pound cake batter. Spread evenly.
- Repeat with remaining vanilla then red velvet batter. Smooth the top.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. The cake will be done when a wooden pick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean or with dry crumbs.
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before inverting the cake on serving tray.
- Cool cake completely.Bring
- When cooled, frost with Buttermilk Glaze.
Buttermilk Glaze
- On medium heat, in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, bring sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, butter, and corn syrup to a low boil.
- Stir constantly for 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Whisk until smooth.
- If the glaze is too thick to drizzle over cake, add whole milk 1 tablespoon at a time until thin enough to pour. Frosting will thicken as it cools.
- Serve immediately. Store in an airtight container.
Alternate icing - Cream Cheese Glaze
- Combine cream cheese and butter. Slowly add sugar alternately with milk and vanilla. Add more milk if needed to get a pourable consistency. Put in a ziptop bag and snip the corner off. Drizzle over cake.............
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Rebekah Kuk says
What a beauty! I made this for our last gathering and it was gone right away. Thanks for the recipe.
Jenn says
This is my favorite holiday cake! It is requested every year and everyone loves it!
Heidi Bruaw says
This was a huge hit at our Sunday potluck! I made it with the Cream Cheese Frosting and it was gone within minutes. I think I will make it again at Christmastime because it looks so festive!
Gen says
Not only is this delicious but absolutely gorgeous too! Thank you for this recipe.
Samantha says
My new go to recipe! Delicious!
Patricia Gibson says
I made this cake about 3 years ago. All was good but that extra 1/2 cup sugar would make this cake complete. So if I did the 3 cups of sugar would the other ingredients remain the same?
Paula says
I would leave everything else the same.
Emily Henning says
Instead of Red food coloring can you use Green
Hernandez Jamie says
Hello! Anything to modify for high altitude (I’m in Colorado)?
This is a beautiful cake!
Paula says
I have no way to test but found this https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Cp says
Do you have to refrigerate this cake because of the icing?
Paula says
Yes
Marites says
can i used butter as well to substitute for shortening? since shortening is hard to find here..
Paula says
Yes, you can use all butter. It will be the same amount as the shortening
PEARL BANKS says
That red velvet marble looks very scrumptious and definitely would be great for a Christmas dessert !!!
Diana says
My buttermilk glaze was clear not white, wonder if the glaze was suppose to be powdered sugar instead of granulated? The inside of the cake was very pretty and tasted great but I was very disappointed in the overall appearance of the cake.
Paula says
I did use granulated sugar, confectioners sugar could be used as well.
James Wright says
Hello Paula, wish you could show a video of you making this cake it is so beautiful. Make a great Christmas cake for the Holidays. Thanks
Speedy says
Hi Paula I made your cake it came out beautiful, as you stated just follow the recipe completely and you will have success.
Elizabeth says
In your narrative you mention swirling the batters, however, in the numbered steps, that is not mentioned – do you swirl after all the layers are poured, or after each two layers?
Paula says
The way I describe adding the batters by layering them will create the swirl. I found this method the best, running a knife through it often just made it pink and not as defined.
Deb says
I made this for July 4th. It’s a pretty cake. I ended up with more of the red swirl because of the way I divided the batter. I’m more impressed with tasted and texture and this one was just ok. It wasn’t dry, but not as moist or tasty as I expected it to be. I also made my favorite Cream Cheese pound cake. By comparison family was fighting over the CCPC and wanted more of it.
Debbie Caraballo says
Yet another beautiful pound cake…it will be great for the Christmas season. Thanks, pinning!!
Nana says
Wow-that cake just says Christmas to me! I will make a trial one in advance and then hopefully it will be on my Christmas Eve buffet table.
Paula says
I hope you enjoy it, Nana. I was pleased with the flavor and appearance.
Sammie says
Utterly stunning. So moist and delicious I cannot wait to try this.