The Best Crack Cake Recipe

What is crack cake?

Crack cake is a cake mix bundt that gets drenched in a hot syrup of butter, sugar and wine after baking. The syrup soaks into the cake and also hardens on the outside, forming a thin, sugary crust that cracks when you cut into it. That crackle is the most commonly given reason for the name, although some people say it is simply so good it is addictive. Either way, it is an easy, inexpensive recipe that tastes like a bakery cake.

Ingredients

This is based on a small-batch version that uses a mini bundt pan and a 9-ounce box of mix. For a full-size bundt, use a standard 15.25 to 16-ounce box and roughly double the other ingredients.

Cake (small batch)

• 1 box (about 9 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 1 small box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup white wine

Wine syrup

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons white wine

How to make it

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bundt pan very thoroughly with butter and flour or baking spray.
2. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, sugars, cinnamon, eggs, water, oil and wine in a bowl. Mix by hand or with a mixer until smooth.
3. Pour into the pan, tap it on the counter to release bubbles, and bake until a skewer comes out clean. The small-batch version takes around 30 minutes; a full-size bundt takes longer, often 40 to 50 minutes. Check early.
4. While the cake bakes or as soon as it comes out, make the syrup.

The wine syrup

Melt the butter in a small saucepan with the sugar and wine. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then take it off the heat. Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake with a skewer, going most of the way down, then slowly pour the hot syrup over it, aiming some down the edges. Let the cake cool, then place a plate over the pan and flip. If it sticks, give the pan a firm jiggle or let it rest a few more minutes. As the syrup cools, it sets into a shell that gives the cake its crackle.

Alcohol-free version

To skip the alcohol, replace the wine with an equal amount of white grape juice in both the cake and the syrup. The flavor will be slightly sweeter. If you do use wine, keep in mind that baking does not necessarily remove all alcohol, so this may not be suitable for children or anyone avoiding alcohol.

Why it stays moist

Several things help: the pudding mix in the batter, the oil, and the syrup that soaks into the crumb. The sugar coating also seals the outside, which slows moisture loss. The same idea works with other mix-based cakes, such as the jello pistachio pudding bundt cake. A from-scratch cousin with a soak-in rum glaze is our banana rum cake.

Variations

• Chocolate: use chocolate cake mix with red wine, or a white cake with rose wine, for a special occasion.
• Citrus: add lemon zest and swap the wine in the syrup for lemon juice. For a from-scratch lemon cake, see our Irish lemon cake.
• Nuts: a handful of chopped pecans in the pan before the batter makes a crunchy top (when flipped).
• Pound-cake style: add sour cream in place of some of the oil. See how this approach plays out in our blueberry cake with cake mix.

Storing and freezing

Wrap the cake well and keep it at room temperature for a day or two. It freezes well, wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a zippered bag or airtight container, and should be used within about two months. Thaw at room temperature. Avoid storing it in the refrigerator unless necessary, since it tends to dry cakes out.

Cake basics FAQ

What are the 5 main ingredients in cake? Flour, sugar, eggs, fat (butter or oil) and a leavening agent such as baking powder are the usual core ingredients, with milk or another liquid and vanilla commonly added.

How to make wine cake? Use the recipe above: a boxed mix with wine in the batter and a butter-sugar-wine syrup poured over the baked cake.

How to make the most moist chocolate cake ever? Ideas that help: use a chocolate cake mix, add instant pudding, replace water with milk or buttermilk, use oil, and do not overbake. A crack cake in chocolate with red wine syrup is also very moist.

Which is the most delicious cake in the world? That is a matter of taste, so we would rather point you to something simple and reliable that suits your own preferences.

Related recipes

For a spiced mix-based cake that works well for brunch, see the easy cinnamon coffee cake with cake mix. If you want a showstopper for the holidays, check out our easy piecaken recipe.