Now that fall is almost here, I'm totally ready to start digging into amazing autumn desserts like this show-stopping maple walnut bundt cake. I love the combination of the delicate maple flavor with the rich nuttiness of the walnuts. Fortunately, this dessert isn't super sweet, so you can enjoy a larger piece!
If you love autumn desserts, don't miss these recipes for pumpkin roll and vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- ⏲️ Prep Time: 25 minutes
- ⏲️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Yield: 16 slices
- ⚡ Calories: 382 calories per slice (based on nutrition facts in recipe card)
- 🍎 Ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract, sour cream, walnuts, and icing sugar.
- 🥣 Method: Beat the butter and sugar, then add the remaining batter ingredients. Smooth in the pan, bake, and cool. Mix up the icing and drizzle it over the cake.
- 🔪 Equipment: stand mixer, 10-cup bundt pan, pastry brush, sieve.
- ⭐ Expert Tip: To ensure an easy release from the pan, let the cake cool in the pan for just 10 minutes, then flip it out.
- 🍰 Flavor & Texture: This beautifully moist cake has a lovely dense texture with a fluffy crumb and wonderful maple flavor. You'll love the crunch from the walnuts.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Not Too Sweet: Unlike some maple desserts, this one has a perfect maple flavor without too much sweetness.
- Easy + Beautiful: Some bundt cakes are hard to get out of the pan neatly, but this one releases easily! Just add a drizzle of icing, you will have a beautiful cake to enjoy.
- Freezer Friendly: This cake will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, so you can pull out a slice and enjoy it anytime.
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This cake is scrumptious, even though it isn't as sweet as most cakes. The glaze hardens, so when you bite into it, you get this burst of maple sugar 🍁 . I highly recommend this cake to anyone."
- Beth
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Ingredients
Curious what key ingredients you need for this easy fall dessert recipe? Grab these ones, along with a few others, and you'll be ready to start baking!
- Maple Syrup: Choose a good quality maple syrup (preferably one from Canada!) that you like the flavor of. This will be the star of the show!
- Walnuts: Adding chopped, fresh walnuts to the batter brings a wonderful flavor and crunch that pairs perfectly with the maple syrup.
- Eggs: Be sure the eggs are at room temperature. They'll incorporate more easily into the batter!
- Butter: Choose unsalted butter for this recipe, as it's usually fresher than salted. Using unsalted also allows you to control the amount of salt so your recipes can have the perfect flavor balance.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Maple Walnut Bundt Cake
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until they're well mixed.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer for about 10 minutes, until pale, fluffy, and almost doubled in volume.
- Add the eggs one at a time, putting a tablespoon or two of the flour mixture with each egg to prevent curdling. Stir in the maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract.
- Alternately add the sour cream and flour mixture, then gently fold in the walnuts.
- Carefully pour the batter into the buttered and floured bundt pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the deepest part comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the maple glaze by sifting the icing sugar into a bowl. Gradually stir in the maple syrup until you have a thick icing.
- Spoon the glaze on top, letting it drip down the sides a little. Let the icing set for 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve.
Are you ready to get baking? Grab your apron and make this special autumn treat with me. Your kids will be getting hungry in no time!
Recipe FAQs
Bundt cakes usually stick because the pan wasn't properly prepared, or they were left to cool too long. Here's how to properly grease and flour your pan to keep it from sticking.
Grease the pan with butter or a light coating of nonstick cooking spray. Put a couple tablespoons of flour in it, then tap and turn the pan to coat the inside with flour. Tap out the excess. Alternatively, spray the pan with a baking spray that has flour in it.
For most bundt cakes, 10 minutes is perfect. Turning it out too soon might cause it to collapse or fall apart, while waiting too long might cause it to stick in the pan.
Serving Maple Walnut Bundt Cake
Looking for other cake recipes? You'll definitely want to try our recipes for red velvet cake and blueberry coffee cake. Love lemon cakes? Try our recipes for lemon blueberry cake, lemon poppy seed cake, and lemon pudding cakes. You'll also love our recipe for butter tarts!
Expert Tips
- Soften the butter quickly by putting it in a bowl and microwaving it in 5-second increments. Smash it with a spoon between each time.
- Warm up the eggs to room temperature by immersing them in a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar for 10 minutes, or the texture will be different.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter once the flour is added, or it will be tough.
- Let it cool completely before putting the maple glaze on top.
Other Cake Recipes You'll Love
Recipe
Maple Walnut Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
For the Maple Glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
Making the Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-cup bundt pan, making sure to tap out excess flour.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended.
- Place the softened butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 10 minutes. The mixture should be pale, thick, very fluffy, and almost doubled in volume.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time. Put a couple tablespoons of the flour mixture with each egg to prevent the batter from curdling.
- Mix in the maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla extract.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream to the batter, scraping down the sides as needed. Gently fold in the walnuts with a flexible spatula.
- Carefully pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and level the surface.
- Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until it is well risen and nicely browned. A toothpick inserted in the deepest part should come out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Decorating the Cake
- Sift the icing sugar into a bowl to remove any lumps, then gradually stir in the maple syrup until a thick icing has formed.
- Spoon the icing over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides a little.
- Let the icing set for 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve with a cup of tea or coffee.
Notes
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together for the full 10 minutes. Otherwise, the texture will not be as light as it should be.
- The cake must be fully cooled before putting on the icing, or it will absorb the icing.
- Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 48 hours. It tastes best when eaten within 24 hours.
- Freeze leftovers in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Beth
This cake is scrumptious, even though it isn't as sweet as most cakes. The glaze hardens, so when you bite into it, you get this burst of maple sugar 🍁 . I highly recommend this cake to anyone.
Emma
I love this maple cake too! It's a lovely fall treat.