Cinnamon Bundt Cake

About this recipe

• Plain and flavorful: a simple and unassuming cinnamon pound cake that some might pass by. But it works. Every time. Because the flavor is there, subtler in the cake batter and more pronounced in the swirl. I get raves, and so will you.
• Moist but dense crumb: which is the way a good pound cake should be. The sour cream contributes to a moist and creamy texture that is amazing. I am a huge, huge fan of cakes with sour cream, especially plain ones like the Chocolate Bundt Cake and the Lemon Pound Cake.
• Keeps well and can be frozen: you can have it at room temperature for several days or freeze it for a month if you need to bake ahead for whatever reason.
• Versatile: it can be served plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar, or you can add a cinnamon glaze or frosting. Either way, the flavor will be there.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this cake are super simple, everyday ones you probably have already.

• Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon. 
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper. 
• Unsalted butter.
• Sour cream: use whole, not reduced in fat.
• Milk: whole is the best choice for a rich cake. But you can use reduced fat milk.
• Eggs: fresh, large.
• Flour: all-purpose flour and cake flour work.
• Baking powder: is used as leavener to help the cake rise, so make sure it isn't expired.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• White granulated sugar.
• Brown sugar: light or dark.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.

Preparing the bundt cake pan

If you love making bundt cakes, you probably know the pain of not being able to remove it from the pan in one piece. I know it happened to me many times!

I have three ways of dealing with this:

1. Butter: I use soft butter (NOT melted) and patiently cover the whole pan, every nook, cranny, and every sharp angle. I use a brush or my fingers. I then flour the pan and refrigerate it while putting together the batter. I take it out at the last moment when I need to fill it. So it goes cold into the oven.
2. Baking spray: I use a spray labeled as having flour or being specifically made for baking. My experience is that some sprays that are made for cooking don't work that well for baking recipes.
3. Recipe: whenever I find a great recipe that can be easily removed from an intricate bundt pan, even though I didn’t follow step 1 above, I cling to it!

How to make the cinnamon pound cake batter

Electric or stand mixer: this is a large cake and I highly encourage you to use a mixer.

Flour mixture: sift it before adding it to avoid clumps that won't dissolve during baking.

Wet ingredients: are added to the butter mixture alternating with the dry ones. This will allow them to integrate better.

Final batter: is smooth and thick. Use a spatula to ensure it's all well combined and no dry spots remain at the bottom of the bowl.

Vintage Kitchen tip: after incorporating flour in a cake batter, we don't want to develop gluten as it will toughen the baked cake. So mix *just* until it's all well incorporated, but don't overbeat. I like to end with a spatula to ensure the ingredients are integrated but not overmixed.

Cinnamon sugar swirl

We need to layer the cinnamon sugar between the cake batter; the swirl will create itself during baking.

Flavorings: are added to the butter mixture before the dry ingredients.

Flour mixture: sift it before adding it to avoid clumps that won't dissolve during baking.

Cinnamon glaze

It adds another layer of sweetness and keeps the cake moist.

Powdered sugar glaze with ground cinnamon: is the glaze we favor the most as it's quick to make and delicious. Adjust the amount of spice to your taste. You can strengthen the cinnamon flavor by using double the amount I recommend in the recipe card.

Other options:

• Cinnamon cream cheese frosting: the classic frosting we love so much, that's thicker and richer. Find the recipe in the Mexican chocolate cinnamon cake recipe.
• Cream cheese glaze: is a more fluid variation of the classic frosting made with less powdered sugar so it's runny.

Bundt pans

Bundt cakes can be stunning and a showstopper, even if they don't have much decoration.

The pans come in different patterns and finishes.

The more intricate the pattern, the more difficult it can be to remove the cake. And that can be a challenge.

• Plain patterns: these pans make simpler-looking cakes that are usually easier to remove. They're better for batters that have fruit or other add-ins that can stick to the sides during baking. Some popular ones are the elegant bundt pan, the pro cast bundt pan, or the fluted bundt pan (the pattern I use the most).
• Intricate patterns: these pans have designs with nooks and crannies that can make it harder to remove the baked cake easily. They're best for simpler batters with no add-ins. They go from simpler ones, like the vintage star bundt pan or the famous heritage pan, and become more intricate, like the blossom bundt pan or the Bavaria cake pan, ending in very detailed ones, such as the cut crystal pan or the pine forest cake pan.
• Tube cake pans: the angel cake pan fall in this category. They are vintage pans with a center hole so they count as bundt cakes. They have straight sides and no patterns and are great for larger cakes.