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Filled with the essence of intense vanilla flavor, this Vanilla Bundt Cake is so moist and tender. It’s buttery, baked to golden brown perfection, and has the most delicate crumb. It’s a terrific cake for an elegant afternoon tea as well as a simple kid’s birthday party!
Best Easy Vanilla Bundt Cake Recipe
Chocolate or vanilla? It’s a common question. But why choose!?! I love both. Yet, I know some people tend to think that vanilla is just plain. But it’s actually such a special ingredient that often gets overlooked. In fact, it’s quite exquisite with a complexity of sweet aromatic layered flavor and a beautiful fragrant smell that just adds to the refined taste.
This classic vanilla bundt cake is the perfect celebration of vanilla with all the best parts of an incredible cake. It’s buttery, light, and moist with a tight crumb. And of course, packed with amazing vanilla flavor. Everything you ever wanted in a tender bundt cake and the recipe is so simple that you’ll have no excuse not to make this exceptional cake at home from scratch.
Not to mention, how good a slice of this vanilla cake is when served with an Irish Coffee or Pumpkin Spice Latte. You can even add a scoop of ice cream, cream cheese icing, a fruit glaze, or a dollop of whipped cream! All perfect after-dinner dessert combinations!
Why We Love This Homemade Vanilla Bundt Cake
- Vanilla Flavor Fantasy! Bursting with rich aromatic vanilla flavor this cake is melt in your mouth good. The butter, sugar, and vanilla in the recipe are flawlessly balanced creating the most scrumptious, yet simple buttery vanilla cake.
- Quick And Easy! The cake is sophisticated in flavor, but the recipe is no fuss! It’s quick and only requires 9 simple ingredients that make a delicious beautiful cake ready to serve in just a little over an hour.
- Party Prep Ready! Not only is it easy to make, but vanilla bundt cake freezes amazingly well, which makes it perfect for events. You can make this cake a week ahead, store it in the freezer, and then serve it the day of your event and it will be just as yummy as the day you baked it!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Eggs – You will need fresh large eggs that are at room temperature.
- Sugar – I used granulated white sugar. You can also use cane sugar.
- Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract for the best vanilla bundt cake. Imitation will work, but when making a recipe that highlights vanilla the real stuff is a must.
- Flour – Simple all-purpose flour is all you need. Pastry flour is another option.
- Baking Powder – It’s used as a leavening agent that helps to give the bundt cake rise.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness of the sugar as well as elevates the flavor of both the butter and vanilla.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in baking to control the level of salt. And for this recipe, the butter will need to be melted.
- Milk – I like to use whole milk, but whatever you have on hand will work. The milk should also be at room temperature to create the best cake texture.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. It’s used to dust the cake before serving.
- Preheat the oven and prep the pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Then grease a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray or flour and dust it with flour.
- Beat the eggs and sugar: Add the room temperature eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture, butter, and milk: To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour mixture, melted butter, and room temperature milk to the egg mixture one half at a time on low speed making sure to mix after each addition. In simple terms, add half of the flour, then half the melted butter, then half the milk, then the other half of the flour, the remaining melted butter, and finally the rest of the milk. Note, your batter does need to be combined well, but not over-mixed, which will result in a tough cake.
- Bake the vanilla bundt cake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Then place it into the preheated oven to bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown. The bundt cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides of the cake have started to pull away from the edges of the pan.
- Cool the cake: Allow the cake to rest in the cake pan for at least 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Decorate and serve: Transfer the fully cooled cake to your favorite cake platter and dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with vanilla icing. Serve with berries on the side.
What Else Can I Add To My Cake?
Chopped nuts or mini chocolate chips can easily be added to this vanilla bundt cake. Just very gently fold in the additional ingredients right after the batter is made. I suggest only using ½ cup of whatever type of nut you choose or mini chocolate chip. Almonds always go really well with vanilla as do pecans in bundt cakes. And if you do opt to add the chocolate chips the vanilla scented cake will only bring out the hints of chocolate even more. I’d go for dark chocolate!
Can I Make Gluten-Free Bundt Cake?
Most likely yes! But I’ve not tested the recipe. However, if you do, make sure to use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour that has xanthan gum in it, which acts as a replacement for the gluten that is naturally in all-purpose flour. This recipe will not work properly if there is no xanthan gum in your alternative flour of choice.
Can I Make This Recipe Dairy-Free?
Yes, simply use vegan butter and plant-based milk. I have not tried making the cake dairy-free, but it should work just fine with no problem. However, if you are also egg-free, I don’t have any recommendations and this recipe will likely not work without the eggs.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature eggs and milk. This helps the batter to emulsify and properly come together to create the best texture. So I always suggest taking the eggs out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting the recipe. And the milk at about 45 minutes before.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. It is really important to only add half of the flour, melted butter, and milk to the batter at a time and one at a time. It’s also just as important to fully incorporate those ingredients by gently mixing them in at low speed. Once the batter is fully combined, stop mixing.
- Grease the pan well. Do not skimp on how much you grease the pan and do generously dust with flour as well. No one wants to bake a beautiful cake that ends up sticking to the pan.
- Let it completely cool. Be sure to give the vanilla bundt cake time to cool in the pan before attempting to turn it out onto a cooling rack. At least 10 minutes! I suggest 20 minutes if you can wait. You also want the cake to be completely cooled off before dusting it with powdered sugar or topping it with icing. If the cake is still warm the icing and powdered sugar will just melt.
How To Store Bundt Cake
The best way to store bundt cake for several days is at room temperature on a covered cake plate. That is the most ideal way to both maintain the beautiful shape of the cake and keep it from drying out. However, if you don’t have a covered cake plate, the next best option is to cover your cake with a dome-shaped bowl or plastic container. Basically, make your own covered cake plate.
I don’t advise storing the cake in the fridge. Oftentimes, it not only dries the cake out but tends to dull the flavor as well.
How To Freeze Cake
This vanilla bundt cake freezes exceptionally well, which also makes it a great make-ahead dessert! Just bake the cake and let it cool, but don’t dust it with powdered sugar or drizzle it with icing. Instead, you can cut the cake into individual slices, wrap each slice in plastic wrap, then put them into a freezer bag, and store the slices in the freezer for up to 1 month. Or, you can wrap the entire cake well in several layers of plastic wrap and store it in the freezer.
Either way, when you are ready to serve you will want to remove the cake from the freezer the night before and allow it to thaw out at room temperature. Then dust with powdered sugar or add icing right before serving.
Other Delicious Desserts To Try
- Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Ricotta Cheesecake
- Blackberry Cobbler
- Cherry Dump Cake
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Harvey Wallbanger Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Condensed Milk Pound Cake
- Banana Cream Pie
- Red Velvet Cake
Vanilla Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup milk
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prep the pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Then grease a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray or flour and dust it with flour.
- Beat the eggs and sugar: Add the room temperature eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture, butter, and milk: To the bowl of your stand mixer, add the flour mixture, melted butter, and room temperature milk to the egg mixture one half at a time on low speed making sure to mix after each addition. In simple terms, add half of the flour, then half the melted butter, then half the milk, then the other half of the flour, the remaining melted butter, and finally the rest of the milk. Note, your batter does need to be combined well, but not over-mixed, which will result in a tough cake.
- Bake the vanilla bundt cake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Then place it into the preheated oven to bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown. The bundt cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides of the cake have started to pull away from the edges of the pan.
- Cool the cake: Allow the cake to rest in the cake pan for at least 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Decorate and serve: Transfer the fully cooled cake to your favorite cake platter and dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with vanilla icing.
Tips & Notes:
- Use room temperature eggs and milk. This helps the batter to emulsify and properly come together to create the best texture. So I always suggest taking the eggs out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting the recipe. And the milk at about 45 minutes before.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. It is really important to only add half of the flour, melted butter, and milk to the batter at a time and one at a time. It’s also just as important to fully incorporate those ingredients by gently mixing them in at low speed. Once the batter is fully combined, stop mixing.
- Grease the pan well. Do not skimp on how much you grease the pan and do generously dust with flour as well. No one wants to bake a beautiful cake that ends up sticking to the pan.
- Let it completely cool. Be sure to give the vanilla bundt cake time to cool in the pan before attempting to turn it out onto a cooling rack. At least 10 minutes! I suggest 20 minutes if you can wait. You also want the cake to be completely cooled off before dusting it with powdered sugar or topping it with icing. If the cake is still warm the icing and powdered sugar will just melt.
