Simple Vanilla Bundt Cake
This simple vanilla Bundt has everything you want in a cake; it's soft, very tender, kind of spongy and made with very basic and simple ingredients. The kind of cake that doesn’t need much to be enjoyed to the max! Maybe a dust of powdered sugar or a simple glaze. And something warm to sip like a nice and hot cup of coffee or tea!
I’ve been wanting to share this cake for a while now. I want to share more basic recipes that you can enjoy in its simplest form but also that you feel confident adapting them to whatever craving you have. With this cake for example, think about adding chocolate chips, chopped nuts or even cinnamon and nutmeg for a spiced touch. Or play up with the glaze by drizzling some chocolate ganache or a simple glaze mix with a bit of your favorite jelly for a fruity note.
This time I just wanted a simple vanilla Bundt cake. Its consistency is more like a pound cake, so think a tight crumb with a toasty exterior. But the coconut milk and sour cream help in keeping the inside super soft for dayzzz!! You can gather the ingredients in no time and the cake itself is very easy and quick to make. It bakes for about an hour, you just need to wait about 20 minutes to let it cool down completely. Read about my process when baking this beautiful and delicious vanilla cake…
How to Bake a Simple Vanilla Bundt Cake
First I prepare my Bundt pan by spraying baking spray on it. You don’t want to go overboard, but a nice coating is important here. I don’t use any other method when it comes to Bundts. If you have any other trusted method for preventing cakes sticking to Bundt pans please share in the comments section below!
For this recipe I like to arrange all ingredients first. The time of creaming the butter with the sugar is so short that I don’t rely on it to prepare the other ingredients in the meantime.
I started by mixing the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. I like to use some cornstarch because it helps in making the cake lighter.
Then I mix the coconut milk and sour cream in the measuring cup I’m using to measure the coconut milk but you can use a small bowl instead. Here the fat of the coconut milk and the acidity of the sour cream help in yielding a tender cake. HINT: if you don’t have sour cream at hand you can substitute with an extra 1/4 cup of coconut milk for 1 cup total mixed with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.
Next it’s time to cream the butter with the sugar. If you noticed, I asked for softened butter and not room temperature butter. The difference is that softened butter is soft and malleable but still a bit chilled to the touch. In this recipe it’s very important that the butter is not warm. You don’t want to see the oil separating. If the butter is ready but you are not ready for it yet, place it in the fridge for a couple of minutes. And then cream it with the sugar, about two minutes. You don’t want to incorporate too much air in this batter.
I went big with the vanilla and added a full tablespoon of vanilla extract. To balance things out I added a bit of almond extract. I’ve always liked the florar note almond extract brings to a simple cake, but you can leave it out completely.
Then I incorporated the eggs. After that I just alternate adding the flour and coconut milk mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. I scrapes everything on the Bundt pan and to the oven it went. You have to keep an eye on it after the first 55 minutes of baking to make sure it’s done. I even had to rotate mine and let it bake for an extra 7 minutes.
I like to wait for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to make sure it will hold itself. After removing just dust some powdered sugar or drizzle a simple glaze.
This cake is so soft it could go on for days if stored in an airtight container. Place it in the fridge after the second day.
So there you go!! This is how I made this beautiful vanilla cake. I hope my process helps you in organizing yourself before going to the recipe. I know you’ll be making this recipe on repeat! It’s such a simple, soft and tender vanilla cake that it will be impossible to make it just once!
Enjoy this recipe my friends! Until the next one!!
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Simple Vanilla Bundt Cake
Ingredients
◯ All-purpose flour (preferably unbleached and organic) - 2 ¾ cup + 2 TBSP
◯ Cornstarch - ¼ cup
◯ Baking powder - 3 Tsp
◯ Fine sea salt - 1 Tsp
◯ Canned pure coconut milk (preferably organic) - ¾ cup
◯ Sour cream (preferably organic) - ¼ cup
◯ Butter (preferably grass-fed), softened - 1 ½ cup (3 sticks)
◯ Sugar (preferably natural granulated) - 2 cups
◯ Vanilla extract - 1 TBSP
◯ Almond extract (optional) - ½ Tsp
◯ Eggs (preferably cage-free organic), at room temperature - 2
◯ Powdered sugar to dust on top
Details
Yield:
a 10-cup Bundt cake pan
Total time:
1.25 hours
Baking time:
about 1 hour
Equipment:
bundt cake pan, stand or electric mixer, bowls, hand whisk and spatula
Steps
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl combine with a hand whisk the 2 ¾ cup and 2 tablespoons of flour, the ¼ cup of cornstarch, the 3 teaspoons of baking powder and the 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.
In a second bowl or large measuring cup combine the ¾ cup of coconut milk with the ¼ cup of sour cream.
Place butter in the bowl of the stand mixer or in a large bowl and beat it in slow speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid) just to loosen it up, about 20 seconds. Add the 2 cups of sugar and mix until grainy paste forms, about two minutes.
Add the tablespoon of vanilla extract and the half teaspoon of almond extract. Incorporate the 2 eggs, one at a time. Mix for 1 minute.
Bring down the speed of your mixer to the lowest and add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the coconut milk mixture. Repeat alternating the flour and coconut milk, ending up with the flour. As soon as it barely incorporates stop the mixer and using a spatula finish mixing the batter gently by hand, making sure no large streaks of flour are visible.
Scrape mixture into your prepared pan. Remember this batter can be thick, so gently spread the batter towards the wall of the pan to make sure all of it is touching batter and there are no air holes in between it and the batter. Make this gently to prevent over mixing and deflating the batter.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a large toothpick comes clean after inserting it through different spots of the cake. If an area is done but another needs more time, just carefully rotate the pan and bake for 5 minutes.
Let the cake rest for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let it cool down completely before cutting and eating. Dust some powdered sugar, drizzle a simple glaze or just serve with fresh fruits if desire. Enjoy every bite!
