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This Christmas Bundt Cake is easy, made from scratch, and festive. A simple icing and sprinkles dress it up for the holiday.
When it comes to holiday desserts, Christmas cookies generally get all the attention, but I like to switch it up with Christmas brownies and Christmas Oreo Bon Bons…and holiday bundt cake.
I love a good bundt cake and this one all fancied up for Christmas is a good one. It’s made from scratch with just a few ingredients and will look so pretty on a holiday table.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Oil – I use vegetable oil but canola will work as well.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar.
- Eggs – I use large, organic, free range eggs.
- Vanilla – I know it’s pricey, but please use vanilla extract over imitation. I like to buy it in bulk from Sam’s Club or Costco.
- Flour – For this recipe you’ll want to use cake flour. If you don’t have any, no worries – just use 3 cups all purpose flour and whisk it together with 2 Tb cornstarch.
- Baking Powder – For rise in the cake.
- Salt – For balance.
- Milk – I use 2% because that’s what we generally have on hand.
- Sprinkles – Jimmies or quins work best for the least bleed.
- For the icing, you’ll need powdered sugar, water, and vanilla.
Things you’ll need
- Mixing Bowls – I like these with the grippy bottoms so they don’t slide around.
- Whisk – You don’t need a hand mixer for this recipe, but you will need a whisk.
- Silicone Spatulas – I use these for everything and they’re great for mixing batter.
- Bundt Pan – You’ll need a standard 10″ bundt pan.
- Sprinkles – There are so many Christmas sprinkles to choose from but some will bleed so I stick with jimmies.
How to make a bundt cake from scratch
Making this cake from scratch is nearly as easy as whipping up a box mix.
- STEP ONE: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- STEP TWO: In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- STEP THREE: Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour in the milk, stir until combined, and then pour in the remaining dry ingredients and sprinkles and stir until just combined.
- STEP FOUR: Pour the batter into a greased & floured bundt pan and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.
- STEP FIVE: While the cake is cooling, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract. Once fully cooled, pour the icing over the cake and top with more sprinkles.
What do you use to grease a bundt pan?
Use a non-stick spray, like Pam, and spray the pan thoroughly. If you don’t have non-stick spray, melted shortening will work as well or homemade cake release. Just avoid butter as it will act as a glue to the pan.
Do you flip a bundt cake right away?
When you take the cake out of the oven, don’t flip it out of the pan right away. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before you attempt to flip it, then it should come out easily.
How many does a bundt cake serve?
A 10″ bundt cake will serve 12-16 depending on how generously you slice it.
Tips for Success 🎄
- Start with room temperature eggs and milk.
- Make sure to properly spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping out the flour for accurate amounts.
- If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute 3 cups all purpose white flour + 2 tbsp cornstarch whisked together.
- Store covered for up to 5 days.
- Cake will freeze well if wrapped tightly and stored in a freezer bag for up to a month.
- If you want the glaze to be white, use clear vanilla extract. If using regular, it will be a bit tan/brown.
Holiday Bundt Cake
Need more bundt cakes in your life? Try these:
Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake
Orange Banana Bundt Cake
Lemon Bundt Cake
Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake
Butterscotch Bundt Cake
Click to view my entire collection of cake recipes.
Also, click to view my entire collection of Christmas recipes.
Christmas Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1.5 cups granulated white sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour + 2 Tablespoons OR 3 cups all purpose white flour + 2 TB cornstarch whisked together
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk I used 2%
- ¼ cup sprinkles jimmies or quins work best
For the Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray and flour a 10" bundt pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Then, add the milk and stir until combined.
- Lastly, add the rest of the dry ingredients and sprinkles and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack.
- While the cake is cooling, make the icing by adding the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla to a large bowl and whisking until smooth.
- Once the cake has completely cooled, pour the icing over the top.
- Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Made from scratch is always better, but I have made this cake using a yellow or white box mix, to which I add 1 tsp vanilla and the sprinkles. There are never any leftovers, so it can’t be too bad.
I’m sure it’s not, but this one is really good 🙂
I am planning to make this cake exactly as you have shown it for this Christmas. I know it’s July, but it’s not too early to plan,right? I am confused about the sprinkles you have used. Did you use quins in the batter and sugar pearls to decorate the outside of the baked cake? Any further info you could give me would be greatly appreciated! The way you have done it really caught my attention so I would like to duplicate it as much as possible. Thanks!
I love the preparedness 🙂 Yes, in the pics I used quins in the batter and sugar pearls on top. In the video (that should pop up while you’re on the page), I used quins in the batter & on top (my girls don’t like the sugar pearls). Report back after you try it!
I am lactose intolerant, can this recipe be made with almond milk?
I haven’t tested it but it should be ok
I was super excited to make this for Christmas. It was beautiful but it turned out incredibly dense. What did I do wrong?
Two people have told me that this year & it’s hard to say. First questions would be did you use cake flour & did you measure it correctly? Second would be where do you live? I’m wondering if it’s an elevation issue.
Thank you for the response. I live in California so I don’t think elevation is a problem. Yes, I measured correctly. My cake flour had expired so I used the flour/cornstarch combo just to be safe. I will try again with cake flour and see if that helps. Happy Holidays.
Please let me know – I haven’t been able to replicate but something is happening for some people…