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This vanilla pudding cake with brown butter icing is a fresh version of the pudding cakes you get at grocery store bakeries. The large bundt cakes with glaze on the outside in the clear containers. We have loved getting them at Kroger for years. They have vanilla, chocolate, lemon, sour cream, red velvet and sock it to me. Our favorite has always been the vanilla pudding. The pudding in the cake creates insane moistness in the crumb that melts in your mouth.
Traditionally the glaze on the outside is similar to coffee cake glaze. Most likely made with powdered sugar and milk. However, I wanted to take things up a notch and make a rich, flavorful icing. I thought a thinner version of Half Baked Harvest’s brown butter icing she uses on her gingerbread latte cookies would be perfect. Be aware the recipe makes more icing than you’ll need. Spread it on sparingly and scrape off excess to expose the cake underneath. This is called a “naked cake.” Because the icing is so rich, you don’t need a lot.
If you want to mimic the traditional shape of the bakery pudding cakes, you’ll want to grab an angel food cake pan. This one made by Wilton is perfect and even makes removal from the pan easier. The pan comes in two pieces and the bottom detaches from the side. I still recommend spraying down with non-stick spray but it will make getting the cake out a breeze.
Pudding cakes are known for being melt-in-your-mouth moist. They verge on being wet they’re so moist. As I mentioned, the pudding mix helps achieve this but also the buttermilk and the white chocolate. You don’t taste the white chocolate in the cake, though. Be sure to finely chop it up or use a food processor to save on time. While you’re here be sure to check out another bundt cake recipe, my Tom Cruise cake. A coconut bundt cake that is equally moist and out of this world delicious!
Vanilla Pudding Cake with Brown Butter Icing
Ingredients
Cake
- 14.25 oz box white cake mix Betty Crocker
- 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix Jell-O
- 1/2 c melted salted butter (1 stick)
- 1 c buttermilk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 c white chocolate chips Ghiradelli, finely chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla
Brown Butter Icing
- 1/2 c salted butter (1 stick)
- 2 c powdered sugar
- 1/4 c milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Melt one stick of butter and let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Spray every inch of your bundt pan with non-stick spray.
- Measure out one cup of white chocolate chips and finely chop. You can also use a food processor to speed up the process. Process until they are tiny crumbles.
- To a bowl or stand mixer with the whisk attachment add the box cake mix and the box pudding mix. Whisk until combined.
- To another bowl add buttermilk, four eggs, vanilla, and your cooled melted butter. Whisk.
- With the mixer on low add the wet ingredients into the dry. Slowly increase speed until you're on high. Allow the batter to get beaten on high for 1 full minute. Scrape the bowl down and beat until everything is incorporated.
- Fold in the white chocolate.
- Pour into your prepared bundt pan and evenly spread out.
- Bake for 40-43 minutes. If your oven cooks faster or is small (double oven) check with a toothpick at 35 minutes. If it comes out without batter on it, it's done.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely in the bundt pan to room temperature. This should take hours.
- Once the cake is done cooling prepare your icing. To a pan melt the butter over medium heat. It will sizzle and bubble for a few minutes. It will turn golden and then right when it starts to go from golden to an amber color, pull it off the heat and swirl it around. It will continue to darken. If it burns and goes black, start over.
- Set the butter aside to cool for a few minutes.
- To a bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add your powdered sugar. Add the melted brown butter, milk, vanilla and salt. Whisk until fully incorporated.
- Immediately spread on top of the cooled cake. Scrape excess icing off the cake to expose the some of the cake underneath. You want it to be lightly iced. This is called a "naked cake."
- Let the icing set for 30 minutes then slice and enjoy.