Chocolate Vanilla Bundt Cake

This Chocolate Vanilla Bundt Cake is a two-flavor, two-toned, swirled delight. This cake uses only a simple glaze rather than frosting so as not to overshadow the rich flavor of the cake. It’s a delicious, no-frills recipe that is so good!

We’ve made a lot of cakes over the years. If you look through the blog, you’ll find more than you can shake a spatula at, in fact. We’ve done everything from icebox cakes to layered cakes, frosted cakes, and everything in between. They’re all delicious, and they all have their place.

Many of our cakes are just filled to capacity with pudding or frosting and then slathered with more frosting on the outside. They’re absolutely sweet perfection. However, sometimes, you don’t want a super sweet cake. Sometimes, you want something a little more subdued, and that’s where this chocolate vanilla bundt cake comes in.

Chocolate Vanilla Bundt Cake

There are lots of cake variations out there, from fruit-filled to whipped cream-laden and thickly frosted. They’re all fantastic, and they satisfy the sweetest of sweet tooths. We know. We’ve made them all. Then there are cakes like this that focus on simplicity to bring delicious flavor to the dessert plate.

This chocolate vanilla bundt cake is all about keeping things simply delicious. It’s a swirled chocolate and vanilla cake prepared in a bundt pan and then drizzled with a simple glaze to deliver a rich, moist cake that’s just the right amount of sweetness. It’s a marvel of simplicity and flavor, and that swirled batter makes for a cake that’s really darn pretty, to boot!

Ingredients

Considering that this cake is completely from scratch, the ingredient list is remarkably short. This cake uses a simple recipe that doesn’t require a ton of fancy ingredients. In fact, if you do any baking whatsoever, you probably have all of these ingredients in your kitchen already. They’re all basic baking staples. Here’s what you’ll need.

For the Cake Batter

• Non-stick cooking spray
• All purpose flour
• Salt
• Whole milk
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs
• Unsalted butter at room temperature
• Granulated sugar
• Dark cocoa powder

For the Glaze

• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Whole Milk

That’s all there is to it. As you can see, all of these ingredients are simple, kitchen staples that almost everyone has in their kitchen. It’s a recipe you don’t even have to shop for.

Making the Chocolate Vanilla Bundt Cake

While the ingredient list is short, making the cake is a bit more involved. Don’t panic! This is mostly owed to the fact that you’ll be making two batters. Remember, though, that the cake batter recipe is very simple. The entire recipe is really just a matter of making the batters, swirling them together, and then baking. When you break it down, it becomes a fairly straightforward affair.

You’ll find the complete recipe along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post. However, the overview that follows gives an excellent guide to the recipe and how simple it is to prepare. This recipe is really more about taking a bit of extra time than about complexity.

For the Cake

• Generously spray the bundt pan with cooking spray.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating fully before adding the next egg.
• Combine flour and salt.
• Add half the dry ingredients at a time, alternating with the milk.
• Add the second half of the dry ingredients and vanilla. Mix until combined.
• Place half the batter in a piping bag or large Ziploc bag.
• Add the the cocoa powder to the remaining batter and beat until combined.
• Add the chocolate batter to another piping bag or large Ziploc bag.
• Alternate adding vanilla and chocolate batter into the ridges of the bundt pan.
• Use a rubber spatular or wooden skewer to spread the batter all the way up the sides of the pan.
• Pipe the remaining batter into the pan until it’s full, alternating the batters.
• Bake.

For the Glaze

• Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.

Putting the Cake Together

• Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan.
• Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes more, then drizzle with the glaze.
• Enjoy!

That’s all there is to it. As you can see, the batter recipe itself is very easy. The most labor-intensive part of this recipe is the alternation of the batters. Once you get rolling, however, that becomes quite simple, too.

Tips

These tips will help ensure that you make the best cake you possibly can. Don’t skip this section, as these tips are essential to mastering this recipe.

Be Generous with the Non-Stick Spray

Bundt cakes are beautiful but the pans are notorious for ruining cakes. Make sure you are generous with your non-stick spray when spraying your pan. Really get it into all the little nooks and crannies so that your cake doesn’t stick in the little ridges and come apart when you try to remove it.

Room Temperature Eggs

It’s important to let your eggs come to room temperature before using them in this recipe. There are a full eight eggs in this batter, and having them at room temperature is key. When at room temperature, eggs mix into the batter more easily and the cake will rise better.

If you forgot to let your eggs come to room temperature, simply place them in warm water for about 5 minutes. That will do the trick.

Let the Cake Cool Before Glazing

Don’t get impatient when it’s time to glaze the cake. Be sure you let your chocolate vanilla bundt cake cool for a full 30 minutes after removing it from the pan before applying the glaze. That will put the cake at the perfect temperature. It will be warm enough to allow the glaze to spread over the cake but not so hot that the glaze becomes watery and simply slides right off the cake.

Variations

There might be a lot of moving parts to this recipe, but there aren’t a lot of variations to do with it. This cake relies on its simplicity of flavor and execution to work its magic. That being said, there is one way to mix things up with this recipe and make it a bit faster if you don’t want to do a from-scratch variety – cake mix!

You can make this a semi-homemade recipe by simply using boxed cake mix rather than making the batter from scratch. Go with chocolate and vanilla as this recipe calls for or get creative with your batters! Try chocolate and strawberry. Give vanilla and German chocolate a try. Chose any mix you like. You’ll find so many varieties in the baking aisle. The sky is the limit!

Serving Chocolate Vanilla Bundt Cake

We don’t recommend serving anything with this cake other than the glaze that it’s topped with. The idea with this cake is to enjoy all the rich, moist texture and flavor of the cake and accent it with the glaze. This is not a cake that needs frosting, whipped cream, and the like.

To serve, simply slice a piece and pair it with a glass of milk or mug of hot coffee. It’s all about simplicity here! It’s a great cake for a weekend dessert, potluck, or backyard party. This dessert is also tasty and pretty enough to make an appearance at holiday get-togethers, as well.

Storing Chocolate Vanilla Bundt Cake

This cake will keep well in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to four days. You can store it in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to seven days. For longer storage, you can freeze this cake for up to three months.

To freeze it simply allow it to chill completely and then wrap it in clingwrap and then again in foil. To serve, allow the cake to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

Chocolate Vanilla Bundt Cake is Perfection

With its swirled batter and simple glaze, this chocolate vanilla bundt cake is the picture of simplicity perfected. This cake is absolutely delicious and so satisfying without any need for bells or whistles. The rich moist cake and that sweet drizzle come together to make a cake that rivals any frosted cake you’ll ever eat. Give this recipe a try, and you’ll never look back!

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