Description
Celebrate the holiday season with this delightful Christmas Bundt Cake featuring festive red and green swirled layers inside a moist, buttery cake. Flavored with vanilla and almond extracts and topped with a smooth powdered sugar glaze, this cake is perfect for holiday parties and gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Coloring and Glaze
- Red gel food coloring
- Green gel food coloring
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk (for glaze)
- Festive sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan to ensure the cake releases easily after baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which will help create a tender cake texture.
- Add Eggs and Extracts: Add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition to incorporate fully. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts for a warm, aromatic flavor.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Mix in the sour cream and whole milk until the batter is smooth and uniform, which adds moisture and richness to the cake.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to avoid overmixing and a dense crumb.
- Divide and Color Batter: Divide the batter evenly into three separate bowls. Leave one bowl plain, tint one with red gel food coloring, and the other with green gel food coloring, creating a vibrant holiday palette.
- Layer in Pan: Spoon the batter alternately into the prepared Bundt pan in layers, placing plain, red, and green batters in sequence to build a colorful swirl effect inside the cake.
- Create Swirl Effect: Use a butter knife to gently swirl the batters together without overmixing, enhancing the festive marbled appearance.
- Bake the Cake: Place the pan in the oven and bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is fully baked.
- Cool the Cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes to firm up, then carefully invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare and Add Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and pourable. Drizzle this glaze over the cooled cake and optionally decorate with festive sprinkles for a joyful finish.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to achieve vibrant red and green swirls without thinning the batter consistency.
- This cake can be prepared a day ahead; store it at room temperature in an airtight container to keep it moist and fresh.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 54g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
