This vanilla bundt cake recipe is made with brown butter and vanilla bean for flavor that explodes with every bite. It's an easy cake that's the perfect go to recipe for almost anything from strawberry shortcake to birthday cake! I think this Whiskey Brown Butter Sauce would be amazing served alongside!
Ingredients for Vanilla Bundt Cake Recipe
The only ingredients in this that are even a little unusual are the vanilla beans and the heavy cream. You've got to try this cake!
- Butter adds richness and flavor, helping the cake stay moist. Unsalted is usually best for cakes but use what you have.
- All-purpose flour works best here because of the dense structure of the cake. Cake flour would allow it to collapse.
- Baking powder is the leavening of choice here.
- Kosher salt is what I use. If you use table salt use about ¼ less.
- Sugar adds sweetness but also helps with browning and keeping it fresh longer.
- Vanilla beans are long pods with tiny seeds inside. They should be plump and moist not dried and wrinkly.
- Vanilla extract adds more vanilla flavor.
- Eggs are the binder. I use organic, pasture raised eggs because I like the rich color of the yolks, among other reasons. If my cakes look a little . yellower than yours in the images that's why.
- Heavy cream is also called whipping cream. It adds fat and creates the rich, velvety crumb in this cake.
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
I was in the mood to bake a cake the other night. I didn't really have time for a full blown layer cake with all kinds of gooey yumminess... I wasn't even in the mood for that. I wanted something simple and easy, and something I could use about a half cup of leftover ganache on.
I paged through my cookbooks and I came upon the Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake in Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Reading through the ingredients I knew this was the one.
Moist, with a dense crumb flecked with vanilla beans the texture is similar to a pound cake.
This cake is seriously good, not cloyingly sweet like a yellow cake but delicately sweet in a way that encourages you to take another bite. And another. And... well, you know. Another.
Weighing Ingredients vs Measuring
This is the first time that I made a cake by weighing the ingredients rather than measuring. I don't think it made a difference in the end result overall.
I've been wanted to weigh ingredients for awhile it just seemed like it would be time consuming. I don't really like to change how I do things, you know?
I was surprised to find that it was actually easy and I was more confident with this new recipe because I knew that there was the exact same amount of flour and called for in the recipe. I have a small kitchen scale and it was super easy.
Saying that - old habits die hard and as you'll see most of my recipes are measured not weighed.
Vanilla Bundt Cake FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
Why is it called a Bundt cake?
There's a German coffee cake that's called bundkuchen and many people think that that's where the name comes from.
What is the difference between a bundt cake and a pound cake?
Sometimes not much, honestly. A bundt cake is any cake baked in a bundt pan. A pound cake is a specific type of batter and can be baked in a loaf pan, a tube pan, or a bundt pan.
How do you know when a Bundt cake is done?
- The cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- A cake tester comes out clean.
- The internal temperature measures 210F on an insta-read thermometer.
Tips and Variations
This really is a very basic bundt cake recipe and so easy to make. Here are some tips for getting the best results from this recipe.
- Grease and flour the bundt pan very well all through the inside, including the tube that sticks up in the middle. If your pan is very decorative you will probably get better results if you use a bakers release spray generously.
- Cool for 5 to 10 minutes then carefully run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a baking sheet or big plant over the top of the pan and flip over so that the cake slides out onto the cookie sheet.
- If you let it cool completely in the pan it will stick. If this happens you can try
- This cake freezes well for up to 3 months. Leave it unglazed and unfrosted.
- Store the finished cake in a cake carrier that seals tightly or wrap it in plastic wrap.
- This was tested in a 6 cup bundt pan.
More Bundt Cake Recipes
Who doesn't love a good bundt cake? Here are some of my favorites!
Vanilla Bundt Cake Recipe
I didn't make a lot of changes to this vanilla bean bundt cake, to be perfectly honest. There is a point where you have to realize that screwing with perfection is just dumb.
I had one of those moments while making this. Think of this recipe as the Little Black Dress of the cake world.
I added the ganache but I can tell you this would be great with fresh fruit compote, ice cream, custard sauce... whatever.
Vanilla Bundt Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Print SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Generously butter and flour a bundt pan, shaking out any excess flour.
- In a heavy saucepan melt the butter until it turns a rich, golden brown. Be careful not to let it burn.
- Cool the butter.
- Add the sugar to a large bowl.
- Split the vanilla beans in half and scrape the seeds in to the sugar.
- Smush the vanilla beans into the sugar with a big spoon until the sugar is moist and smells like vanilla.
- Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in another bowl.
- Beat the eggs into the sugar until light - about a minute on high.
- Beat in the vanilla extract then the cream.
- Stir in the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth.
- Fold in the butter in 2 different batches, mixing well after each.
- Spoon the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for five minutes and then turn out to cool all the way.
- Top with ganache or your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Grease and flour the bundt pan very well all through the inside, including the tube that sticks up in the middle. If your pan is very decorative you will probably get better results if you use a bakers release spray generously.
- Cool for 5 to 10 minutes then carefully run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a baking sheet or big plant over the top of the pan and flip over so that the cake slides out onto the cookie sheet.
- If you let it cool completely in the pan it will stick. If this happens you can try putting it back in the oven to warm it back up.
- This cake freezes well for up to 3 months. Leave it unglazed and unfrosted.
- Store the finished cake in a cake carrier that seals tightly or wrap it in plastic wrap.
- This was tested in a 6 cup bundt pan.
- Use rosewater for flavoring
- Add ¼ cup sprinkles to the batter
- Add ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring in with the vanilla extract
- Add 1 cup mini chocolate chips to the batter
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