If you’re looking for a special afternoon treat to share with friends or the kids, this Red Velvet Tea Cake with Cream Cheese Drizzle is a decadent chocolate cake that is easy to slice and serve.

I love simple tea cakes – they are an easy nap time recipe and the perfect treat for enjoying with friends alongside a cup of coffee. They also make a great, thoughtful gift – you can even triple the batch if you’re baking for more than one person.

Red Velvet is always a classic, but this cake is just as delicious as a chocolate loaf with cream cheese drizzle by simply leaving out the food dye. The buttermilk and vinegar serves to help increase the acidity which deepens the red colour when you use a natural cocoa powder (not dutch process), so you can get away with using less red food dye than with most red velvet cake recipes.

I’ve previously had great luck with natural red food colouring but I’ve been having an increasingly hard time finding it – I have also experimented with a beetroot cake for a natural red alternative but it was anything but decadent… So I think I’ll stick to a slice of this when I’m feeling the need for indulgence.

Ingredients for Red Velvet Loaf with Cream Cheese Drizzle

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 Tablespoons unsweetened, natural cocoa powder
• 1-3 tablespoons red food colouring (liquid not gel)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

For the cream cheese drizzle:

Tip: The loaf without glaze can be baked, tightly wrapped and frozen in advance. Just thaw out at room temperature for about 6 hours before you want to serve. This is great for preparing in advance for last-minute guests.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Loaf pan
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Hand mixer or stand mixer
• Measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Drizzle

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper..

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at at time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and red food coloring.

Beat ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture. Continue by adding another ⅓ of the flour, the remaining buttermilk, then the remaining flour, beating just until combined.

Pour the the red velvet batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Let cool completely before drizzling with cream cheese.

For the cream cheese drizzle, mix together all ingredients and adjust the consistency by adding more sugar or more corn syrup.

Use a spoon to quickly drizzle the cream cheese mixture over the loaf – or a piping bag if you’re fancy.

Slice and serve.

Pin this Red Velvet Loaf with Cream Cheese Drizzle:

Grab your free printable for our red velvet bread recipe:

Who would you share this delicious red velvet tea cake with?

For more delicious and simple cakes perfect for pairing with your afternoon tea or coffee, check out our honey layer cake recipe or our 10-minutes S’mores Cake recipe.

Check out our other Breakfast Recipes here: