Perfect for brunch or dessert, this jelly donut bundt cake will impress your family and friends. Unlike traditional jelly donuts, you’ll be able to savor the perfect ratio of jelly and fine, moist crumb.
How to Make Jelly Donut Bundt Cake
Prepare the bundt cake pan before you start the recipe by liberally greasing it with butter or non-stick spray and then lightly coating with flour. Flip the pan upside over the sink or trash and gently tap it to remove any excess flour. Preheat the oven to 325°F and gather the few simple ingredients you’ll need.
Mix the batter according to the directions given in the recipe below and pour it into the pan. Bake at 325°F for about forty minutes, then remove from the oven and let it cool about fifteen minutes.
Achieve the Perfect Ratio of Jelly/Cake
The trick to the perfect jelly donut bundt cake is using the handle of a wooden spoon to ensure the optimum jelly/cake ratio. Use a pencil to mark the handle of the wooden spoon 3″ from the end. This makes it a cinch to create holes that are even throughout the cake.
As you poke holes in the cake two-finger widths apart, use a dampened paper towel to wipe away the crumbs. It helps to wipe the crumbs away each and every time. If you allow the crumbs to build up, the holes will not be even and will cause the jam/cake ratio to be off.
Think of it this way, have you ever bit into a jelly donut and got a huge mouth full of jam and then in the next bite the donut was dry and completely lacking in jam?! That’s precisely what we want to avoid.
Once all of the holes are filled with the warmed jelly, allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. To remove the cake from the pan, place a serving plate over the top of the cake and carefully invert onto the dish.
Be sure the cake is completely cooled prior to glazing or the glaze will turn completely clear.
It actually helps to mix the glaze up and allow it to have time to rest while the cake is baking. This gives the ingredients time to mingle and come together better.
Paint the glaze on with a pastry brush, let it rest and then apply another coat by pouring the remaining glaze over the top, evenly
Slice the cake and serve with a fresh mug of coffee or hot chocolate. This truly is reminiscent of a delicious jelly donut and makes a lovely breakfast or brunch cake for a special occasion.
A quick note about the ingredients, the cake calls for a yellow cake mix. While you can purchase a cake mix from the store, you could also just as easily use a homemade yellow cake mix.
Jelly Donut Bundt Cake Recipe
You’ll Need:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 eggs
1 cup strawberry jam
Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. Generously spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray with flour.
Combine the cake mix, milk, melted butter and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Pour batter into pan.
Bake at 325F for 38 to 43 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. While the cake is still in the pan, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes.
The holes should be 3 inches deep and evenly spaced 1/2 inch apart down the middle of the cake, leaving a 1-inch border on either side of the pan. Wipe the end of the wooden spoon after each poke with a dampened paper towel to remove the excess crumbs.
Heat the jam in a small microwavable measuring cup, uncovered, on High heat for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until the jam is hot and pourable, about 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds.
Pour the warm jam into the holes in the cake. Cool cake in pan for 1 hour.
Carefully run a spatula around the outer and inside edges of the pan to gently loosen the cake. Place a cooling rack over the cake pan and invert to remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.
Prepare the Glaze
Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add just enough additional milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you achieve a thin glaze consistency. Apply half of the glaze to the cake using a pastry brush. Let stand for 5 minutes, then apply a second coat of glaze.
Jelly Doughnut Bundt Cake Flavor Ideas
Change the flavor of the jelly doughnut bundt cake by changing the flavor of the jelly.
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Jelly Donut Cake– use a chocolate cake mix and use strawberry
- Spiced Apple Donut Bundt cake– Use a Spice Cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix and use apple jelly instead of strawberry
- Peach Delight Bundt Cake– make the cake as directed and use peach delight in place of jelly.
- Almond Apricot Bundt Cake– add 1 teaspoon almond extract to the cake mix ingredients while mixing and use apricot jam.
Jelly Donut Bundt Cake Print
Jelly Donut Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pkg yellow cake mix
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup butter (melted)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup strawberry jam
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Generously spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray with flour.1 tablespoon flour
- Combine the cake mix, milk, melted butter and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Pour batter into pan.1 pkg yellow cake mix½ cup butter4 eggs1 cup milk
- Bake at 325F for 38 to 43 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes.
- While the cake is still in the pan, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes, 3 inches deep and 1/2 inch apart.
- Heat the jam in a small microwavable measuring cup, uncovered, on High heat for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until the jam is hot and pourable, about 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds.1 cup strawberry jam
- Pour the warm jam into the holes in the cake. Cool cake in pan for 1 hour.
- Carefully run a spatula around the outer and inside edges of the pan to gently loosen the cake. Place a cooling rack over the cake pan and invert to remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.
Glaze Directions
- Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add just enough additional milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you achieve a thin glaze consistency.1 ½ cups powdered sugar3 tablespoons milk
- Apply half of the glaze to the cake using a pastry brush. Let stand for 5 minutes, then apply a second coat of glaze.
Equipment
Notes
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Jelly Donut Cake– use a chocolate cake mix and use strawberry
- Spiced Apple Donut Bundt cake– Use a Spice Cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix and use apple jelly instead of strawberry
- Peach Delight Bundt Cake– make the cake as directed and use peach delight in place of jelly.
- Almond Apricot Bundt Cake– add 1 teaspoon almond extract to the cake mix ingredients while mixing and use apricot jam.
If you altered the ingedients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cooking/baking time.
Baking had always been one of my favorite things to do. It was a way for me to escape the world and focus on something else entirely. I never thought that baking would be an outlet for stress, but as soon as I started mixing in ingredients, it just felt natural.
The dough went well with the fresh eggs and oil; then when the jelly was added in, it became a perfect mess of sweet goop that coated everything…including myself. But even so, this bundt cake looked more appetizing than anything else could have ever made me feel before – like it wanted me to eat every last bit of deliciousness straight from its pan!