Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze is a perfect snack cake. The tangy-sweet buttermilk glaze forms an ultra-thin coating over the melt-in-your-mouth cake.

If you read my blog with any frequency, by now you know that buttermilk is one of my favorite ingredients. I use it in all sorts of recipes from mashed potatoes to scones.

But I absolutely love using buttermilk in cake batter, not only for the special flavor, but mostly for the tenderizing effect that the slightly acidic ingredient has on the cake crumb.

No other ingredient makes as soft and tender a cake as buttermilk does.

How to make the best Buttermilk Bundt Cake:

Don’t be tempted to swap out yogurt or soured milk, it’s really not the same.
If you don’t want to buy buttermilk because you don’t want left overs in the fridge (seriously though, use it in mashed potatoes. It will change your life!!) the best substitute is buttermilk powder.
Use the reverse creaming method for a super-tender cake.
If you’re interested in learning why I use this method for mixing butter cakes rather than the traditional “cream the butter and sugar” method, check out my Cake Batter Mixing Methods post (I’m talking to you, baking science geeks!).
Add a full tablespoon of the best vanilla extract for the best vanilla flavor.
Glaze the cake while it’s slightly warm so the glaze to set to a shiny finish.
If you glaze the cake while it’s too warm the glaze will melt and if you glaze the completely cooled cake the glaze won’t set as nicely.
If you keep a Sourdough Starter, you should definitely try my Sourdough Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze.

Scroll through the process photos to see how to make and glaze Buttermilk Bundt Cake:

Generously butter and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan before pouring in the batter. The cake can get stuck in the nooks if you don’t butter it well.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out onto the cooling rack.

buttermilk bundt cake with buttermilk glaze on a cooling rack

Glaze the cake on a rack set over a clean sheet pan. Collect the run off from the sheet pan and re-glaze the cake until the entire surface is covered. Glaze the cake while it’s still slightly warm for the best finish.

The cake is delicious all by itself, but I love to serve it with fresh berries or seasonal fruit. I find it pairs especially well with apricots or peaches.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

Name: Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 large eggs plus 2 yolks; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup (8 oz, 240ml) buttermilk; 2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz, 315g) cake flour; 1 1/3 cups (11 oz, 308g) granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon table salt; 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz, 168g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1" chunks; 2 cups (8 oz, 224g) confectioner's sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1/4 cup (2 oz, 60ml) buttermilk

Yield: 12-16

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze is a perfect snack cake. The tangy-sweet buttermilk glaze forms an ultra-thin coating over the melt-in-your-mouth cake.

Ingredients

Buttermilk Cake

2 large eggs plus 2 yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz, 240ml) buttermilk
2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz, 315g) cake flour
1 1/3 cups (11 oz, 308g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz, 168g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1" chunks

Buttermilk Glaze

2 cups (8 oz, 224g) confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup (2 oz, 60ml) buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan or using baking spray.

Make the batter

Whisk together the eggs, yolks, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk, set aside.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixer bowl. Mix on low speed to combine the dry ingredients. Toss the chunks of butter into the flour mixture.
Add the reserved 1/2 cup of buttermilk increase the speed to medium. Mix on medium high for 2 minutes to aerate the batter. Scrape the bowl.
Add the eggs in 3 batches, scraping the bowl between each addition. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack set over a clean sheet pan.

Make the Glaze

Combine the sugar, vanilla and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
Pour the glaze over the still slightly warm cake. You can scoop up the glaze from the sheet pan and use it to fill in any gaps in the glaze.
Cool completely and allow the glaze to set. Transfer to a serving plate.