This recipe yields a beautiful golden vanilla Bundt Cake Recipe. Sweet, dense, soft, and golden brown with a simple buttery vanilla glaze, you’re going to love this classic recipe. Includes a how-to video!
A sweet, simple, and unfussy recipe for the perfect vanilla bundt cake. A good bundt cake recipe has been missing from my library for far too long, so after lots and lots (and I mean lots) of testing, I finally have a solid version that I’m proud to share with you.
What IS a Bundt Cake?
A bundt cake is simply a cake that’s baked in a bundt pan. That’s literally all there is to it. A vanilla cake can be a bundt cake, and so can a pound cake or carrot cake, so long as you bake it in the right tin. However, while that might be the technical definition, in my house we take bundt cake seriously (which is why it took over two dozen attempts to get this recipe perfect).
If you ask me, a good bundt cake should be:
- Soft, but sturdy.
- More dense than your average cake recipe, but not as dense as a pound cake.
- Sweet and buttery, but not too sweet and certainly not greasy.
- Beautiful golden brown on the outside.
I actually developed this recipe a while ago but have been holding on to it (it always takes me a while to get the photos to a point where I’m happy with them). If it seems familiar, it’s because I reduced this exact recipe to make the sturdy, soft, and stackable bases for my petit fours.
What’s the Difference in a Pound Cake and a Bundt Cake?
As I mentioned above, any cake can be a bundt cake, so long as it is baked in a bundt pan. Pound cakes are a little bit different. Pound cakes are traditionally dense and were originally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Recipes these days have varied a bit from the original, but are still heavy and very butter-heavy. If you’re looking for a great, buttery, dense and soft recipe, make sure to check out my pound cake recipe! It’s gotten rave reviews and even won a few bake-offs!
That being said, if you bake your pound cake in a bundt cake pan, it’s technically a bundt cake, too, so the lines do get a bit blurry.
Ingredients
A few basic kitchen staples are all you need to make this perfect vanilla bundt cake:
- Butter. As usual, I recommend using unsalted butter and adding salt, but check the link for substituting if you only have salted on hand!
- Cream cheese. My secret weapon for the BEST bundt cake! This ingredient makes the cake extra soft and adds a beautiful depth of flavor (it’s also the secret ingredient in my coffee cake!). Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind sold in tubs.
- Sugar. I use all granulated sugar in this cake.
- Eggs. 6 eggs may seem like a lot, but it’s half the number that I use in my classic pound cake. The eggs are critical to the structure, moisture, and flavor of the cake, so unfortunately I do not have any advice on making this recipe egg-free.
- Flour. It is important that you use all-purpose flour and not self-rising for this recipe, or your cake will overflow in your oven. Another critical note to make sure your cake isn’t dry: measure your flour properly.
- Salt & Vanilla extract. For flavor, of course.
- Baking powder. This ingredient gives the cake a bit of lift and keeps it from being as dense as my pound cake. So does our next ingredient…
- Milk tenderizes the cake and also keeps it from being too heavy.
You’ll also need powdered sugar and a bit more butter, vanilla, and milk to make the glaze for the top. I talk more about the glaze I chose a bit further on below.
These ingredients combined with your mixer make for a beautiful, smooth, and velvety batter.
How to Grease a Bundt Pan
Arguably the most important step of making a bundt cake is greasing the pan properly, as failing to do so means you’re doomed before your cake’s even in the oven. It’s critical that you get this right, and the more intricate your pan is the tricker this will be. You have a few options to ensure a clean, easy release:
- Grease and flour. This is my preferred method and I demonstrate exactly how I prep my pans in the video in the recipe card. Thoroughly coat the entire inside of the pan with a thin but even layer of shortening. Add several spoonfuls of flour into the pan then tilt and turn until all of the shortening is covered with flour. Tap the pan against your sink to knock out any excess flour so there’s just a fine coating over the grease.
- Baking spray! This is not the same as cooking spray and is made with flour. The flour in the spray is critical and must be listed on the can or in the ingredients for a bundt cake that doesn’t stick. Spray the entire interior of the pan evenly, then I like to use a plastic baggie over my hand (I prefer this to a paper towel as the towel absorbs some of the spray) to make sure the spray is evenly distributed.
- Some people also make their own cake release, or “goop”, I’ve never done this, but after hearing so many rave reviews I really think I need to try it myself.
No matter how you prep your pan, once the cake is finished I recommend using a butter knife to gently (you don’t want to scrape the sides of your pan) loosen the edges and the center, just for extra security. My sister and I made about 25 bundt cakes trying to get this recipe perfected, and we only had one stick (and, in true older-sister form, I blame my sister for that 😉).
Glaze It
No bundt cake is complete without a pretty, delicate dripping of glaze. I used a simple vanilla glaze that can be colored if you choose (another easy decorating tip: scatter sprinkles over the glaze while it’s still wet!). My glaze is similar to classics you’re probably used to, made by whisking together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk, only I also like to add a bit of melted butter to make it a bit richer and reminiscent of buttercream.
It’s foolproof: accidentally make it too thick and you can thin it with milk. Too thin and you can thicken with powdered sugar.
If you’re looking for a chocolate glaze option, try my chocolate ganache or the fudgy frosting that I use on my hot milk cake (👈🏻 I love ganache, but my vote is for the fudge frosting).
Storing
Store at room temperature in an airtight container (or wrap it with plastic wrap) for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend refrigerating, as the fridge will dry it out. You may also freeze, just wrap well (I usually double wrap, first with plastic wrap and then with foil) for up to two months.
More Recipes To Try:
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Don’t forget to watch the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
- 6 oz cream cheese use the kind sold in bricks, not the spreadable kind sold in tubs softened (170g)
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar (500g)
- 6 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup whole milk (78ml)
Glaze¹
- 2 cups powdered sugar AKA Icing sugar, (250g)
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter salted or unsalted will work
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-3 Tablespoons milk plus more as needed
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and very thoroughly grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan (be sure to tap/shake out excess flour).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, combine butter, cream cheese, and sugar and beat on medium-speed until well-combined and batter is lightened in color.1 cup unsalted butter, 6 oz cream cheese, 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition (about 10 seconds on medium-speed after each addition). Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and stir in vanilla extract. Mixture should be very smooth, light, and creamy when finished.6 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low-speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter batter, starting and ending with the flour mixture (I usually add the flour in 3 parts and the milk in 2). Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 50-60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean or (preferably) with a few moist crumbs. If you have a lighter-colored bundt pan, it may take longer in the oven.⅓ cup whole milk
- Allow to cool for 15-30 minutes then carefully invert onto cooling rack to cool completely before covering with glaze.
Glaze
- Prepare glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until consistency is thin enough that it falls in ribbons off of whisk but holds its shape for several seconds before melting back into the bowl.2 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons melted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-3 Tablespoons milk
- Drizzle over cooled pound cake, allow glaze to set for 30-60 minutes (this may be faster or longer, depending on the precise thickness of your glaze) and then dig in!
Notes
Storing
Store covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, or wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months. I do not recommend refrigerating.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Belinda
What would happen if you used egg whites?
Sam
Hi Belinda. I’m not sure I understand the question? You want to use only egg whites instead of the whole eggs?
Belinda
Yes, or maybe just one whole egg and the rest whites. (I prefer the flavor of yolk-less cakes) Would the cake even rise?
Sam
I think it would rise, but it likely wouldn’t have the same softness or the proper texture, unfortunately.You may like to try my angel food cake instead.
Keri
I am wanting to make this for a family dinner but am out of eggs, would applesauce be a good substitute?
Sam
Hi Keri! Since this has a lot of eggs in it I would be hesitant to recommend the substitution. 🙁
Sara
Will the cream cheese make the cake taste like it?
Sam
No, you will not taste the cream cheese in the final product. 🙂
Louise
I love the rich flavor and dense crumb of this cake. Thanks so much for your work to create the very best:)
Carmen
This cake looks amazing!!!
Can this be made w/cake flour? If so, will I still use 3 cups of it? T/U
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Carmen! It can be made with cake flour, just make sure to use the proper substitution. If using weights you will need the same amount, but if using cups, use 1 c + 2 TBSP of cake flour for every cup of flour. 🙂
Carmen
Had to come back to write and tell you that the bundt cake turned out delicious w/cake flour. Everyone enjoyed it.
Sam
Thank you for the feedback, Carmen! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
June OConnor
Can I use lightly brown sugar instead of white sugar?
Sam
Hi June! You can use brown sugar, it will just change the flavor a bit. 🙂
Kirsten Fong
Hello
I would like to add rhubarb to this cake. Would I just add the fruit or will I have to modify the recipe somewhat?
Thank you, Kirsten
Sam
Hi Kirsten! I haven’t tried adding rhubarb to this cake before so I can’t say for what is the best way to do it. If you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Navneet Oak
Can i half the recipe and make it?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should work, but keep in mind your baking time will be different. Enjoy! 🙂
Shelley Wooldridge
I forgot to ask if you have any other recipes other than the traditional vanilla bundt? I’m making these for Christmas gifts for my neighbors and would like to make a red velvet version for Christmas but I want them to have the same buttery moist taste that your traditional vanilla has.
Sam
I don’t have a different bundt cake recipe exactly, but I don’t see any reason why my red velvet cake wouldn’t work in a bundt pan. 🙂
mary cuesta
I was wondering with this basic recipe can I add cranberries to it and maybe some orange zest and if I did it but I have to not put the vanilla in I’m very new at bacon
Sam
Hi Mary! You could certainly add cranberries and orange zest. Personally I would still leave in the vanilla. 🙂
Shelley Wooldridge
Hi Sam! Would like to use 5″ bundt pans to make mini bundts. How many 5″ bundt pans will this batter make?
Sam
Hi Shelley! My bundt pan is a 12 cup bundt pan. I’m not sure how much batter your particular pans hold but you can use that 12 cup measurement as a guide. 🙂
Steph
This cake is delicious! We haven’t finished it yet and my husband is already asking me when I am going to make it again 🙂
I took share the goodness with a friend and she has asked for the recipe.
I made it as directed and would not change a thing!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow, sounds like this cake was a real hit for you, Steph! Thank you so much for sharing our recipe and leaving a five star review–we really appreciate it! 😊
Alyson
I wanted to make this cake for a themed party. And I was wondering if I could add food coloring?
Sam
Hi Alyson! That should work just fine. For a more vibrant color I recommend gel food coloring. 🙂
Amy Wonder
can I skip the cream cheese, I want to do it on christmas and one of my sister’s is allergic to it.
Sam
I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out. I would check out my pound cake for a great alternative. 🙂
Mike Hannigan
I made this but with about 50% less sugar and still tasted great
Melinda
Can’t wait to try this!!!
Suggestion…
I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to make your own pan release. But its so easy. Got this recipe off another group.
1 cup Shortening
1 cup Oil
1 cup A.P. Flour, sifted
Whisk together until smooth.
Use silicone brush to apply to pan when baking.
Store in airtight container, and keep in cool place.
Do not refigerate.
I love this. Personally, i use the Crisco shortening and vegetable oil.
Sam
I have heard of this but for some reason have never tried it myself! Going to have to, thank you for sharing, and I Hope you love the cake! 🙂
Franciele Blakeslee
Can I use less sugar? I’ll be making a Nutella ganache to go over it, and I am afraid it will be too sweet.
Sam
Hi Franciele! You can probably get away with reducing the sugar a little bit.
Alya
OMG I’m nine years old and I’m going to try this recipe tomorrow first thing!
Sam
I hope you love it, Alya! Let me know how it turns out for you!