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The first cake I ever learned was a Easy Classic Vanilla Bundt cake, served with the sacred afternoon tea in Pakistan. It was also the first ever recipe I shared on Bake With Zoha when I started in 2022. I was worried it was too simple, but learned quickly that people want simple. That recipe was recreated and praised by hundreds, and it only made sense to bring it back – with some improvements.
This is my improved but still Easy Classic Vanilla Bundt cake recipe. I like to call it foolproof and extremely beginner friendly – the batter takes all of 10 minutes to make, with no complicated steps or fancy ingredients, and you can enjoy a delicious, soft cake within an hour. It is truly the perfect accompaniment to your morning, afternoon, or night time tea / coffee ritual; and incredible for hosting!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
This recipe is designed to be ultra simple, and all ingredients are ones you should already have in your pantry / fridge:
- All purpose flour (or plain flour)
- Cornstarch (or corn flour, depending on where you live). Cornstarch has lower protein content than all purpose flour, and combined with all purpose flour creates something similar to cake flour, which results in a softer, more tender cake
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Neutral tasting oil; in my experience, Canola has been the best. Since oil is a liquid at room temperature, cakes made with oil tend to be more moist and softer, especially when refrigerated, as opposed to those made with butter
- Melted butter. I like to add both oil and butter as, while oil is great for moisture, butter has better flavor
- Sugar
- Eggs and egg white. My original recipe had 3 eggs, but I find that omitting 1 egg yolk helps reduce the “eggy” flavor while still giving the cake structure. If you don’t want to add eggs, you can replace them with flax seed eggs in this recipe!
- Buttermilk. Don’t fret if you don’t have it, you can make it easily by mixing lemon juice or vinegar with milk. Buttermilk helps add moisture to the batter while also helping make it thinner
- Vanilla. I strongly recommend using a high quality vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans, as they have much better and stronger flavor. Using lower quality or insufficient vanilla will result in a cake which tastes more like egg and sugar, and we don’t want that!
HOW TO MAKE THIS CLASSIC VANILLA BUNDT CAKE
Just like the ingredients, the method is super easy, too! It takes less than 10 minutes and mostly comes together in one bowl.
Here’s what you will need to do:
1. Sift and mix dry ingredients
Before getting started, pre-heat your oven to 350F (conventional; no fan).
Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl, and whisk to combine. Do not skip this step – if you don’t sift the dry ingredients, they will be lumpy and will cause a lumpy, dense batter.
I like to use this sifter with a built in mechanism which makes it much quicker to sift dry ingredients!
2. Whisk wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar with the melted butter and oil for 1-2 minutes until the mixture changes color and becomes a bit lighter. You can do this with a hand whisk, or even use a blender!
Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk again for 1-2 minutes until the mixture starts to become aerated / fluffy in texture.
3. Fold the dry ingredients and buttermilk into wet ingredients
Now, add a third of the buttermilk into the wet ingredients and gently whisk in. Follow this with a third of the dry ingredients, and gently fold with a rubber spatula until almost mixed in.
Repeat this process, with a third of the buttermilk followed by a third of the flour, until all ingredients have been mixed.
3 tips:
- Do not add both buttermilk and dry ingredients to the batter at the same time and then try to mix. The flour will immediately form lumps with the buttermilk
- Be gently when mixing in the dry ingredients, and do not be tempted to overmix, as that will cause gluten formation which will create a rubbery texture in the cake. I recommend using a rubber spatula for this step, like this one
- If you are in a rush, you can first whisk in all the buttermilk and then fold in the dry ingredients. Breaking this into 3 steps simply allows u1s to mix the ingredients without too much mixing
4. Prepare the Bundt pan
Now, Bundt pans can be quite tricky to properly line! We need to avoid the disaster where we are ready to serve cake but it refuses to come out of the pan in one piece.
How to properly line a Bundt pan
Ideally, your bundt pan is new and nonstick and you don’t have to worry too much. But regardless, here’s are some options which work best in my experience: generously brush butter or oil into your bundt pan with a pastry brush, taking care to get it into every crevice and corner so nothing sticks. Then, dust a generous coating of granulated sugar, and tap your pan in different directions to spread it evenly. Shake off any excess sugar.
Yes, the sugar does form a crust on the cake, but I actually quite like that! A lot of people suggest using flour instead, but I have had mixed results with flour.
Another option is to use baking spray (which is different from oil spray), like this one.
5. Bake!
Now, just pour the cake batter into the bundt pan, and into the oven we go! This cake will take around ~30 minutes to bake up (or until a toothpick comes out clean). The exact time will vary depending on the size, shape and material of your bundt pan, so just keep an eye out and avoid getting the cake overbaked.
6. Serve and enjoy!
Let the cake cool inside the pan for 10 minutes, and then carefully turn it out onto your serving stand of choice. I like to dust the cake with powdered sugar before serving, as I find it creates a really beautiful look with basically no effort.
MY FAVORITE BUNDT PANS
Let’s face it – Bundt pans are so fun! It’s hard to pick one, with all the shapes and sizes. But here are some trusted ones I love:
- The exact pan I am using from Nordic Ware – this is a good option as it is under $20; however, it is NOT nonstick so you do need to take care with prepping the pan
- Nordic Ware brilliance pan – this is from their heavy duty gold line. These pans are beautifully shaped, heavy, sturdy, and really nonstick! So even though a bit more pricey ($35 right now), they’re worth it. This shape also creates deep ridges which are great if you want to pour any kind of ganache or icing onto your cake
- Nordic Ware elegant pan – this is similar to the second option in quality, but has round ridges which also create a very fun look
- Braided rope bundt pan – this one is probably my favorite! It has an incredibly unique shape which makes your cake look beautiful without any effort on your part
VARIATIONS
This recipe can be altered in so many fun ways! 2 of my favorite are:
- Marble cake. At the end, divide the batter between 2 bowls, and sift in 2 tbsp of cocoa powder in one half. Alternately spoon the batter into the bundt pan to create a marbled effect
- Orange cake. Instead of buttermilk, add fresh orange juice! This makes a delicious fresh orange cake
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make it yourself in no time! For every cup of buttermilk, simply mix 1 cup of whole milk with 2 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar. The result should be a bit clumpy and thick, like the milk has separated.
If you don’t consume eggs, you can substitute them in this recipe with flax seed eggs. 1 egg is replaced with 1 tablespoon or ground flax seed and 3 tbsp of water. So for this recipe, you will need 2.5 tbsp of ground flax seeds mixed with 7.5 tbsp of water. Mix and refrigerate for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes gloopy. Follow the recipe as is.
The cake will taste eggy if you don’t add enough vanilla, or good quality vanilla. For best results I suggest using vanilla bean paste! You can also brown your butter for a delicious aroma and flavor.
Yes! If you don’t want to use a Bundt pan, you can bake this cake in a 9″ round pan, or a 9×9″ brownie pan. The baking time will be less, probably around 20-25 minutes.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (195g)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (35g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup oil (100g)
- 1/4 cup melted butter (57g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (220g)
- 2 eggs + 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (120g); or sub 1/2 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
- 1.5 to 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (conventional)
- Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix. Set aside
- In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, oil and butter for 1-2 minutes with a hand mix until the mixture starts to change color. Add the eggs, egg white and vanilla, and whisk for another 1-2 minutes
- Add a third of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add a third of the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula gently until mixed in. Repeat, adding the buttermilk and dry ingredients in thirds and combining until everything is mixed together
- Prep a bundt pan by brushing generously with oil and dusting with granulated sugar. Pour the batter into the pan
- Bake for ~30 minutes (exact time varies), until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached
- Let the cake rest in the pan for 10-15 min, then carefully turn it out
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve!
Video Tutorial
Notes
- The exact baking time will vary depending on the type and material of your Bundt pan; check around the 25 min mark with a toothpick
- Try to use good quality vanilla, like vanilla bean paste, for the best flavor
RELATED RECIPES
If you enjoy this recipe, also check out:
- Simple moist chocolate cake with a decadent chocolate ganache that takes only 20 minutes of work
- Pecan upside down marble cake
- The best layered lemon cake with cream cheese frosting
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Comments
Sunita
Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Zoha Malik
Unsalted 🙂
Div
Hii can i add choc chips insode the batter?
Zoha Malik
Yes, you can!
Dee
Any reason you can’t use a mixer instead of a hand mixer?
Zoha
This recipe is designed to be easy, but you’re welcome to use a mixer
Linda B
This has become one of my go to recipes. I don’t follow your technique exactly, but it always comes our perfectly.
Zoha
Thank you so much, Linda!
Rabia
Lovely to see a fellow Pakistani expat baking delicious food!
Zoha
Aw thank you!
Kathleen Felcman
This was delicious just wondering can I double the recipe to make a higher bundt cake?
Fatima
Looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend!
Can I add dollops of jam between the cake? Ie pour half the batter, add the dollops and then pour the rest of the batter? Would it cause any issues?
SS
Perfect recipe (although I reduced the sugar to 130g) , so easy to make and the cake is just perfect mashAllah. This is the first recipe for plain cake that I tried and got it perfect on the first try Alhamdulillah
Thank you so much Zoha.
Candy T
I was looking for a pound cake without sour cream. Came upond your recipe. I did everything to the letter no exceptions except for the butter. I melted it until it turn into ghee with brown bits. I took
the advised from another reader
that gave your recipe thumbs up.
It is a keeper. I have other pound
cake recipe but I love the texture,
simplicity of the flavor and the sugar is on point. Thank you.
Zoha
Aw, thank you so much, Candy! I appreciate your review
Yusra Momade
I made it but it didn’t rise
I used all purpose flour with baking powder
And added the other risers too
What could be wrong
Zoha
Is it possible your raising agents have expired?
Fatima
Looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend!
Can I add dollops of jam between the cake? Ie pour half the batter, add the dollops and then pour the rest of the batter? Would it cause any issues?
Linda
This has become my go to Bundt cake. It is so easy, and absolutely delicious.
Mrs b thomson
it would have been nice if you told how much in weight for the ingredients instead of photos
Rene
easy to make, came out without sticking. Everyone enjoyed this. made caramelize apple for the top. just perfect.
DJ
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Huma
Hi, what size is your pan!
Zoha
it’s 10 inches in diameter
Afsheen
I just tried this Bundt cake and it’s was sooooo good 😊
Sanjana
Hey Zoha, I made this cake today and it was just delicious! been admiring your work for a while on Instagram and finally got to try one of your recipes and you have earned yourself a lifelong fan 🧡 thank you so much!
Zoha
Awww thank you so much, Sanjana! Means the world to me 🙂
Carolyn
Hello Zoha! Can I double the recipe ?
A
I’ve made this about 5 times now. Always turns out great, and is sweet but not too sweet. Sponge is moist but firm so it holds up to frosting. This and the easy chocolate cake recipes are my go to!
Zoha
I am honored, thank you!
Zoha
Thank you for the kind review, A!!! 😀
Maliha
I’m so making this! Want to add chopped walnuts into the batter. Should be fine right?!
Linda
This recipe is so easy, and best of all , delicious.
I’ve had no trouble getting it out of the pan.