Why I love this pastel swirl bundt cake
This pastel swirl bundt cake is one of those desserts that looks like you spent way more time on it than you actually did.
The soft colors baked right into the center give you that pretty “surprise” effect when you slice it, which makes it perfect for spring gatherings like Easter dinner or Mother’s Day brunch.
It’s a pound cake recipe so it is super simple to pull together. But it still feels special enough for a celebration.
And you don’t need any complicated decorating skills, just a quick swirl of colored batter and a drizzle of frosting on top.
It’s an easy way to make a cake that looks festive, slices beautifully, and always gets people asking how you made it.
Looking for more easy cakes? You'll love Strawberry Lemon Cake and Soda Cake.
Ingredients
Here is your shopping list (for 12 slices):
- Dairy – 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- Sugar – 1½ cups sugar
- Eggs – 5 eggs
- Oil – ½ cup vegetable oil
- Flavoring – 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Baking supplies – 2 cups flour
- Spices – ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- Seasoning – ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Coloring – Food colors of your choice. I used green, yellow, pink and purple.
- Canned goods – 1 can of strawberry frosting
Substitutions & Additions
- You can replace the unsalted butter with salted butter. Just eliminate the added salt.
How to make a pastel swirl bundt cake
1 | Prep work
Take the butter out of the refrigerator a couple of hours ahead of time to let it soften. Softening butter makes it easier to cream with sugar, which helps create a light, tender cake.
Grease a bundt cake pan with butter or shortening. Or spray with non-stick baking spray. Do NOT skimp on the greasing, otherwise the cake will stick to the pan and it will be very difficult to get out.
For extra non-stick protection, lightly dust the greased pan with flour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 | Mix the batter
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together. Use a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light in color and fluffy, which usually takes 1 to 2 minutes.
Once light and fluffy, add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Adding eggs one at a time ensures they incorporate smoothly into the batter, preventing it from curdling.
Then mix in the vanilla and vegetable oil. The vanilla adds flavor, while the oil keeps the cake moist and tender.
Next, add in the flour, salt, and allspice. Mix until just combined.
Be careful not to overmix here, as that can make the cake dense. Mix until you see no streaks of flour, but no more.
3 | Make the colored batter
Add about ⅓ cup of batter to each of 3 small bowls. These will be your different colors.
Add food coloring of your choice to each bowl and mix until you reach your desired shades.
For vibrant colors, add a few drops of food coloring and mix well. Remember, the color will lighten slightly as it bakes, so don’t be afraid to go a little darker if you want a bold look.
You can also mix colors to create different ones:
- For the lime green, I used a mix of green and yellow food coloring.
- For purple, I combined red and blue.
- For the pink, I used a little red.
4 | Assemble the cake
Pour ¾ of the original batter into a greased bundt cake pan. Use a spatula to spread it evenly.
Add spoonfuls of each colored batter around the center of the cake. Distributing the colors evenly helps create a balanced swirl effect.
Use a toothpick or butter knife to gently swirl the colors. Insert the tool into the batter and make a few gentle swirling motions.
Don’t overmix, as you want the colors to stay distinct and create a pretty marbled effect.
Then top with the remaining original batter, spreading it evenly over the swirled layer.
5 | Bake the cake
Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes.
Check for done-ness by inserting a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before flipping it out of the pan onto a cake plate.
Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting.
6 | Drizzle the frosting
Remove the cap and foil from the can of frosting.
Microwave for about 15 seconds to soften, which makes it easier to drizzle smoothly.
Add some frosting to a Ziploc bag.
Cut a tiny corner off the bag’s tip. This acts like a piping bag, giving you control over the drizzle.
Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake, creating a pretty finish. Use about ¾ of the can or more if you like a thicker glaze.
Storage
Let the cake cool completely before storing to prevent moisture buildup.
Cover with an airtight cover and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
You can soften up the slices by microwaving them for a few seconds if necessary.
Swirl color variations
Easter
For Easter (the cake in the pictures), I used the following colors:
- Lime green: Mixture of green and yellow.
- Purple: Combination of red and blue.
- Pink: A little bit of red.
Mardi Gras
You can easily turn my Easter cake into a Mardi Gras cake by using yellow instead of pink for the third color.
You might also want to use purple, green and yellow icing on top (by adding food color to white icing).
Gender reveal or baby shower
For a gender reveal party or baby shower, use all pink or all blue for the food color in the middle.
For a gender reveal party, use a neutral-colored icing (like white) on top.
For a baby shower, you can use pink or blue icing on top to match the middle of the cake.
Pastel Swirl Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- Food Coloring in colors of your choice Yellow, Green, Blue, Red
- 1 can strawberry frosting
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- large mixing bowl and mixer
- 3 small bowls
- Spatula
- bundt pan greased
- cake plate
- ziploc bag
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350℉.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.½ cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter, 1½ cups sugar
- Add in the eggs one at a time mixing after each addition.5 large eggs
- Mix in the vanilla and vegetable oil.1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ cup vegetable oil
- Add in the flour, salt, and allspice. Mix until combined.2 cups flour, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- Add about ⅓ cup of batter to each of 3 small bowls.
- Add food coloring of choice to each bowl and mix until desired shades of colors.Food Coloring in colors of your choice
- Pour ¾ of the original batter into a greased bundt cake pan.
- Add spoonfuls of each color of batter around the center of the cake.
- Use a toothpick or butter knife to gently swirl the colors. Don’t over mix to keep the colors from blending.
- Then top with the remaining original batter.
- Bake at 350℉ for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before flipping out of the pan onto a cake plate.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
- Remove the cap and foil from the can of frosting. Then soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds.1 can strawberry frosting
- Add some of the frosting to a ziploc bag. Cut a tiny corner off of the bag and drizzle over the top of the cake. (I used about ¾ of the can of frosting).
Notes
- To use salted butter, eliminate the added salt.
- For the colors, I used:
- Lime green: Mix of green and yellow food coloring.
- Purple” Mix of red and blue.
- Pink: A little red.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have comments or questions about our swirl bundt cake recipe? Tell us in the section below.