Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Red food coloring, as desired
- Blue food coloring, as desired
Frosting
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 4-6 tablespoons milk
- Red food coloring, for frosting
- Blue food coloring, for frosting
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) and generously grease a 12-cup bundt pan to ensure the cake releases easily after baking.
- Mix Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine the white cake mix, water, vegetable oil, eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and no flour streaks remain, creating a uniform batter.
- Divide and Color Batter: Pour 1 cup of batter into a small bowl and add red food coloring; mix until you achieve the desired vibrancy. Repeat with another 1 cup of batter adding blue food coloring to create the blue layer.
- Layer Batter in Pan: Pour the red batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Slowly pour the remaining plain white batter over the red layer, then carefully pour the blue batter on top, creating a blue ring in the center of the white layer for a striking tri-color effect.
- Bake the Cake: Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay, but no wet batter). Allow the cake to cool on a rack for about 30 minutes.
- Remove Cake from Pan: Once cooled, invert the bundt pan onto a cooling rack or serving platter and gently release the cake.
- Prepare Frosting - Brown Butter: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue whisking until it turns a golden brown color and emits a nutty aroma, then remove from heat.
- Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat together the browned butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and milk until the mixture is smooth and spreadable.
- Color Frosting: Divide the frosting evenly into three bowls. Color one with red food coloring, one with blue food coloring, and leave the third plain white.
- Decorate Cake: Drizzle the red, white, and blue frosting over the cooled bundt cake. Add sprinkles if desired for extra festive decoration.
- Serve and Store: Serve the cake immediately, or cover and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Use generous amounts of food coloring to achieve vivid red and blue layers as preferred.
- Browning the butter adds a rich, nutty flavor to the frosting—do not skip this step.
- Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting to avoid melting the frosting.
- The cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, up to 24 hours to keep it fresh.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute cream cheese and butter with plant-based alternatives.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
