I Cracked the Nothing Bundt Cakes Secret Recipe!

Today, I’m diving into the much-anticipated and closely guarded Nothing Bundt Cakes secret recipe, revealing how to make irresistibly delicious bundt cakes from scratch!

Nothing Bundt Cakes’ most popular flavor?

I couldn’t resist the temptation with a new Nothing Bundt Cakes location opening nearby. After exploring their website and checking out all the flavors of the most popular Nothing Bundt Cakes, I decided to challenge myself by making my own copycat bundt cake version at home.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is known for many things, (like their mini bundtlettes and their flavor variety) but what people on the internet rave about most is their moist cakes.

Some of the most popular flavors from Nothing Bundt Cakes are:

• Chocolate Chocolate Chip: Super chocolatey and moist, perfect for those who love a rich dessert.
• Red Velvet: Rich with a velvety texture and a hint of chocolate, topped with creamy frosting.
• Lemon: Fresh and zesty, great for a lighter, tangy treat.
• White Chocolate Raspberry: A sweet mix of white chocolate with bursts of raspberry—really yummy!

I settled on the lemon flavor because I LOVE lemon, and let’s be honest…who doesn’t?

Once I was finished baking this cake I took it to a neighborhood party and I’m pleased to report that the whole cake was gone within 20 minutes. Now when I run into people who were there they always remind me how delicious that cake was!

What is the Nothing Bundt Cakes secret recipe?

What’s the secret to Nothing Bundt Cakes’ irresistible texture and moisture? It’s a combination of the right ingredients and a few special techniques.

Tip #1-Use Only High-Quality Ingredients

Without a doubt, a great homemade cake starts with a great recipe. Here is a rundown of the ingredients you’ll need to make this cake:

• All-Purpose Flour- No need for cake flour here. All-purpose flour creates a tender and delightful crumb.
• Sugar- Just the right amount of sweetness to highlight the lemon flavor.
• Unsalted Butter-At room temperature, it’s the key to a velvety texture.
• Baking Powder- The secret to a light and airy rise.
• Buttermilk- adds moisture and a hint of tang.
• Cream Cheese-Real cream cheese is key to achieving the famously moist texture.
• Lemon Zest– You’ll need 2 whole lemons. It’s the secret ingredient for a fresh lemony taste.
• Fresh Lemon Juice– After zesting, squeeze both lemons to get the freshest-tasting lemon juice.

Tip #2- Use Room Temperature Ingredients

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before you start mixing. This really helps to airate the batter, making your cake lighter and tastier.

Eggs: To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, simply place them in a medium bowl filled with lukewarm water.

Butter: Cut the butter into small cubes and spread them evenly on a plate. Microwave the cubes for 5 seconds, then give them a stir or rearrange them, and check the consistency. Repeat if necessary, but be careful not to melt the butter.

Cream Cheese: You can soften cream cheese in the microwave on a low power setting in short bursts, checking frequently to prevent it from melting.

Tip #3 –Bake at 325 Degrees 

Bundt cakes do best when baked at 325 degrees for about 55 min to 1 hour. For optimal results when baking a 10-inch Bundt cake, set a timer for 55 minutes and begin checking for doneness around the 50-minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center.

If it comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached, your cake is ready. If not, continue baking and checking at 5-minute intervals until it is perfectly baked. 

How to make a Nothing Bundt Cake Secret Recipe Lemon Cake

Here’s how to make a thick and moist bundt cake completely from scratch, using only fresh, pure ingredients—no pudding mix or cake mix in sight!

Prepare Lemons

• Prepare the lemons. The easiest way is to zest them all first, then juice them. Two lemons should yield about 2 Tbsp juice and 1 Tbsp. zest. 

Measure the Ingredients

• Combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest, in a medium bowl.  
• Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set both of these aside.

Cream the Mixture

• Cream together unsalted butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs to the creamed mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine Ingredients and Bake

• Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
• Pour the batter into a greased and floured bundt cake pan.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Use The Right Size Pan

Bundt cake pans are known for their unique shape but are not all equal. Look for a bundt cake pan that has a non-stick coating and holds about 10 cups of batter. I like these Nordic Ware bundt cake pans.

Nothing Bundt Cakes offers 2 sizes of their full-size bundt cakes, an 8-inch, and a 10-inch. This recipe is sized for a 10-inch cake. To make a 10-inch cake, you’ll need a 10-inch bundt cake pan. The batter should come about an inch from the top of the bundt pan.

Glaze and Frost the Cake

• Once the cake has cooled, brush with a simple syrup made from lemon juice and sugar. 
• Prepare the frosting by mixing powdered sugar, buttermilk, cream cheese, and a pinch of salt.
• Glaze the cooled cake with the prepared frosting. Here is a full tutorial on frosting your bundt cake in the Nothing Bundt Cakes Style. 

Copycat Lemon Nothing Bundt Cake

The perfect burst of lemon flavor in a moist and delicious made-from-scratch cake

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

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Cake Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups All-purpose flour 240g
• ▢ 2/3 tsp Baking powder 3g
• ▢ 2/3 tsp Salt 3g
• ▢ 2 sticks Butter- softened 226g
• ▢ 2 cups Granulated sugar 450g
• ▢ 4 large Eggs- room temperature
• ▢ 4 ounces Cream cheese, room temperature 113g
• ▢ 2/3 cup Buttermilk 160ml
• ▢ 1 Tbsp lemon zest From 2 lemons
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice Juice from 2 lemons

Glaze Ingredients

• ▢ 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
• ▢ 1/3 cup Granulated sugar

Frosting Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups Powdered sugar 339g
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Buttermilk 15ml
• ▢ 4 oz Cream cheese- softened 113g
• ▢ 4 Tbsp Butter- softened 57g

Instructions

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt cake pan to ensure easy release. Use a stand mixer, electric mixer, or hand mixer on medium speed to prepare the cake batter.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl, measure the buttermilk, and fresh lemon juice. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand-held mixer and another bowl), beat the softened butter, with the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and mix until well combined.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix; stop as soon as the last addition of flour disappears.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan, spreading it evenly and tapping the pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Place the bundt cake pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Baking times may vary, so keep an eye on the cake and adjust as needed.
•  Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, carefully invert the cake onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

How to Make the Lemon Glaze

• Combine 1/3 cup lemon juice, with 1/3 cup granulated sugar and bring to a simmer. Let cool slightly and brush over the top surface of the bundt cake. Allow to cool and absorb bedfore frosting.

How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

• Begin by softening the cream cheese and butter. Leave them out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before beginning.
• Use an electric mixer on medium speed to soften the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and mix until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar in two or three additions. Whip them together until well incorporated and creamy.
• Gradually add the buttermilk (1 tsp at a time) until the desired consistency is reached.
• Once you've achieved the perfect consistency, your cream cheese frosting is ready to frost your bundt cake.

How to Frost Your Bundt Cake

• Ensure your Bundt cake is completely cooled before starting the frosting process.
• To fill a piping bag: first, insert a large round piping tip into the bottom of the bag. Then, use a spatula to scoop your frosting into the bag, ensuring it's evenly distributed and avoiding air pockets, before twisting the top of the bag to close it.
• To replicate the iconic Nothing Bundt Cakes look, you'll want to create lines of cream cheese frosting. First start on the outside of the cake, squeeze your pastry bag until you get a bead of frosting about 1/2 inch wide. Now draw the bead of frosting in an arch over the top of the cake and finish in the center. Rotate the cake and pipe another line the same way about an inch away from the first line. Repeat this process until you've gone all the way around the bundt cake.
• If desired, add decorative touches like sprinkles or edible flowers to recreate the Nothing Bundt Cake style.
• Allow the frosting to set slightly before serving your beautifully frosted Bundt cake.

How to Turn this cake into a White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt cake

• Add 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips to the batter before baking
• Substitute 1/2 cup crushed fresh raspberries for the lemon zest and lemon juice

Enjoy this Nothing Bundt Cakes secret recipe

Now you know the secrets to crafting your very own Lemon Nothing Bundt Cake. This beautiful cake is perfect for special occasions, celebrations, a baby shower, or whenever you’re craving a delicious bundt cake. So go ahead and treat yourself to a slice of bundt cake that tastes better than the real thing!

If you love baking then you may need to read this. As bakers, there are so many details to think about that we often forget to pay attention to the proper storage of our baking flour. To find out about proper flour storage, flour expiration dates, and ideal storage methods, check out my Best Baking Flour Guide by clicking here.