Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Bundt Cake is perfect for anyone who loves the drink it is inspired by. Keep reading to check out the other coffee shop inspired bundt cakes shared by our bakers.
I have not discussed Skadi much recently–we will blame the thyroid cancer because she continues to have a huge personality and be a big part of our lives. These days we call her the Mob Boss because she is kinda mean to the other dogs. I would like to find it funny, and I do most of the time, but it got so bad with Skamp that we called in a personal trainer. Most of what he has us doing has to do with reinforcing our domination over her and occupying and exhausting her evil (super smart) brain. Or, as my brother put it, “Working dog gotta work, Dog.” Check this gorgeousness out:
Local people, if you are curious we are working with Vinnie at Say It Once Dog Training and we love them and I am NOT being paid to say that. But I love them enough to give them some free press.
Anyway–dog owner brag moment–it took her a week to learn to use the treadmill on her own without a leash. This girl is freaky smart. We are concerned she is smarter than us. She could probably rule the world if she wanted to.
OK back to Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Bundt Cake… I have been a bad Bundt Baker for a while now–something else to blame on my health, moving, etc–but when I saw the theme for this month, cakes based on coffee shop drinks, I knew I was joining in. I love desserts based on coffee, so the theme was just too fun to play around with. Actually, the more I think on it, I could come up with some other fun cakes too. Maybe I will!
This cake is based on my current favorite Starbucks drink–and drink to make at home, their Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew. When I discovered cold brew there was no going back. I have always found traditional coffee too bitter and watery. Something about the cold brew process takes the edge off that bitterness, thus allowing me to add much less cream and sugar so it is also healthier in addition to being much tastier (for me). I was not completely sure how using cold brew coffee would change the baking so I went looking for some inspiration and found this cake made by Grady’s Cold Brew. If you want to keep it milk free, I would not hesitate to make the cake as they call for it (with one exception regarding pan size, keep reading) but since I was basing it off of my favorite drink, I fiddled a little, adding dairy and more vanilla.
This Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Bundt Cake became a great lesson in trusting my instincts when baking. I cannot tell you how often I have a particular instinct when baking and then I ignore it, only to be proven right. I just knew this cake had too much batter for a 9 inch pan, and I did at least put a cookie sheet under the pan in the oven to catch the overflow, but I should have just used a larger bundt pan. I find it so hard to trust my baking instincts. Cooking instincts, well, I have plenty of confidence there, plus it is easy to correct as you go. But baking requires taking a leap of faith in your own instincts and this is something I still struggle with. Trust me and use a 10 inch bundt pan. Worst case scenario the cake will not quite rise to the top of the pan which is no biggie and is better than having to cut off the edges of the cake that baked over the edges of the pan.
And how did the cake itself turn out? Fantastically! Everyone went nuts for this cake. Interestingly, it reminded me a lot of a banana cake or a pumpkin cake, and I have no idea why. If I was a proper chemist baker type I could probably figure out the ratio of moisture to flour and somehow explain it that way but honestly I have no idea. I just know it was fantastic. I completely forgot to sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar before taking pictures–which was extra annoying because I even chose this bundt pan based on how beautiful it is when sprinkled with powdered sugar. So just imagine it that way!
Adapted from Grady's Cold Brew.
- 4 cups (504 g) AP flour
- 1 1/2 t baking soda
- 1/2 t fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 t ground vanilla beans
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 T vanilla
- 1 cup + 3 T strong cold brew coffee (before mixed with water if you add water)
- 5 T milk (2% is fine)
- powdered sugar, for sprinkling (I forgot!)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Choose a 10 inch bundt pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and ground vanilla beans. Add the sugar gradually, about 8 additions, and beat together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl several times as needed.
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each one, and mix to combine, then add the vanilla.
Whisk together the coffee and milk.
Add the flour mixture and milk mixture in 5 and 4 additions, respectively, alternating between the 2 and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do this on the lowest speed and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Spray the bundt pan with a baking spray. Scrape the batter into the pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges of the cake are pulling away from the pan, 60-70 minutes.
Cool the cake for 10-15 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack lined with parchment paper (this is a heavy cake, it will prevent the cake from sinking into the grid of the rack).
Cool the cake completely and then sprinkle with powdered sugar (if you remember to!) before slicing.
Bundt Bakers April 2019
Coffee Shop Bundt Cakes
#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Extra thanks to Felice from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs for hosting this month.
Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.
And don’t forget to take a peek at what our other talented bakers have baked this month ~
- Cappuchino Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze from Merce’s Cake
- Cardamom Mochaccino Bundt from Sweet Sensations
- Chocolate Mocha Bundt from Simply Inspired Meals
- Cinnamon Dolce Latte Mini Bundt from Passion Kneaded
- Dirty Chai Bundt Cake from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
- Eggless Chai Bundt from Sneha’s Recipe
- Liquid Cocaine (Espresso-White Chocolate) Bundt from Food Lust People Love
- Sweet Vanilla Bean Cold Brew Bundt Cake from The Spiced Life
- Tricolor Irish Coffee Bundt Cake from patycocandybar
- White Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt from Living the Gourmet
Looking for a Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Bundt Cake collage to pin?
I’ve never heard of this drink but the cake sounds really interesting. Your pan is just beautiful.
What a beauty, Laura! I am imagining it with the sugar, but honestly, it’s pretty even without it.