Birthdays are some of the best reasons to bake, especially when such a simple act can create real happiness. Truly, I’ve witnessed unfiltered joy while watching friends and family enjoy a warm slice of pie, or their favorite batch of cookies. And a homemade birthday cake is a pretty timeless way to show someone they are LOVED. This stunning bundt is a re-take on Model Bakery’s espresso bundt cake, featuring a cinnamon layer that went absolutely haywire while baking and made the most amazing and unexpected swirling patterns throughout the cake.

The Model Bakery is based in St. Helena, CA, and is famous for their english muffins.  They are tall, stately, buttery, and not to be missed.

The crumb of this cake is insanely tender and the cinnamon layer is another great option to pair with the blonde cake. The original recipe for the Model Bakery’s espresso bundt can be found here. The substitutions we made were to dissolve cinnamon in almond milk, rather than using the cold espresso + water recommended in their recipe, and instead of an espresso glaze this bundt features a maple-spiked glaze. This cake is even better on day two, so don’t feel like you have to gobble it all up at once (or, go ahead, that’s what birthdays are for).