On a busy holiday weekend, this Easter bundt cake is a game-changer. It’s the kind of dessert that shouts “celebration” in every bite, but you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen. This pretty and festive cake is a moist, marble-swirled masterpiece drizzled with pastel-colored frosting and topped with chocolate shavings and mini eggs to look like a spring ‘nest.’
This cake is simple to make but looks Pinterest-worthy. I love the drizzled frosting; its soft pastel colors are pleasant and celebratory without being too heavy with food dye.
Just like my DIY Kinder eggs or my adorable Easter bunny cakes, this recipe is great for beginners and experienced home chefs alike. You’ll be shocked at how easily you can make something so pretty, and be proud to serve this at your Easter dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Easter Bundt Cake Recipe
- Simple to follow steps: You won’t need a Ph.D. in baking for this — seriously, it’s so easy. Mix, swirl, bake, and drizzle… And you’ve got a cake that could rival any bakery’s showcase.
- Unexpected flavors: Lemon zest and vanilla taste lovely together while the sour cream keeps it moist. And let’s not forget the frosting – it’s light and perfectly sweet, without being overwhelming.
Ingredients for Easter Bundt Cake
- Unsalted butter – This will need to be at room temperature and will be used in your cake batter and your frosting.
- Sugar – White, granulated sugar will be perfect, but you can also use sugar substitutes if needed.
- Lemon zest – This adds a beautiful, fresh flavor to the cake batter.
- Sour cream – Sour cream gives cake batter a tangy flavor and a ton of moisture.
- Pink, purple, and yellow food color – To lightly color your frosting, either drops or a tiny bit of gel color will work.
- Powdered sugar – It’s always best to use fresh sugar. If yours is a bit older and lumpy, sift it well.
- Cream cheese – You’ll want this at room temperature as the base for your frosting.
- Milk – 2% or whole milk is best, but half and half or skim will work. Adjust your amounts accordingly.
- Chocolate shavings – Optional decoration, but oh so pretty!
- Mini eggs – These make the cake extra ‘Easter’ themed, plus they’re delicious!
- Pantry staples: Vanilla, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt
Helpful Tools to Make This Cake
How to Make an Easter Bundt Cake
Step 1: Make the cake batter.
Measure out the softened butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the mixture looks pale and smooth. Measure in the lemon zest, vanilla, and eggs, one at a time, mixing well each time you add an egg.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Then add half the sour cream and mix again. Repeat with the other half of the dry ingredients and the sour cream.
Step 2: Make the swirled cake batter.
Grease and flour your bundt pan and set aside. Divide the cake batter into 2 smaller bowls. Add a few drops of the yellow food color to one bowl, and a few drops of the pink to the other.
Then, place alternating scoops of the batter into the bundt cake pan. Grab a butter knife and gently swirl the batter together to create a marble effect from the two colors.
Step 3: Bake the cake.
Bake the cake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. This will probably take 45-60 minutes. Keep an eye on your cake after 45 minutes. Check it every 5 minutes or so until it’s done. Remove it from the oven and set it on a cooling rack to cool in the pan. Once it’s cool, flip the cake upside down onto a cake plate. If needed, you can carefully cut the bottom of the cake to level it.
Step 4: Make the frosting.
Once your cream cheese and butter are softened at room temperature, place it in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Then mix in the vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time, and beat between each addition until the frosting is smooth.
Step 5: Color the frosting.
Divide the frosting into 3 bowls and dye each one a different color. I prefer pale pink, pale yellow, and pale purple. Then, place each frosting color into its own piping bag (or use a Ziploc bag) and snip a small hole in the end of the bag.
Step 6: Add the decoration.
Drizzle each of the colors of the frosting over the cake, going around the cake and layers the colors over one another. Then, gently spoon the chocolate shavings over the top so it looks like a nest. Set the mini eggs in the chocolate nest. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredient Substitutions
Butter: You can substitute margarine or a dairy-free butter for the cake. Butter-flavored shortening can be used in the frosting if you prefer.
Eggs: Applesauce or mashed banana will make decent egg substitutes, but the texture of your cake may be a bit different.
Lemon zest: If you want to omit the lemon zest or add in a few drops of lemon oil instead, you can. You can also use orange zest or lime zest for a bit of a different flavor.
Sour cream: Greek yogurt makes a great substitute. I prefer the tangy flavor of plain yogurt, but if you use a fruit or vanilla yogurt, expect your cake to take on that flavor, too.
Food coloring: You can leave out the food coloring. Your cake will be a pale yellow color and your frosting will be white. You can also switch up the colors however you’d prefer.
Recipe Variations
This cake can easily be adapted for all kinds of holidays and celebrations. Here are some ideas:
- Instead of purple, pink, and yellow food coloring, make a Christmas version. Dye your cake red and green, and your icing red, green, and leave ⅓ white. Cover the top with white chocolate shavings for a beautiful holiday dessert.
- Make a stunning Thanksgiving dessert by adding a touch of orange food coloring to your cake batter. Dye your frosting a darker orange and yellow. Decorate with chocolate shavings and candy corn.
- To make this for a birthday party, add birthday jimmies into the cake batter for a birthday cake ‘funfetti’ surprise! Use the birthday guest of honor’s favorite colors for the frosting and decorate with birthday candles.
- For Valentine’s Day, color your cake batter a mix of pink and red, and drizzle white frosting overtop. Add white chocolate shavings and a sprinkle of cinnamon hearts for a fun and love-ly treat.
How to Make Chocolate Curls
To make chocolate curls, you’ll want to buy a semi-sweet or milk chocolate baking bar or plain candy bar. Make sure the chocolate is at room temperature, and just a touch soft.
Use a vegetable peeler to make your curls. Hold the chocolate firmly against a strong, flat surface, like a cutting board. Scrape along the edge of the chocolate with the peeler to create your curls.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this cake for your Easter dessert or after brunch. A scoop of whipped cream, vanilla or strawberry ice cream, and a cup of coffee will be a welcomed touch!
FAQ
How to decorate a bundt cake?
This post teaches you one way to decorate a bundt cake: with a simple frosting drizzle. But you can decorate a bundt cake however you want. You can frost the entire cake with buttercream frosting, add sprinkles, cut it in half to make a layer cake… the options are endless, so go ahead and have fun with the process!
How long for a cake to cool?
How long it takes for a cake to cool really depends on the size of the cake and the pan you use to bake it in. A bundt cake can usually come out of the pan after about 15 minutes, but it takes about an hour to fully cool.
Do I need to grease and flour a nonstick bundt cake? Do bundt pans need to be greased?
Call me over-cautious, but I grease and flour even a nonstick cake pan. While nonstick pans do seem to to a better job at keeping cakes from sticking, I don’t trust that everything will come out without a barrier between the pan and the cake.
Bundt pans in my opinion should always be greased. There are just too many little nooks and crannies where the cake can get stuck. It only takes a couple of minutes to grease and flour your pan, so I recommend you go ahead and do it every time.
What can I use if I don’t have a bundt tin/pan?
This cake will work in any standard sized cake pan, up to about a 9×13 inch pan. You can make it a layer cake in two 8 or 9 inch circle cakes, make this in a rectangular pan, or even make cupcakes. Just adjust your cooking time accordingly.
How do you get a bundt cake out of the pan without it sticking?
The best way to make sure your cake comes out of a bundt pan without sticking is to grease and flour your pan. At the very least, use cooking spray. When you remove your cake from the oven, let it cool for 15 minutes. Carefully run a butter knife around the sides of the pan as well as the center tube without damaging the cake. Then set a wire rack or cutting board on top of the cake pan and gently invert the cake so it releases from the pan. Give it a gentle shake if it doesn’t come out right away. If it still doesn’t release, flip the cake back over and wait a couple of minutes before you try again.
More Easter Cakes to Try!
Easter Lamb Cake
This sweet Easter lamb cake is made from a tender vanilla cake and frosted to look like the cutest lamb with my perfectly sweetened buttercream frosting.
Easter Trifle
This stunningly colorful Easter trifle is adorned with equally eye-catching buttercream nests of mini eggs.
Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
My classic carrot cake recipe layered with smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting. Great as a cake or made into cupcakes!
Mini Eggs Surprise Cake
The best excuse to eat more Mini Eggs! Mini Eggs are on the outside AND the inside of this adorable Easter cake!
Spring Bunny Cake
A cute bunny cakelet sits atop a grassy vanilla cake hill!
Easter Bundt Cake
This pretty bundt cake is a moist, marble-swirled masterpiece drizzled with pastel-colored frosting and topped with chocolate shavings and mini eggs to look like a spring ‘nest.’
Ingredients
Cake base:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 2 lemons
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- food coloring pink and yellow
- cooking spray
Buttercream:
- 125 g cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- food coloring pink, yellow and purple
Decoration:
- ½ cup chocolate shavings
- ½ cup mini eggs
Instructions
Bake the cake:
- Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and smooth. Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and eggs one at a time, mixing with each addition.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add this to the batter in 2 additions, alternating with the sour cream. Divide the batter into 2 bowls. Dye one bowl yellow and one bowl pale pink.
- Place alternating dollops of both the yellow and pink batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Gently swirl the batter with a butter knife to create a marble effect. Bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, then beat for 2-3 minutes, until smooth.
- Note: When shooting this recipe, I added some milk to thin out the frosting a little and it made it look slightly grainy, so I omitted the milk from the recipe. You can see the graininess in the photos, but the recipe has been adjusted so that your frosting will look much silkier!
- Divide the frosting into 3 bowls. Dye it pale pink, pale yellow and pale purple. Place the frosting into piping bags and snip off the ends of the bags to create a small/medium hole.
Assembly:
- Place the cake on your work surface and, if desired, slice the bottom off the cake to create a flat, stable surface.
- Drizzle all colors of the frosting onto the cake.
- Gently spoon the chocolate shavings on the top of the cake. This will look like a nest. Decorate the nest with the mini eggs. Then slice and enjoy!
Notes
Tips for Making Perfect Bundt Cake
- Don’t overmix when you swirl your colors or they’ll start to blend together and won’t be distinct anymore.
- Make sure you butter and flour your cake well. Bundt cakes can easily stick in the pan, and this will give your cake a much better chance of coming out of the pan cleanly. You can also use cooking spray, but I think butter and flour works better on a bundt pan.
- To bring your butter and cream cheese to room temperature, just set them on the counter about 30 minutes before you want to start baking. If you cut them into smaller chunks, they’ll warm up even faster.
Storage Directions
At room temperature – You can store this cake at room temperature covered tightly with a cake lid or plastic wrap. It should stay fresh for 2-3 days. If your kitchen tends to be hot, I recommend keeping this in the fridge instead. In the refrigerator – Covered in the fridge, your cake should stay fresh for 5-6 days. The frosting might start to turn a bit watery, so eat it up as quickly as you can! In the freezer – You can store this cake in a freezer bag or airtight container for a month or two. The frosting might thaw with a bit of a different texture, but it should still taste ok! You can always make a bit more frosting to add to it after you let it thaw.Nutrition
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 479kcalCarbohydrates: 61.54gProtein: 6.1gFat: 23.5gSaturated Fat: 13.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.9gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 304mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 1.1gSugar: 39.6gVitamin A: 732IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 2.16mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Hi everyone! My name is Cayla Gallagher and I’m the creator of pankobunny!
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