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Spiced bundt cake is the cozy, honey sweetened bake that fills the whole house with the smell of cinnamon and ginger, brightened with fresh orange and lemon zest and finished with a simple citrus glaze. I baked my first one on a cool fall morning and Maddie insisted we eat the first warm slice standing right at the counter. It is my favorite kind of cozy bake, a warm spiced cake that feels a little special, like my banana bundt cake dressed up for fall.
Warm fall spices, sweet honey, and bright citrus in a tender bundt with an orange glaze.
Spiced Bundt Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 1 hour
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 385kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm cinnamon and ginger with sweet honey and bright citrus
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a whisk by hand bundt cake
Quick Answer
Whisk the flour with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, baking powder, soda, and salt in one bowl. In another, whisk the sugars, oil, and melted butter, then beat in the eggs, honey, milk, and citrus zest. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, pour the batter into a greased bundt pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Cool, unmold, and drizzle with a simple orange glaze before serving.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- A blend of five spices gives it depth. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice together create a warm, complex spice flavor that no single spice could give on its own.
- Honey keeps it moist and adds flavor. Honey brings a floral sweetness and helps the cake stay tender and moist for days, so it never dries out like some bundt cakes do.
- Oil and butter together do double duty. Butter gives rich flavor while oil keeps the crumb soft and moist, so you get the best of both in every slice.
- Citrus zest brightens all that spice. Fresh orange and lemon zest cut through the warm spices and honey, keeping the cake lively and balanced instead of heavy.
- The orange glaze ties it together. A quick powdered sugar and orange juice glaze adds a sweet, citrusy finish that echoes the zest in the cake and makes it look bakery pretty.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is warm, cozy, and citrus bright, the perfect from scratch cake for fall gatherings and holiday tables.
- It is whisked by hand in two bowls with no mixer required, so it is genuinely easy to pull off.
- It is as easy to throw together as my lemon blueberry coffee cake, all whisked by hand in two bowls.
Key Ingredients
A cozy bakers list, and the spice blend is what makes it special.
- Warm spices: The soul of the cake. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice together give it that unmistakable cozy fall flavor.
- Honey: The sweetener. It adds a floral depth and keeps the crumb wonderfully moist for days.
- Orange and lemon zest: The brightness. Fresh citrus zest balances the warm spices so the cake tastes lively, not heavy.
- Oil and butter: The tender crumb. Butter brings flavor and oil keeps it moist, so use both for the best texture.
- Powdered sugar and orange juice: The glaze. Whisked together, they make the simple citrus drizzle that finishes the cake.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One cozy cake, plenty of easy ways to make it your own.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup for an even deeper fall flavor.
- Add a cup of grated apple or pear to the batter for a moist, fruity twist.
- Fold in a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans for a little crunch.
- Lean into the layers instead of a bundt and you land near my spice layer cake, a completely different but equally cozy bake.
- Skip the glaze and dust with powdered sugar, or add a cream cheese glaze for extra richness.
How to Make Spiced Bundt Cake
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, melted butter, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs until fully incorporated, then mix in the honey, milk, and orange and lemon zest.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix only until the flour is just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a greased bundt pan, smooth the top, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool, unmold onto a stand, then whisk the glaze and drizzle it over the cake before slicing and serving.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Grease the bundt pan well. Coat every ridge with baking spray so the cake releases cleanly without sticking.
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until the flour disappears so the cake stays tender instead of tough.
- Cool before unmolding. Let the cake cool completely in the pan so it sets up and releases in one piece.
- Zest before you juice. Zest the orange and lemon first, then juice the orange for the glaze so nothing goes to waste.
- Check for doneness early. Ovens vary, so start checking with a toothpick around the 55 minute mark to avoid overbaking.
- Glaze while slightly warm. Drizzling the glaze over a just warm cake helps it settle into the ridges for a pretty finish.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve thick slices with coffee for an autumn afternoon, the way you would set out my coffee walnut cake for a treat.
For a fall dessert table, pair it with a plate of my maple bacon cookies for all the cozy flavors.
If you love a beautiful bundt, put it next to my strawberry cheesecake bundt cake for a stunning cake spread.
Building a whole dessert lineup, my tropical pina colada cake is a bright option to sit beside this warm spiced classic.
Spiced Bundt Cake FAQs
A spiced bundt cake is a cake baked in a ring shaped bundt pan and flavored with warm baking spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. This version is sweetened with honey and brightened with orange and lemon zest, then finished with a simple citrus glaze for a cozy fall dessert.
Yes. You can bake the batter in a 9×13 pan or two loaf pans instead. The baking time will change, so start checking for doneness earlier, around 35 to 45 minutes, and use a toothpick to confirm the center is baked through.
Grease the pan thoroughly, getting into every ridge with baking spray or butter and flour. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before unmolding, then flip it onto a stand and tap gently all over to release it cleanly.
Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. The honey and oil keep it moist, so it actually tastes great for days. Bring refrigerated slices to room temperature before serving for the best flavor.
Yes. Freeze the unglazed, fully cooled cake wrapped well in plastic and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then add the fresh orange glaze before serving. You can also freeze individual glazed slices for a quick treat.
Maple syrup is the best substitute and adds an even cozier fall flavor. You can also use agave or a mild molasses, though molasses will deepen both the color and the spice flavor. Keep the amount the same for the right moisture and sweetness.
Made this spiced bundt cake? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me if you kept the honey or swapped in maple!
Honey Citrus Spiced Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup honey
- ⅓ cup milk
- Orange zest
- Lemon zest
Glaze:
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prep your bundt pan by spraying with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and allspice, set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, melted butter and brown sugar.
- Next, add all of the eggs and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add in the honey and milk and whisk together.
- Then, add in the orange and lemon zest and mix to combine.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix only until the flour is incorporated.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth out.
- Place into the oven to bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To remove the bundt cake from the pan, flip the cake pan over onto a serving tray or cake stand and gently tap around on the exterior of the bundt pan to release the cake.
- To make the glaze, whisk both of the ingredients together in a small bowl until a glaze is formed.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the warm cake. Slice and serve.
Notes
- This cake is exceptionally delicious when it is either warm or chilled. It is very good at room temperature as well, however the texture and flavors seem to pop more when it is warm or cold.
- This can be froze, see above on how to do that.
- We like to use fresh orange juice for the glaze but you can use bottled if needed.
- Make sure that you grease your pan before baking.
- If you do not want to glaze this you can add some powdered sugar to the top.
- For the glaze you can use lemon juice or milk if you want a less citrus flavor.
Nutrition
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