Maple Bundt Cake
A moist and buttery bundt cake scented with pure maple syrup and topped with whipped cream.
This maple bundt cake recipe from a Martha Stewart cookbook stopped me in my tracks years ago and it’s been a favorite ever since. (And not just because it makes my house smell deliciously like pancakes while it’s baking.)
This bundt cake is not only simple to prepare, but it doesn’t require any extra effort to make it a beautiful dessert. Just a little maple-sweetened whipped cream and a drizzle of more syrup on top right before serving and voila!— both stunning and delicious.
Ingredients you’ll need
Let’s get baking, shall we? Here’s everything you’ll need to get started (full recipe below):
- Unsalted butter
- Light or dark brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Maple syrup
- Sour cream
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Heavy whipping cream
How to make this maple bundt cake
I love bundt cakes because they are so simple and fuss-free! It naturally comes out of the bundt pan looking gorgeous and all you need to add is a simple topping of whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- This cake uses the creaming method, which means it starts with beating the butter and sugar together until soft, then you alternate adding the remaining dry and wet ingredients.
- Because it’s such a thick cake, it will take about 35-40 minutes to bake. If the cake feels firm and bounces back when gently pressed, test it with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then flip it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks, then dollop over the top of the cooled cake. Make little wells in the center of the whipped cream and drizzle whipped cream over it. Add maple syrup only right before serving.
Tips for this bundt cake
- Use only real maple syrup for this recipe (not imitation maple syrup). And since it’s such an important ingredient, it’s worth it to spend a little extra for quality syrup.
- Let all of the cold cake ingredients (butter, sour cream, eggs) come to room temperature before mixing the batter. This will help the cake to rise properly.
- I used a standard 9-inch bundt cake pan for this recipe, but some bundt pans vary slightly in volume. A good rule of thumb is to not fill your bundt cake pan more than 2/3 full or you risk overflowing the pan as it bakes.
- To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, try using a nonstick pan and grease generously with a nonstick baking spray (which has flour in it). I never have issues with bundt cakes sticking to the pan when I use a nonstick pan + baking spray.
- Bundt cakes are great for making ahead. It’ll keep at room temperature for several days, or you can wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and store in the freezer for a month or more. When ready to enjoy, simply let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours before removing the plastic wrap, then top with whipped cream.
More bundt cakes to love
- Lime Bundt Cake
- Caramel Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake
- Cheesecake-Swirled Carrot Bundt Cake
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This recipe was originally published October 2015.
Maple Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Maple Bundt Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (226 grams)
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar (105 grams)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pure maple syrup (156 grams)
- 1 cup sour cream (227 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Maple Whipped Cream:
- ½ cup cold heavy whipping cream (125 ml)
- 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup , plus more for drizzling
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch bundt pan with butter and dust with flour, or coat well with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed.
- In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the maple syrup, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl in 3 additions, alternating with the maple syrup mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until just combined.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread it out evenly. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 35-40 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the whipped cream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or in a bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the whipping cream to soft peaks. Add 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup and again whip to soft peaks. Taste and add remaining tablespoon of syrup if desired.
- Top cooled bundt cake with whipped cream and drizzle with additional maple syrup right before serving.
Darn. Now I’m going to have to buy a bundt pan. 😉
This looks truly magical! Pinned!
Bundt cake that tastes and smells like pancakes…I’m in! Can’t wait to try it. Your photos are beautiful. Pinned!
This looks wonderful and has a lovely seasonal flavouring too! I just need to be able to find a Bundt pan over here!
You can buy one online. So worth it!
I love the flavor of maple syrup–this cake looks like the perfect showcase for it!
I love maple, and at this time of year i can not get enough of it. This cake looks so tempting. I’ll have to pull out my Bundt pan!
I love the presentation, with the whipped cream topping and maple syrup. So pretty!
My wife and I just got back from a road trip to Vermont. We bought a jug of syrup on top of a mountain and after seeing your post, I knew what we were having for dessert! We loved it. Nice and moist, not too sweet and just the right mapley goodness.
Thanks Annalise. Hope Utah is treating you well.
Thanks Ross! So happy to hear you both loved it!
Just wondering what technique you used to make the whipped cream so pretty with the little pillows for the syrup?
Hi Michelle! I just used a spoon to scoop mounds of whipped cream onto the cake and swirl little wells into it.
Made this today. I added 1/2 cup of sugar because 1/2 cup of brown sugar didn’t seem like enough.
It still needed to be a tad bit sweeter. Next time I may try adding 1 cup brown sugar and 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar.
This is the same as Martha Stewart’s maple bundt cake recipe. https://www.marthastewart.com/318085/maple-bundt-cake?printview
Yes it is! Such a great cake recipe. I made a few minor changes and give credit in the recipe card.
Very good but the maple syrup measuring has a typo. It should be 1/2 cup syrup or 156 grams.