Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake

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This soft and fluffy cinnamon swirl bundt cake has layers of cinnamon brown sugar goodness marbled throughout a vanilla pound cake base. It's a delicious and gorgeous cake for the holidays!

Slices of bundt cake with brown cinnamon swirls against vanilla cake.

Jump to:

What is a bundt cake?
Why you'll love this recipe
Tools & equipment
Ingredients
How to make a cinnamon swirl bundt cake
Storage
Freezing
Tips & tricks
Frequently asked questions
More bundt cake recipes to try
Recipe

Bundt cakes are the perfect cakes to make when you want something low maintenance, serves a lot of people, yet still looks incredible without much effort. With all the different intricate bundt pan designs these days, these cakes don't need any additional decorating after baking. Just bake your batter in one pan and unmold it for a finished bundt cake just like that! They're my favourite cakes to make for the holidays for this reason.

This cinnamon swirl bundt cake is beautiful on both the outside and the inside. The cinnamon swirl running through the cake looks and tastes amazing. This is a super easy way to make a homemade marbled bundt cake that will have people wondering how you did it.

The cake itself is firm on the outside to hold its design but soft and dense with a fine crumb on the inside, like a pound cake. It tastes like vanilla and cinnamon sugar - a simple combination but so cozy.

What is a bundt cake?

A bundt cake is a cake that is baked in a special pan with fluted sides and a cylindrical column in the middle. This donut-shaped pan allows for more even heat distribution when baking as more surface area of the cake is exposed to the pan. This is ideal when baking a large volume of batter.

There isn't a specific way of making a bundt cake - its defining characteristic is the shape. Generally, a firmer cake recipe like pound cake is used for bundt cakes as it is more likely to hold its shape and release cleanly from the pan.

Why you'll love this recipe

This cinnamon swirl bundt cake has a super soft and fine crumb. It's so fluffy - just how I like my cakes!
The cinnamon swirl looks amazing after you cut into the cake. You just have to layer the two batters and the baking process creates swirly waves as it bakes.
The cinnamon flavour is a great contrast to the vanilla cake base. It tastes like cinnamon sugar streusel topping!

Bundt cake with ridged design sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Tools & equipment

Some special tools you'll need to make this marbled bundt cake:

Electric hand mixer or stand mixer - You'll need this to properly cream the butter and sugar and to make mixing the batter easier. I use my KitchenAid Hand Mixer or my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
Bundt pan - I used a Nordic Ware Brilliance Bundt Pan for this bundt cake. I love all the other bundt pan designs from Nordic Ware as well.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
Unsalted butter - This should be softened to room temperature. It really makes all the difference when creaming it with sugar to make your cake fluffy. I would take the butter out of the fridge several hours before using it or even leave it out overnight. Melt a couple of tablespoons to grease your bundt pan.
Granulated sugar - Creaming the sugar with the softened butter creates small air pockets for a soft and fluffy bundt cake.
Eggs - These should be at room temperature. Be sure to add the eggs one at a time to ensure they blend homogeneously with the butter and sugar.
Vanilla extract
Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk you prefer. Portion it out ahead of time and let it come to room temperature before adding it to the batter.
Brown sugar - This will make the cinnamon swirls taste like streusel topping or mini donuts - delicious!
Ground cinnamon - You obviously can't have a cinnamon swirl without cinnamon.

How to make a cinnamon swirl bundt cake

Prep - Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease bundt pan - Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Use a pastry brush to grease your bundt pan with the melted butter, taking your time to get in all the edges and corners. When the butter has cooled, sprinkle a handful of flour into the pan. Smack the pan around to coat the pan with a thin layer of flour. Smack the pan upside down to discard the excess flour. Set bundt pan aside.

Mix dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter & sugar - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to cream softened butter until very creamy. Add the sugar and cream together for at least 3-4 minutes until fluffy.

Mix in eggs - Add in 1 egg at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. After the last egg, mix in the vanilla extract until combined.

Mixing sugar, eggs, and flour into cake batter in a bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients - Sift in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until almost combined. Add the milk and mix on low speed until just combined.

Make the cinnamon swirl batter - Portion out about 500g of the batter into a separate medium bowl to make the cinnamon swirl batter. To this bowl, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and milk. Fold together until combined.

Mixing vanilla batter and cinnamon sugar cake batter in two mixing bowls.

Layer the two batters in the pan - Starting with the vanilla batter, drop a few dollops of batter into your prepared bundt pan. Use a spatula to smooth the batter into a thin and even layer. Repeat with the cinnamon swirl layer on top. Keep alternating the two batters until they're all gone.

Layers of vanilla and cinnamon sugar cake batter in a bundt pan.

Bake - Bake bundt cake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.

Release the cake from the pan - Let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes. Flip a wire rack upside down on top of the cake, grasp both sides of the pan and rack, and flip it over so that the pan is now on top of the rack. Gently lift the sides of the pan up to release the cake from the pan.

Releasing a bundt cake from the pan and sprinkling with powdered sugar.

Serve - Sprinkle bundt cake with powdered sugar and enjoy while warm or let cool completely.

Storage

This cinnamon swirl bundt cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Serve leftovers at room temperature or microwave for about 30 seconds to make the cake extra moist and serve warm.

Freezing

This bundt cake can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw completely at room temperature for several hours or overnight.

Cinnamon swirl bundt cake on wire rack with three slices cut from one side.

Tips & tricks

Use room temperature ingredients. This is a bit of a hassle if you forget like I do but I promise you this is key to making a homogenous batter with all the ingredients blending together smoothly. Especially with butter-based recipes, you don't want the butter to solidify when a cold ingredient is added. Leave the butter, eggs, and milk out at room temperature for several hours before starting this recipe.
Cream the butter and sugar together very well. You want to whip air into this mixture for a fluffy cake. Make sure your batter is softened enough to actually cream together smoothly with the sugar otherwise you'll have a hard time mixing and it won't trap as much air as you want.
Add one egg to the batter at a time. Adding too many eggs at once or adding eggs that are too cold can cause the batter to curdle and become grainy. Mix thoroughly after adding each egg before the next addition. If your batter does curdle, it's still completely usable so don't worry!
Layer the two batters thinly. The thinner your layers, the thinner your swirls will be, rather than thick stripes. You should be able to make at least 3-4 layers of the cinnamon swirl batter. The flat layers will naturally become wavy during baking as the cake rises.
Release the cake from the pan while warm. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes so that it won't break apart but release it from the pan before it completely cools. Once it completely cools, the butter around the sides of the cake will solidify and seal itself to the pan.
Reheat leftovers and serve them warm. This bundt cake has the perfect texture at room temperature but you can try heating it for about 30 seconds in the microwave for an extra moist and soft cake. Because this cake is butter-based, it will always be firmer at room temperature or when cold. When warm, the butter in the cake melts and makes it super soft.

Frequently asked questions

What do you put on top of a bundt cake?

My favourite way to finish off a bundt cake is with a simple dusting of powdered sugar. You can also drizzle it with a simple icing of powdered sugar mixed with a small amount of milk. To get extra fancy, top it with fresh fruits or melted chocolate.

How full do you fill a bundt pan?

Generally, a bundt pan should be filled about ⅔ full to allow room for the cake to rise and prevent overflowing.

How do you grease a bundt pan?

My foolproof method of greasing a bundt pan to prevent the cake from sticking is to brush the pan with melted butter and then dust it with a thin layer of flour. You can also use cooking spray in place of butter but be sure to get into all the edges and corners especially if you have a pan with an intricate design.

How do you get a bundt cake out of the pan in one piece?

Grease and flour the pan properly before baking. After baking, let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes to allow it to set and prevent it from breaking apart. Place a wire rack upside down on top of the cake. Firmly grasp both sides of the pan and rack (with oven mitts) and invert them. Gently lift and jiggle the sides of the pan until you can feel the cake drop out of it before removing the pan completely.