Condensed Milk and Vanilla Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

I'm not lying when I tell you it had been a long time since I made a cake as moist and fluffy as this Condensed Milk and Vanilla Bundt Cake that I bring you today. You'll see we haven't used a large amount of sugar, because the condensed milk will already provide plenty of sweetness (aside from that very distinctive and delicious condensed milk aroma... My, what a tasty bundt!).

We accompany the bundt with a very easy-to-make cream cheese and sugar glaze (you can also use mascarpone). That slightly tangy touch from the cream cheese contrasts nicely with the bundt's sweetness. I highly recommend making it!, although if you want to enjoy the cake without the coating, I can attest it's delicious as-is.

I made it in a pan I find most beautiful, the Anniversary pan (one of Nordic Ware's most classic pans), although I also repeated it in a loaf shape, in the Heritage loaf pan, and the quantities detailed here fit it perfectly*.

As you know, both pans with a central hole like bundt pans and long loaf pans are first and foremost nonstick pans, but thanks to their beautiful shapes you get beautiful cakes.

If you want some tips for unmolding these shaped pans or bundt pans with a central hole, I encourage you to watch the Masterclass we did live with Bea Roque, pastry specialist, about these pans and about teaching classes. I think it was extremely instructive!

Also remember what we say there, Nordic Ware pans always release, and they turn out most beautiful. Also, they are pans manufactured in the USA by the specialist and creator of the brand, Nordic Ware.

Condensed milk bundt cake recipe

• 100 g sugar (you can replace it with brown sugar)
• 4 eggs
• 100 g condensed milk
• 175 g butter at room temperature
• 250 g cake flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp vanilla paste extract, or 2 tsp liquid vanilla extract
• Half tsp cinnamon (optional)
• Butter or nonstick spray for the pan

For the glaze:

• 100 g cream cheese (type Philadelphia) or mascarpone
• 50 g sugar (a couple of generous tablespoons)
• 3 tbsp milk (at room temperature)

About the glaze: You can adjust the quantities to your preferences (more or less milk if you want it less thick, or more or less sugar according to your sweetness preference). I recommend making extra, because it's a classic glaze that everyone likes, and you'll eat it by the spoonful!

Preparation

1. Grease the Anniversary pan with melted butter or nonstick spray. If you see "puddles" forming in the bottom of the pan, tip the pan so those drops fall out and remove the excess. Brush the spray all over the pan, always following the direction from the bottom upward on the exterior, reaching every detail of the bundt's design.
2. Preheat the oven with top and bottom heat to 180ºC.
3. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
4. On the other hand, beat the eggs with a whisk to aerate them for a few minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating (if you do it with a KitchenAid, use the whisk attachment at speed 3-4).
5. Add the butter at room temperature and continue beating until integrated.
6. Add the condensed milk and vanilla extract. Continue beating until you have a homogeneous and slightly frothy mixture.
7. Add the flour mixture in three additions, sifted, until everything is integrated and you have a smooth batter.
8. Pour the batter into the pan, tap the pan a couple of times on the countertop (place a cloth to cushion the impact a little), so the batter settles into all the pan's details.
9. Place the pan in the oven at mid-height, and bake about 45 minutes.
10. Check if it's done: see if the batter has pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan and check by inserting the Nordic Ware thermometer; if the tip comes out red it's done and you can remove it from the oven.
11. Leave the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, no more or less or the cake will be so tender it will break and be hard to unmold.
12. After those 10 minutes, turn it out onto the rack to unmold. Let it rest a few minutes (it's recommended to let the flavors settle — if you make it a few hours in advance even better).
13. Before serving, prepare the glaze: in a bowl, mix the cheese, sugar and milk until integrated and you obtain a semi-liquid cream (if you want it thinner, add more milk, always tablespoon by tablespoon).
14. Bring the bundt cake to the table on a pretty cake stand (here you'll see several from the shop that we love, as well as storage containers to preserve its tenderness longer), or on a round board, and serve alongside the glaze.

Important notes:

• We served it with the glaze, but if you prefer you can simply dust with powdered sugar to serve. Or a chocolate coating will also pair fabulously with the flavor of this cake!
• *The Anniversary bundt pan, being 12 cups, also looks beautiful but keep in mind you won't fill it completely as you do with the 8-cup loaf. That's actually one of the most interesting things about large bundts: they'll always look beautiful, gaining more or less height and allowing you to make larger or smaller cakes, giving you a lot of flexibility in recipes. If you prefer to use a loaf cake pan, it's useful to know that the recipe quantities fit the Heritage loaf pan perfectly.
• One of the most important things to know about the pans is that if one day you see it has trouble releasing, it needs a tune-up — the pan's nonstick has become saturated with fat (butter, oil, etc.), and what you need to do is clean it with soap and a sponge, spray with KH7 and wipe the whole pan with a cloth to remove the grease. You'll see that after that tune-up, it will release wonderfully again (because Nordic Ware pans always release and have a very long life ahead).