Harvey Wallbanger Cake

Brayden turned five. September 18, 2026. Kindergartener. A boy with a backpack and a lunchbox and a best friend named Tyler who eats the cookie from Brayden's lunch (with permission — Brayden is generous, especially with cookies). He's easy — cheerful, social, unbothered by the things that keep me up at night. He doesn't worry about money. He doesn't count costs. He just lives, in the large, unexamined way that five-year-olds live, and I protect that largeness fiercely because I lost mine at eleven when the tornado came.

Chocolate cake. Third year requesting it. The boy has a palate and a preference and both of them point to chocolate. I made a three-layer chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream — the KitchenAid mixer makes this possible, the layers are even, the frosting is smooth, and the cake looks like something from a bakery, which is my highest compliment to myself. Total cost: $6.20 for a three-layer cake that would cost $30 at a bakery. I posted the breakdown. The blog readers requested the recipe. I gave them the recipe because recipes are meant to be shared, not hoarded. Hoarding recipes is like hoarding love — it defeats the purpose.

Backyard party again. Twenty kids from kindergarten (twenty! Brayden knows twenty kids! I knew three people at five and two of them were my parents!). Hot dogs, chips, juice boxes, cake. Total party cost: $42 for twenty-five people (twenty kids plus five parents who stayed). I ran around the yard with a spatula in one hand and a juice box in the other and Dustin manned the grill and Harper read a book on the porch (she is unbothered by parties, preferring books to people, which is a valid choice that I respect even as I worry about it slightly).

After the party, after the friends left, after the yard was picked up: family dinner. Just us. Chicken and rice bake. "The best thing in the world," Brayden said, five candles worth of old. It is. It might be.

Brayden’s chocolate buttercream three-layer was the star of the party — and it should be, because he earned it — but the recipe I keep coming back to for grown-up gatherings and low-fuss celebrations is this one: Harvey Wallbanger Cake, a retro bundt that tastes like someone put a cocktail party inside a dessert. It’s the cake I make when I want to look like I tried without spending three hours leveling layers, and at well under ten dollars for a cake that feeds sixteen, it fits exactly the math I run on every party I throw. If you’re hosting a crowd and need something that disappears fast, this is it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 16

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Galliano liqueur
1/4 cup vodka
Butter and flour for greasing the pan
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon Galliano liqueur
1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 10- to 12-cup bundt pan, making sure to coat all the grooves. Tap out any excess flour.
Mix the batter. In a large bowl, combine the yellow cake mix and instant vanilla pudding mix. Add the eggs, vegetable oil, orange juice, Galliano, and vodka. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth and well combined.
Bake. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden. The cake will pull slightly away from the sides of the pan when done.
Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife or offset spatula around the edges and center tube, then invert onto the wire rack. Allow to cool completely before glazing, at least 30 additional minutes.
Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice, and Galliano in a small bowl until smooth. The glaze should be thick enough to coat a spoon but still pourable. Add orange zest if using and stir to combine.
Glaze and serve. Once the cake is fully cooled, transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle the glaze over the top, letting it run down the sides naturally. Allow the glaze to set for 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Harvey Wallbanger Cake — The Cake That Earned Its Spot at the Celebration Table