January 24, 2017

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake

posted by Julie in Bundt Cakes, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, Recipes, Spring, Winter

An easy vanilla-studded bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.  A perfect winter treat!

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

Okay, friends.  We’re taking a quick break from my lineup of Super Bowl Party-worthy snacks and desserts.  I just… I need a minute after Sunday’s tragic game.

But since we live in a world where “alternative facts” are now a thing, I can just declare that the Steelers won, right?  SUPER BOWL BOUND!  Sigh.  Alternative facts.

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

Ahem, sorry.  About that little break – we’re going to talk about bundt cakes.  You guys know I have a minor obsession with them, which is why you might not be surprised that the theme for 2017 is… Bundt Cake of the Month!

Are you excited?  I’m excited.  Bundt cakes are definitely having a moment right now.  Did you even know there’s a national chain of bakeries called Nothing Bundt Cakes?  I just learned this.  Move over, cupcakes and macarons.  Bundt cakes are where it’s at.

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

And really, it’s no wonder.  They’re the perfect overlap between fancy enough for a party yet still low maintenance.  Much more fun and pretty than a sheet cake, but much faster than baking, assembling, and decorating a layer cake.  Bundt cakes for everyone!

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

It’s winter up here in the northern hemisphere, which means produce pickings are a little slim.  Citrus is king in the winter, and that is a-okay with me.  We’re hitting the tail end of clementine season (sob!) so how better to celebrate than this Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake?

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

I first made a version of this cake — as a layer cake — way back in graduate school, before I started this blog.  A tech in the lab asked for a cinnamon cake for his birthday.  I added in some grated clementine zest, and the result was amazing.  It was my favorite cake I’ve ever made, and I’ve been itching to remake it.

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

I can’t believe it took me this long (that same tech has now gone all the way through medical school and is in his intern year now), but as soon as I settled on bundt cakes, I knew a cinnamon clementine bundt cake was the first cake I was going to make.  It was worth the wait.

The bundt cake itself is pretty simple.  We’ll use fresh clementine zest, lots of cinnamon, and vanilla bean paste.  Yes, you can use regular vanilla extract.  But I really encourage the vanilla bean paste . {This post may include affiliate links.}

Vanilla bean paste is made from actual scraped vanilla beans, so not only is it delicious, but it dots your baked goods with beautiful little specks of vanilla beans.  It’s perfect for a cake like this, where you can actually see the little specks when you cut a slice of cake!

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

Now, you can stop here.  Buuuuut… what pairs better with a cinnamon clementine bundt cake than cinnamon cream cheese frosting?  Nothing, that’s what.  Extra cinnamony frosting, please and thank you.

I served this for our little New Year’s Eve party – along with a side of extra cream cheese frosting, for those who wanted a bit more.  Bundt cakes are big and serve a lot of people – and yet at the end of the evening, there were just two slices remaining… both of which were devoured at brunch the next morning.

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake: An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. {Bunsen Burner Bakery}

So clearly, it’s not just me.  This cinnamon clementine bundt cake is a winner, and you need it in your life, too.

{Bundt cake pan available here}

Print Recipe
Yield: Serves 12-16

Cinnamon Clementine Bundt Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
  • zest of 4 clementines
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup whole milk

For the frosting:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons clementine juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt cake pan.
  2. Using a mixer, beat the butter until pale yellow and fluffy.  Add in the sugar, followed by the eggs.  Beat in the vanilla beat paste and clementine zest.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  With the mixer running, slowly add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the whole milk.
  4. Pour the batter into the bundt pan.  Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
  5. To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add in the clementine juice and cinnamon.  Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar.
posted in Bundt Cakes, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, Recipes, Spring, Winter
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