These mini bundt cakes (holiday spice cakes) are made with a fresh homemade spice blend in 35 minutes. Their light, moist texture and sweet, delicate flavor make them perfect as a light snack with tea or coffee or a decadent dessert when paired with rich toppings like custard sauce (orange creme anglaise).
I always associate fall with the smell of spices, whether in a Pumpkin Spice latte or a loaf of pumpkin bread. These mini bundt cakes baking in your oven will have your whole house smelling like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
In many modern spice cake recipes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, icing, or glazes are added to make the cake more festive. This simple recipe is delicious enough to serve on its own or work as a blank canvas for you to create delightful holiday creations.
If you love baking over the holidays, try my apple galette, cranberry walnut Irish soda bread, almond cake, or nan khatai (Pakistani cardamom shortbread cookies this season.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and easy recipe - These cakes take just 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake. The small bundt pan ensures they're evenly cooked throughout and easy to remove from the pan.
- Versatile recipe - These are delicious enough to enjoy alone or with icing, a custard sauce, nuts, and even chocolate. You can also add nuts and dried fruit to the batter to make them more appropriate for Christmas.
- Great as a holiday gift - The mini bundt cakes are perfect as gifts for friends, neighbors, colleagues, and your kids' school teachers.
- Elegant dessert option - No matter how you serve these, they make an elegant dessert and will add a refined touch to your holiday dessert table.
Ingredient notes
- All-purpose flour is the most basic and versatile flour variety. I use it for most of my baking.
- Dark brown sugar—In this recipe, Use dark brown sugar rather than light brown sugar. It adds moisture to the mini bundt cakes and a delicious caramel note that pairs beautifully with the spice blend.
- Eggs—Eggs act as a binding agent and, along with the flour, give the cake its structure.
- Applesauce—This adds a natural sweetness and moisture to the cakes and allows less oil to be used, resulting in fewer calories.
- Buttermilk - This adds moisture and a nice tangy flavor to the cake.
- Cooking oil - I prefer oil to butter in this recipe as the result is a moist and even crumb. Any neutral cooking oil like canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil will do.
- Spices -
- Leavening agents - Combining baking powder and soda helps the cake rise well and makes it light and fluffy.
- Vanilla bean paste - I like to use this instead of vanilla extract in my recipes, as it has a stronger, more authentic taste.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Swap out the buttermilk—The easiest way to substitute buttermilk is to take half a cup of milk and add half a teaspoon of lemon juice or white distilled vinegar. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and your buttermilk is ready. Another option is to take ¼ cup of sour cream or yogurt and add ¼ cup of milk to dilute it.
- Use pumpkin puree—This can be used instead of apple sauce for the mini bundt cakes without altering the cake's texture.
- Use vanilla extract - If you don't have vanilla bean paste, use an equal quantity of vanilla extract instead.
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Step-by-step instructions
First step - Mix the oil and dark brown sugar, breaking down any lumps in the sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes to help the sugar dissolve completely.
Second step: Mix the eggs, buttermilk, apple sauce, and vanilla bean paste and whisk until smooth.
Third step - Mix the sugar mixture with the egg mixture and whisk.
Fourth step - Once you have a completely uniform mixture, set it aside and start prepping your dry ingredients.
Fifth step: Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices and stir to distribute everything evenly.
Seventh step - Pour the batter into four well-greased mini bundt cake pans.
Sixth step - Mix the wet and dry ingredients and stir until you have a smooth, lump-free consistency.
Eighth step—Bake the mini bundt cakes for 20-25 minutes until they are well-risen and your cake tester comes out clean.
Expert Tips
- Grease the pans well—Well-greased baking pans are essential for removing your cake easily. I usually use non-stick spray and then a brush to distribute it evenly.
- Have your ingredients at room temperature - Leave the ingredients on your kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes. This creates a more even batter, which results in a fluffier cake.
- Grind your whole spices - I like to grind my spices for this recipe. While not essential, it adds more aroma and is highly recommended.
Recipe FAQS
The bundt pans give this simple recipe an elegant look, but if you don't have them or need to serve a large crowd, use a cupcake pan instead. If you opt for this, reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes.
The mini bundt cakes can be stored at room temperature for 3 days, refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week, or frozen for 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and enjoy.
Other holiday dessert recipes you may like
For more Pakistani recipes like this, check out 20 popular Pakistani recipes. If you decide to try this recipe, Please don't forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram! Thank You!
Mini Bundt Cakes
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Ingredients
Spice Cake Ingredients
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (see notes)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk (see notes)
- ½ cup apple sauce (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (see notes)
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp allspice
- ⅛ tsp cloves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Grease the mini bundt pans with nonstick spray
- Whisk together the oil and brown sugar and set aside for 5-10 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve completely. (see notes)
- Whisk the eggs and mix with the buttermilk, applesauce, and vanilla bean paste.
- Combine all of the wet ingredients and whisk to a smooth consistency.
- Measure all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients slowly and stir till well mixed.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking pans.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, till an inserted knife comes out clean
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