In 1950, Nordic Ware founder H. David Dalquist invented a new cake pan with a round shape, fluted sides and a hole in the middle.
The Bundt pan was not a hit until 1966, when a Texas home baker won second place in a Pillsbury Bake-Off with her "Tunnel of Fudge" Bundt cake. The recipe had just six ingredients -- butter, eggs, sugar, flour, walnuts and frosting mix -- but its elegant shape with a ribbon of molten chocolate running through the center made a big impression.
The Bundt pan has since become America's best-selling cake pan, and, according to Nordic Ware, you can find the fluted tube pan in 70 million households around the world. In addition to the classic 12-cup design, Nordic Ware sells Bundt pans that resemble flower blossoms, hearts, cottages, castles and cathedrals. Sift through any baking aisle and you'll find Bundt knockoffs called "fluted tube pans" in a variety of shapes and sizes.
New York-based cookbook author Lauren Chattman, a former pastry chef who apprenticed under Francois Payard at New York City's Daniel restaurant, is sweet on Bundts. Her book Cake Keeper Cakes (The Taunton Press, 2009) boasts 20 Bundt cake recipes, from basic Banana-Chocolate Chip to cornbreadlike Blueberry-Cornmeal and decadent Peanut Butter-Sour Cream With Butterfinger Ganache Glaze.
The classic cakes have stood the test of time because they serve a crowd and are easy to slice. "And because they're in that circular shape, they cook really evenly," Chattman says. "You're not going to get dried-out edges before the center cooks."
But there is one catch: Bundt cakes have a bad habit of sticking to the pan. And there are few kitchen disasters more dramatic and disappointing than a cake that cracks and crumbles into a hot mess as soon as you turn it out of the pan.
One trick many bakers suggest for stick-free Bundts is to thoroughly grease the pan with shortening, being sure to get into all of the crevices, followed by a light sprinkling of flour.
Chattman said shortening makes pans more slippery than butter or cooking spray, which can overbrown the cake's exterior.
When it comes to picking a pan, look for a nonstick surface in a rounded shape.
"The more elaborate the pan, the more likely you're going to have a problem with unmolding," Chattman says. She has a collection of vintage Bundt pans, but uses only the gold Nordic Ware Bundt pan she bought a few years ago from Williams-Sonoma.
The pan has never failed her, unlike a small, shiny pan in her collection: "I bought it to make a lemon Bundt cake recipe I saw in Gourmet magazine," Chattman says. "As soon as I turned it out, I could feel the resistance."
Half of the lemon cake clunked onto the wire rack; the other half stuck to the bottom of the cool-looking shiny pan.
If that happens, Chattman says, the best remedy is to reassemble the cake as best you can, cover any cracks with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or drizzle of icing, and cut it into slices. With the right recipe, even a botched Bundt can be a home run.
BUNDT CAKE TIPS
• Choose a nonstick pan with a classic shape. Elaborate pans with small crevices tend to trap batter.
• Before baking, grease the pan with vegetable shortening and flour. A pan-release baking spray such as Baker's Joy also works.
• After baking, let the cake rest 5 minutes before turning it out of the pan. "If you turn the cake out immediately," says Chattman, "it may not have set up enough so that it'll keep its shape."
• On the other hand, don't leave the cake in the pan for too long after baking or the bottom of the cake could bond to the pan.
• Wait 1 hour before slicing into a Bundt cake. Otherwise the slices will be too soft and won't hold their shape.
• If you're paranoid about breaking your Bundt cake, take the advice of Laura Laiben, owner of the The Culinary Center of Kansas City: Freeze the baked and cooled cake in its pan. The cake will contract and pull away from the pan, so popping it out should be easy. Just thaw before slicing and eating.
Glossy chocolate ganache crowns this firm, easy-to-slice cake made with creamy peanut butter.
Peanut Butter-Sour Cream Bundt Cake With Butterfinger Ganache Glaze
For the cake:
Shortening, for greasing
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
For the glaze:
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 regular size (60 grams) Butterfinger candy bar, chopped
To make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with shortening and dust with flour.
Whisk together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Combine the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the sour cream mixture. Repeat, alternating flour and sour cream mixtures and ending with the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 1 minute.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze: Place the chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in a heat-safe bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and butter and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
Pour the warm glaze over the cake, letting it drop down the sides. Sprinkle the chopped Butterfinger bar over the glaze. Let stand until the glaze is set, about 1/2 hour. Slice and serve.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Recipe adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman
Lemon zest lends fresh flavor to this springy Bundt cake, which pairs well with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon for blueberries and zest, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, optional
Whipped cream, optional for serving
Fresh berries, optional for serving
Heat oven to 350 degrees, with rack on bottom shelf. Thoroughly grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with two batches of sour cream and beating until just combined. Toss blueberries and zest with remaining 1 teaspoon flour; gently fold into batter.
Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.
Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely. (Cake can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, up to 3 days.) Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving, if desired. Slice and serve. If desired, serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Makes 12 servings.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cakes (Clarkson Potter, 2013)
A thick layer of cream cheese frosting flecked with pecans adds a halo of decadence to this dessert. Bonus: The frosting also conceals any cracks or imperfections in the cake.
Sigrid's Carrot Cake
For the cake:
Shortening, for greasing pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
4 to 6 large carrots, washed and peeled
For the icing:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, chopped fine, plus extra for garnish
To make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with shortening; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and oil, then crack in the eggs and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until smooth. Grate the carrots (you should wind up with about 2 cups) and add them to the mixing bowl. Mix until the carrots are completely incorporated into the batter.
Pour the batter into Bundt pan. Smooth out the surface of the batter with a spatula, then bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cake is set.
Turn the cake out of the pan and allow it to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing: Put the butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix until the icing is light, fluffy and smooth. Add the pecans to the bowl and mix until they're incorporated.
To serve: When the cake is fully cooled, spoon the icing all around the top, then use a dinner knife to spread it evenly all over the surface of the cake. Finally, sprinkle extra nuts all over the top of the cake. Slice and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Makes 12 servings.
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond (HarperCollins, 2013)
Food on 04/29/2015