“I make this cake often and everyone loves it. Its flavour and crumb are so good!! No-fail every time.” ~Enid

This doughnut bundt thing is quickly going from an interesting little series to an all out obsession. Today’s jelly doughnut bundt cake makes a cozy foursome along with the others ~
- Cider Doughnut Bundt Cake (the original!)
- Glazed Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut Bundt Cake (say that 3 times fast)
- Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnut Bundt Cake (because…chocolate)
- Pumpkin Doughnut Cake (my latest!)
I think the doughnut loving world is split right down the middle over jelly doughnuts…you’re either for or against. I’ve loved them all along ~ I love their light and airy texture, that sweet blob of jelly that oozes out when you take your first bite, and the sugary coating that gets all over your fingers. This cake gets all that. Serve it warm from the oven and you won’t be disappointed.
This wasn’t an easy recipe to nail, I had to make it a few times before I got a result I was happy with. The problem is that the jelly tends to sink to the bottom of the cake if you add too much. I would like more jelly, but it wasn’t possible. I almost think you might serve it with a little pot of jelly on the side for those who want more.
Use your favorite jelly or jam in this doughnut bundt cake
Bon Maman is the gold standard for jams, so that’s what I used, but use whatever you like or have on hand. About a half a jar is a good amount. The first time I made the cake I got greedy and used a whole jar, which was too much.
If I hit on a better technique for getting that jam in the middle of the cake I’ll update here, and I welcome any suggestions, just leave ’em in the comments.
Jelly Doughnut Bundt Cake
Equipment
- a standard 10-12 cup bundt pan
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
wet ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup vegetable oil, I use safflower
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
jam or jelly
- 7 ounces good jam or jelly (about 1/2 cup)
topping
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350F
- Generously butter and flour your bundt pan, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Note: Don't skip this step!
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a another bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined, don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Add small dollops of jam to the center of the batter, all around the cake. Take a long skewer or chopstick and gently pull it through the jam, just to break up the blobs a little bit. Don’t swirl too much.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Set the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto a plate. Brush with the melted butter, and sprinkle very generously all over with the sugar. I like to cup the sugar in my palms to get it to cling to the side of the cake. The more sugar you can get on the outside, the better.
I have a catering order for 50 people for breakfast meeting on Monday morning, and am making this as one of the offerings, along with croissants, and blueberry bran muffins. I have a feeling this will be the first to disappear
I would do a test run Liz, the jelly can be tricky. I hope everybody gobbles it up 🙂
So the bundt cake was a success this morning, and I didn’t even take your advice on the trial run! I think I may have been overly cautious with the jelly ( I used seedless raspberry jam), so there was no oozing, but maybe not quite enough of it. Next time, I’ll up the amount just a bit. I did serve a small pot of the same jam on the side to go along with the croissants too, so people could had a spoonful if they wanted to The sugar stayed on the outside really well, and it looked gorgeous on a footed glass cake plate! Thanks so much for your great recipes!
What a dream cake! Love the jelly filling (and Bonne Maman is my favorite too!!)
Sue, what would happen if you baked the bundt cake and then half way through or when it set up a bit then added the jelly on top? Would it still sink to the bottom?
I thought of that but I figured the whole cake would not rise properly if I opened the oven door and fiddled with it…might be worth a try though.
Complete heart eyes for this cake, Sue! I had my first like this at a bakery in Seattle. It’s so creative and is simpler too than making a bunch of cake doughnuts. Bon Maman is fabulous – agreed! Beautiful work!
I don’t think you understand. I have a weakness for jelly doughnuts. They are my nemesis. The best thing about them is that come in single-serving sizes, because I cannot stop eating them until they’re gone. If I bake this cake, I will eat the whole thing in one sitting!
This is just terrific! I wish I had a big slice right now with my tea. Love that flavor combination and bet it is fantastic. So creative and absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks Tricia!
Thanks for a great and simple recipe! Made this twice this week! I haven’t had an issue with the jam. It is centered for me. I think it is because I didn’t swirl it and most importantly I was pretty cold. I used a half filled cookie scoop on top. So far that has worked! Thanks again!
I’ll go brew some tea, Sue 🙂 The bundt cake looks so inviting! Have a great weekend!
So excited to see this recipe come up as I am going to make it for Hanukkah instead of making jelly donuts.. what I am wondering about is if you don’t use oat flour can you just use more all purpose flour . Also can this be frozen.. so looking forward to your response.
You can just use all purpose flour Marsha. I’m not sure about freezing, I haven’t tried that.
What kind of difference does the oat flour make ? Better crumb or more delicate texture or none at all ?
I wondered the same thing, Liz so did some quick research. In an article by pastry chef, Stella Parks, she says oat flour behaves like wheat flour and adds a soft and fluffy texture to baked goods.
That’s right, thanks Carol. Because oat flour is gluten free it tenderizes baked goods and also adds a little moisture. I personally like the flavor, too.
Fantastic! Needs no more than a good coffee and good company to share
Just the name has me ALL IN!! Yikes, it looks amazing!
A fellow jelly doughnut lover!