An easy vanilla-studded bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. A perfect winter treat!
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.
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.
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!
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?
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.
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!
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.
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}
An easy one-bowl bundt cake, packed full of cinnamon and clementine zest, covered with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
For the frosting: