Crack Cake
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No-one is sure where the idea for Crack Cake came from but whoever came up with the idea deserves congratulations! You might think the idea of adding white wine to a cake might seem strange but trust me, once you’ve tried it, you’ll love the results.
Making this Crack Cake recipe is really simple. Armed with a cake mix and a vanilla pudding mix, you can create it in no time. And once you’ve tried this white wine Bundt cake, I bet your Bundt pan will be in operation a lot more often. It does live up to its name.
Do I have to use white wine for a crack cake?
You don’t have to use white wine for Crack Cake (but it is tasty!) You can use apple juice or milk but with both, it will be a bit sweeter than with wine.
Ingredients
To make this white wine Bundt cake, you will need:
- Solid shortening (to coat the Bundt pan)
- Almond flour (also for coating the pan)
- Yellow cake mix
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Instant vanilla pudding
- Ground cinnamon
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Sweet white wine (or apple juice for a non-alcoholic version)
For the white wine sauce, you’ll need butter, white sugar, and either that sweet white wine or apple juice. I’d stick with whatever you use in the cake.
My favorite wine for this Crack Cake is chardonnay but you can use apple juice or even milk if you don’t want any alcohol. If you go for apple juice, don’t cook the glaze for too long as it becomes sweeter with evaporation.
If you can’t find a yellow cake mix, a white cake mix will work just as well.
Please don’t skip the solid shortening and almond flour on the pan to prepare. The cake itself is very sticky and it will be very tricky to get out of the tin if you don’t prepare it like this.
How to Make a Crack Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and coat the Bundt pan with the shortening, making sure it is completely covered
- Then coat it with almond flour, rotating it to make sure that every part of it is covered. Don’t skip this step or try to be economical with ingredients!
- Mix the yellow cake mix, both the sugars, pudding mix, and add the cinnamon into a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, oil, and wine and mix until it is smooth and lump-free. Don’t worry, the batter is meant to be thin.
- Pop the pan in the oven and cake for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- When the cake is about 15 minutes from being finished, make the white wine sauce. Add the ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter and sugar have melted. Turn down the heat to low and keep the glaze warm.
- Take out the cake and check that it is cooked then use a skewer or wooden chopstick to poke holes in it. Try to keep away from edges or go all the way through the cake.
- Slowly drizzle about ¼ of the sauce around the center of the cake and let it soak in. Keep doing this in quarters until it is all gone.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes then shake it to make sure it is loose and remove it from the Bundt pan. If any areas feel a little stuck, use a rubber spatula.
- Put the cake on a plate and flip both the cake and plate over. Leave to cool for another 30 minutes before slicing.
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Don’t be tempted to skip those cooling times, no matter how tasty the cake looks. The center of the cake needs to be completely cooled or it can split into pieces.
My best results are when I use the thick end of a wooden chopstick. If you don’t have either, you can use a butter knife and make slits that are around 1-inch apart.
If there is any cake left, you can tightly wrap it and freeze it for up to 3 months.
How Do I Keep a Bundt Cake From Sticking?
It is really important to use a liberal coating of shortening then almond flour on the Bundt pan to stop the cake from sticking. This doesn’t change the taste of the cake but makes it so much easier to get out of the pan.
What to Serve with White Wine Cake?
More white wine is perfect of course! You can also add some fresh fruit pieces and whipped cream to this white wine cake. But the recipe works well just as it is.
MORE DELICIOUS CAKE RECIPES
- Moist Carrot Cake
- Red Velvet Cake from Scratch
- Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- White Wedding Cake
- Southern Butter Pound Cake
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Crack Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons solid shortening for coating the Bundt pan
- 1/2 cup almond flour for coating the Bundt pan
- 1 Yellow cake mix
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3.4 ounce box of instant vanilla pudding
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sweet white wine or apple juice
Wine Sauce
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup sweet white wine or apple juice
Instructions
Bundt Cake
- Preheat an oven to 350°F.
- Coat a Bundt pan liberally with solid shortening, do not leave any area uncoated.
- Liberally coat the shortening with almond flour. Rotate the pan to make sure everything has a layer of almond flour on it. Now is not the time to skimp on ingredients.
- Combine the cake mix, both sugars, the pudding mix, and the cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, oil, and wine and mix until well combined and no lumps remain. The batter will be thin.
- Pour the batter into the Bundt pan coated with shortening and almond flour.
- Place into the preheated 350°F oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer or butter knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- When the cake has about 15 minutes left, make the wine sauce by combining the ingredients in a small saucepan and heating over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter and sugar have melted. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and allow the glaze to stay warm.
- Remove the cake from the oven when it is done.
- Poke holes in the cake using a skewer or a chopstick, try to avoid poking through the cake or too close to the sides.
- Slowly drizzle about 1/4 of the sauce around the middle of the baked cake and allow the sauce to soak into the cake.
- Repeat with more sauce, and continue until there is no sauce left.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Shake the cake in the pan to be sure that it is loosened before attempting to remove it from the pan.
- Loosen any areas you can are stuck with a think rubber spatula.
- Place a cake plate over the cake and carefully flip the cake and the plate over.
- Allow the cake to continue to cool for another 30 minutes before attempting to slice.
Notes
- My favorite white wine for this cake is Cupcake Chardonnay. White wine can be substituted with apple juice or milk for an alcohol free cake. Do not cook the glaze for too long when using apple juice as it becomes sweeter with evaporation.
- A white cake mix can be substituted for the yellow cake mix.
- Do not skimp on the solid shortening or the almond flour when preparing the Bundt pan. This cake is extremely sticky and you will have trouble getting it out of the pan.
- Do not skimp on the cooling time for the cake. You really need the center of the cake to be cooled to prevent it from coming out in 2 halves or from splitting into large pieces once it begins to cool after removing from the pan.
- I have the best luck getting the wine sauce throughout the entire cake when I use the fat end of a wooden chopstick to poke holes. If you don’t have any skewers or chopsticks, use a butter knife and make slits in the cake about 1-inch apart.
- Tightly wrapped leftovers can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller
Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller is a food journalist, CEO of Pear Tree Kitchen, and co-creator of Food Blogger Help. She also has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a registered nurse licensed in the State of Oklahoma. When she has free time between writing, blogging, and cooking, she can be found volunteering as an RN with the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps.