A tender cinnamon swirl bundt cake dripped with a tangy sweet cream cheese drip. This cake has a cinnamon sugar swirl going through the middle of it for a fun surprise.
Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake Ingredients:
- Butter: Bringing your butter to room temperature is a must. In a pinch, you can microwave it to bring it to room temperature.
- Sugar: This was tested with granulated sugar, caster sugar would also work.
- Eggs: Similarly to the butter, the eggs should be at room temperature. Cold eggs are much more likely to curdle the batter
- Flour: I tested this with King Arthur Flour. Any all purpose flour with a similar protein content should work.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is key to giving this cake its rise.
- Baking Soda:
- Salt:
- Milk: The milk should also be at room temperature. Whole milk is the ideal option.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds a moistness and tenderness to the crumb of the cake. I have not tested this with yogurt as an alternative.
How to Make a Bundt Cake:
Bundt cakes are my favorite type of cake to make because of how simple they are to decorate and how elegant they look.
Start by greasing your bundt pan with nonstick spray or oil. I highly recommend using a NordicWare bundt pan. Greasing is very important because the nooks and crevices in a bundt pan make the cakes notoriously difficult to un-mold. I do not recommend using butter for this step since it can actually make bundt cakes stick more.
Once your pan is prepared, begin creaming your butter and sugar together in a stand mixer (this can also be done with a hand mixer if necessary). Add in the eggs one at a time to avoid curdling. Then, begin mixing in your pre-mixed dry ingredients and dairies. Once a batter forms, stop mixing to avoid the over-development of gluten.
Quickly whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon to create the cinnamon swirl layer. Pour half of your butter into the bundt pan, sprinkle over the cinnamon swirl, and add the remaining batter. Bake at 350ºF until springy and slightly released from the sides of the pan.
How to Make a Cream Cheese Drip:
While this cream cheese drip is optional, it is strongly recommended for how well it pairs with the cinnamon cake. Unlike some cream cheese frostings that are whipped for long periods of time, this cream cheese drip is only whisked together, this way the frosting is thin enough to drip down the cake.
To make the drip, whisk together the cream cheese and milk until smooth. The cream cheese must be at room temperature for this to be possible. Then add in the powdered sugar, preferably sifted, and continue to whisk until smooth. Add salt to taste.
Then, place inside a piping bag and snip off the ends. Pipe lines of drip onto the side of the cinnamon swirl bundt cake, following the crevices of your bundt pan. You may have extra frosting depending on whether your pan is 10 or 12 cup.
How to Prevent a Curdled Cake Batter:
Cake batters can curdle easily. Here are my top three tips to avoiding a curdled cake batter.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature. Pantry ingredients will automatically be at room temp, but butter, eggs, and dairy should be set out a few hours before you plan to begin. If you forget, submerge them in a bowl of barely warm water for 20 minutes.
- Mix all components fully before adding the next: this goes especially for eggs. Before adding the second or third egg, make sure the previous egg has been fully incorporated.
- Mix in the dry ingredients first and last. When adding in the dairy and flour, follow the pattern of dry-wet-dry. This lowers risk of curdling because you are starting and ending with a stable ingredient like flour.
More Cake Recipes:
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Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
Description
A tender cinnamon swirl bundt cake dripped with a tangy sweet cream cheese drip. This cake has a cinnamon sugar swirl going through the middle of it for a fun surprise.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1/4 cup sugar (50g)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (50g)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250g)
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour (3o0g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Cream Cheese Drip:
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar (210g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1) Grease a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan with non-stick spray and preheat an oven to 350ºF. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Whisk and set to the side.
2) Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl. Whisk together milk and sour cream in a small bowl. Set both to the side.
3) Cream together sugar and softened butter for 2-3 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time; then add in the vanilla.
4) Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture into the stand mixer and mix until just combined. The pattern should go flour-milk-flour.
5) Pour half the batter into the greased pan, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, and top with remaining batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and springing back.
6) While the cake bakes, beat together the cream cheese and milk for 1-2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and salt and continue to mix until smooth.
6) Let the cake cool in pan before flipping onto a large plate or platter. Once cool, spoon cream cheese drip into a piping bag. Snip a small triangle off of the bottom of the bag and pipe cream cheese drip into the crevices of the bundt pan. Enjoy!
Notes
This cake is best stored at room temperature for up to three days.
Nutrition
- Calories: 371
- Sugar: 35.7g
- Sodium: 243mg
- Fat: 15.8g
- Saturated Fat: 9.5g
- Carbohydrates: 54g
- Fiber: 0.9g
- Protein: 4.8g
- Cholesterol: 74mg
Keywords: cream cheese, bundt pan, cake