Sourdough Red Velvet Cake (Naturally Colored)

A decadent red velvet cake colored with beets, flavored with chocolate and sourdough, and topped with cream cheese frosting.

When I set out to create my own version of red velvet cake, I knew I wanted it to have a few choice features. First off, I wanted it had to include sourdough discard. Not just because I always have a ton of it (although I do) but also because the savory tang adds great depth of flavor. 

Secondly, after making red velvet the traditional way and being turned off by the extreme amount of red food coloring it requires, I wanted to color mine naturally. I turned to beets for this, not just because I have a ton of them coming out of the garden (although I do) but also because of their primo ability to dye things red. As a bonus, their earthiness also enhances the chocolatey flavor of red velvet.

This beet-infused cake isn’t quite the fire engine red you get with a Red #40 dyed cake, but it does have a rustic brick-red hue. And I would say it’s certainly rosy enough to call itself red velvet. 

I also wanted my sourdough red velvet cake to be a Bundt, because I’m always looking for an excuse to use by Bundt pan. But I’ve also successfully made it as cupcakes, which were a big hit with my coworkers. 

Although I wasn’t trying to make a cake that mixes entirely in a blender, that is where I ended up with it. Call it a happy accident. 

I saw no reason to stray from the traditional cream cheese frosting, which is a perfect complement to this delectable cake.

And that’s basically it—after over a year of testing and tweaking I’ve finally gotten the red velvet cake of my dreams, and, honestly, it was totally worth it. I hope you think so too.

More Like This:

Looking for more cakes with beets? Believe it or not, this isn’t my only one. My Sourdough Carrot Cake also includes a touch of beet, ginger, and turmeric to up the earthy root vegetable flavor.

Check out my full collection of sourdough discard recipes which includes many different varieties of cake, for every occasion.

Sourdough Red Velvet Cake (Naturally Colored)

This red velvet cake is buttery, sweet, and richly decadent, as any good red velvet should be. But it is also balanced by the subtle savory tang of sourdough discard and the earthy bitterness of chocolate. It forgoes the copious amounts of red food coloring found in tradition red velvet cakes and instead relies on beets to provide a pleasant brick-red hue, and also contribute to the bold, well-rounded flavor.

Servings 12 Slices (or 12 cupcakes and a small loaf, see note)

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Equipment

• 1 10-cup size Bundt pan
• 1 medium bowl
• 1 blender
• 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or large bowl and hand mixer
• 1 piping bag fitted with wide, round tip

Ingredients

Cake

• 248 grams (1¾ cups) all purpose flour
• 21 grams (¼ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 grams (1 tsp) baking powder
• 3 grams (½ tsp) baking soda
• 3 grams (½ tsp) fine salt
• 75 grams (¾ cups) beets coarsely grated
• 2 large eggs
• 80 grams (⅓ cup) whole milk
• 30 grams (2 tbsp) white vinegar
• 15 grams (1 tbsp) vanilla
• 62 grams (¼ cup) sourdough discard 100% hydration
• 133 grams (⅔ cup) vegetable or canola oil
• 113 grams (8 tbsp/1 stick) unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 247 grams (1¼ cups) granulated sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 113 grams (1 stick) butter room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 339 grams (3 cups) powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350℉.
• Generously butter a standard 10-cup bundt pan.
• In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
• In a blender combine beets, eggs, milk, vinegar, vanilla extract, sourdough discard, oil, melted butter, and sugar. Blend until smooth.
• Add flour mixture to blender and mix on low speed until mostly combined (avoid over-mixing). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and finish mixing by hand until evenly combined.
• Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan. Firmly and repeatedly tap pan on the counter or another hard surface for about a minute to work out any air bubbles. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a cake tester or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, or internal temperature of 210℉.
• Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack and remove pan. Cool completely before frosting.
• Once cooled, make frosting: In a large bowl, or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and sift in powdered sugar. Mix until smooth.
• Place frosting into a piping bag fitted with a wide, round tip. Pipe large stripes of frosting onto the cake.

Notes

For cupcakes, line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill ¾ full with batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Use remaining batter to make more cupcakes, or bake in a buttered loaf pan or 20-25 minutes. 

Author: Ryne J. Macht, RDN

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beet cake, beets, bundt cake, cream cheese frosting, red velvet, sourdough cake, sourdough discard