Best Bundt Cakes (+ Essential Bundt Baking Tips)

Bundt cakes are the best all-occasion cake — fancier than a sheet cake, but more relaxed than a layer cake. 10 tips for the best bundt you’ve ever made, plus 30+ recipes for the best bundt cakes out there!

Happy National Bundt Day!

You didn’t know it was National Bundt Day?!  I don’t know who comes up with all these silly food holidays, but this is one I can definitely get behind.  After all, I like big bundts… and I cannot lie.

Okay, come on.  30+ bundt cake recipes on my site and I have yet to make that joke.  You had to know it was coming eventually… right?

But it’s true.  I totally love bundt cakes, and the bigger the better.  I know little mini bundt cakes have plenty of fans, but I love the big ones.  There’s something so majestic about a giant bundt cake on a pretty cake plate.

And so, after years of baking bundts, I thought I’d compile some of my best tips, so you can make your Best Bundt Ever in honor of National Bundt Day.

Tips to Bake the Perfect Bundt Cake

1. Use a non-stick bundt pan in good shape.  Lots of scratches = lots of little areas to stick.  Most of my bundt pants are Nordicware (affiliate link, but not sponsored), and they all release beautifully.
2. Use the right size bundt pan!  Some recipes provide you with an actual size (i.e., prepare a 12 cup bundt pan).  Many do not.  You want the batter to fill the pan roughly two-thirds to three-fourths of the way up the sides of the pan.  If you find that your batter goes higher than this, stop and save the rest of the batter for another use.  If the batter doesn’t fill the pan this high, the shape will be disappointing.
3. Use non-stick spray or melted shortening to grease your pans.  Butter contains milk solids, which can increase the stickiness of the cake.  If you’ve been using melted butter to grease your pans and find that they stick, try a coating of non-stick vegetable spray instead.  You can also coat with a thin layer of flour if your pans are prone to sticking.
4. Grease the pan just before adding batter.  Most recipes start with “Preheat your oven to 350. Grease your pan…” I’ll admit it – some of my earlier bundt recipes do this, too.  But after baking so many bundts, I’ve realized that greasing your pan ahead of time means the nonstick spray just pools in the bottom of the pan.  Wait until right before you add the batter so the spray stays on the sides of the pan, right where you need it.
5. Spoon the batter into the pan, ensuring that all little crevices are full.  Once all the batter is in, tap the pan firmly on the counter several times.  Air bubbles in the bottom of the pan bake into little divots, ruining the intricate designs.
6. Use a spatula to spread the batter UP the sides of the pan, a little higher than the center.  Bundt cakes will rise and starting the batter higher up on the sides allows the cake both to bake more evenly and prevents the center from doming.
7. If the center does dome, use a clean dishcloth and gently press down on the domed center as soon as taking the cake out of the oven. This will ensure a flat, even bottom once you turn the cake out and place it on a serving dish.
8. Let the cake rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes after removing from the hot oven.  You need the cake to cool enough to firm up before removing.  But waiting too long to remove the cake can also contribute to the cake breaking.  Turn the cake upside-down onto a cooling pan and let it sit for 10 minutes – the cake will start to pull away from the sides of the pan and release naturally.
9. If the sides of the cake are sticking a little, run a knife or flexible spatula down the sides of the still-warm cake to carefully release the sides. This works better if the cake is still warm, so don’t let it cool completely in the pan!
10. If you absolutely cannot get the cake out of the pan, return your cake to a 300 °F oven for 10 minutes.  This is usually just long enough to help release any areas still sticking to the side of the pan.

Now that you’re armed with tips for your best bundt baking, you need some recipes, right?!  Here’s what I’m calling the Ultimate Bundt Collection: the best bundts I’ve found, made by myself and others!