Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake With A Vanilla Bean Glaze

The minute I saw this cake I knew I wanted to make it. As always it took me a while to get around to it, but I did, and it was so worth it. 

I love vanilla. I could inhale the smell for hours! I especially love using vanilla beans. They take the flavor to a whole other level. This recipe doesn't only have vanilla bean in the cake, but also in the glaze - sounds like a winner to me.

The cake was delicious. It was dense, yet very light and moist. I think this is one of those cakes that you can't go wrong with. I mean, everybody loved it - the cake is a crowd pleaser.

Can you spot all the tiny vanilla beans? yummy.

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake 

From Sweetapolita

Printable Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise

4 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract, optional

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy(about 5 minutes). Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a paring knife and add into butter mixture, reserving pods for another use, and beat until well combined (about 1 minute). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon extract until well combined. At low speed (“stir” setting on KitchenAid mixer) add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing and spreading evenly. Gently tap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until the tip of a knife or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Cool in pan 1 hour, then invert onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour more.

Vanilla Bean Glaze

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1/2 cup whole milk

approximately 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar or powdered sugar)

Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into 1/2 cup whole milk. Let sit in a spouted container, such as a large pyrex measuring cup, for about an hour. Add confectioners’ sugar gradually, whisking, until you get desired consistency–about 1 cup. You want to make sure that it’s not too runny, or it won’t dry white on the cake, and will run off too quickly. It should take a few seconds to whisk it, and it will feel too thick at first–keep whisking until you get desired thickness. If too thick, add a teaspoon or so of the vanilla milk.

Once the cake has cooled, drizzle glaze over top.