Birthday Bundt Cake

It’s my birthday month! My actual birthday isn’t for another couple weeks, but why not start celebrating early? My 28th year has certainly been a crazy and different one, full of unexpected things, but a good one, nonetheless. It seems only fitting to kick off the final year of my twenties with a fun, celebratory cake: a Birthday Bundt Cake!

A couple weeks ago, my boyfriend surprised me with a gorgeous KitchenAid stand mixer for an early birthday present. I’d been wanting one for a while, knowing it would make my life so much easier (and his, too, by default). Well, one day I came home from a stressful doctor’s visit, and there it was, waiting for me on our kitchen counter! He’d sneakily ordered it and had it shipped to our friend’s house so I wouldn’t get suspicious.

Needless to say, this Birthday Bundt Cake was its maiden voyage. And y’all, I am obsessed. Now I look for reasons to use it.

Let me tell y’all, my new stand mixer makes a WORLD of difference. I joked with my fellow stand-mixer-owning friends that I finally know what actual creamed butter and sugar is supposed to look like. The batter for my cake was also super light, fluffy, and silky. And the final result? *chef’s kiss* Not to mention whipping egg whites will be so much easier, as will kneading bread dough.

Another important factor: Remember to keep your cake ingredients at room temperature. Why does this matter? As Sally’s Baking Addiction says, when eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients are at room temperature, they form an emulsion and trap air. When baked, that trapped air expands, resulting in a light and fluffy cake. Room temperature ingredients also bond together better when mixed, which creates a smoother texture. It’s all about texture.

I have a bit of an obsession with bundt cakes. They’re just so pretty and unique. Preparing bundt cake pans can be a bit tricky, but it’s so important! A bundt cake pan that’s not properly greased or floured will make your cake stick to the pan, and tear and crumble. And that’s no good.

To properly prepare your bundt cake pan, rub the inside with a stick of semi-softened butter, making sure that butter gets into every little nook and cranny. Then dust some flour over the butter, and rotate the pan to make sure the flour coats every inch of butter. Chill the pan in your fridge until the batter is done and you’re ready to bake!

My Birthday Bundt Cake is similar to a pound cake. It’s a little more dense than a regular cake, but not quite as dense as a real pound cake. Honestly, I didn’t have enough butter to make a real pound cake when I first made this cake. But I’m super happy with how it turned out!

I love a classic almond pound cake, so I made my Birthday Bundt Cake almond flavored (with a splash of vanilla, because I put vanilla in everything). If that’s not your thing, feel free to make it vanilla or lemon. And since it’s a Birthday Bundt Cake, of course there are rainbow sprinkles. Lots of rainbow sprinkles.

Ready to bake? Let’s make a Birthday Bundt Cake!

If you like this recipe, you might also like my Celebration Cake Balls or Thin Mint Truffles.