Classic Bundt Cake

This is a quiet, classic Bundt cake. The kind that is patient under a cake dome on the counter, miraculously improving as it sits. Basic ingredients. No frosting or fanfare, only a fine glaze inspired by a crystalline wonder from cookbook author Flo Braker.

Sturdy, with a tight, even crumb, this vanilla Bundt cake can be eaten out of hand as you head out the door or just as easily dressed up with whipped cream and fruit (or caramel, for that matter). As suitable to accompany coffee or tea in the afternoon as it is after dinner.

A take on a 1-2-3-4 cake (referring to the ratio of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs), the cake makes use of the reverse creaming method, so the batter comes together in a flash. From there, pour in the liquids—sour cream and milk help the cake land in between a pound cake and a fluffy yellow cake—and you’re left with the ideal blank canvas. Feel free to scrape in about 1 Tbsp. citrus zest, add a tumble of berries (1½–2 cups) or a ripple of nutty streusel (about 2 cups), or 1–1½ cups chocolate chips. Stain some of the batter with ⅓ cup cocoa powder mixed with ⅓ cup water (or coffee) and embrace the two-tone vibe, or just leave it as is. Simple and sweetly straightforward.

Note: After making this cake in a few different Bundt pans, we had the most universal success by greasing with a one-to-one oil-and-flour paste just before filling the pan with batter as described below; if you’re not able to make the paste, opt for a nonstick vegetable-oil-based baking spray with flour, such as Baker’s Joy No-stick Baking Spray With Flour or Pam Canola Oil Baking Spray With Flour.