No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world ~ Robin Williams
Each day on the Baker's Hotline, we're reminded by bakers from all over the globe how we've changed their world in some small way.
We helped you make the perfect birthday cake for Mom? Fantastic! You learned how to roll perfect pie crust from one of our videos? OUT-standing! Oh, your bread fell and dinner seemed ruined? Ouch, let's see how we can fix it.
For me, I've been lucky enough that my world's been changed and become even more full of laughter from one such exchange – and it all started with Bundt cakes.
Back in 2013 I was assisting a customer in Australia place an order and through our emails, we started sharing our favorite kinds of baking. Come to find out, Dianne and I were both big Bundt cake fans – just 10,445 miles apart.
We started exchanging recipes, book recommendations, and Bundt techniques. A few packages started crossing the ocean, and many emails crossed the airwaves. In the last year, Di and I have started calling ourselves "long-lost sisters."
Besides being Bundt fiends, we love biscotti, collect teapots, and so much more. When I think I'm crazy for arranging my cookbooks at home by category, along comes Dianne to tell me she does the same. Yes, the song is right: it's a small world after all.
So, my friends – and Di in particular – this Bundt's for you. I hope these recipes will inspire you to share your love of baking and make wonderful new connections in the process.
Batter up!
Let's start with a classic Bundt cake. Our King Arthur Flour's Original Pound Cake is truly the essence of Bundt. Rich with eggs and butter, the ultra-fine texture is the result of beating ("creaming") butter and sugar. In reading the recipe, I can't improve on the original explanation, so I'll share it with you here.
When you cream butter, it may seem at the beginning as if you're just mashing it flat. But if you persevere, you'll begin to see it get "fluffy." What you're really doing is adding air. When you beat the butter with sugar, it becomes even fluffier, evidence of more air. And when the eggs are beaten in, the fluffiness is at its peak. That's why this part of the mixing is so important. The more air bubbles you can beat in at this stage, the more air bubbles there are to expand in the heat of the oven. Baking powder or soda can do part of the work of leavening, but the more air bubbles you can get into a batter manually, the finer and lighter the texture of the finished cake.
If you are looking for a place to start your own love affair with Bundt cakes, you can't go wrong starting here.
Spring, summer, autumn or winter, thisCaribbean-Style Rum Cake is perfect for any season. Since we published the recipe in 2012 we have received numerous calls, emails, and recipe reviews from customers who consider this the ultimate rum cake.
With a 5-star rating and an annual holiday following, this tender and super-moist cake uses butter, pudding mix, and plenty of rum for its outstanding texture and taste. Be sure to invite friends over to imbibe, err consume this potent pastry at your next party!
I've always considered Bundt cakes to be blissful, so when you make a cake called Lemon Bliss, it just makes sense to make it in a Bundt pan, right? Fresh lemon zest (grated rind) makes all the difference, and you can add a sweet/tangy glaze of sugar and lemon juice to really send this cake to lemon heaven.
We've always been proud to be a vendor of fine Nordicware bundt pans, and this diamond pan, reminiscent of the Diamond Jubilee, is one of the newest in the line. The deep diamond wells hold pockets of glaze or a flurry of confectioners' sugar. Even served plain, the beauty of your baked goods really shines through.
For intricate pans like this, try a good old-fashioned grease and flour technique. The extra 5 minutes you take to really spread the shortening (I like trans-fat free Crisco) with a pastry brush will come back to you 20-fold when you present a perfect cake with every detail intact.
As autumn approaches, a baker's thoughts can't help but turn to all things pumpkin, like this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake. Knowing how much our gluten-free friends can miss their treats, our team found a way to create a rich, spicy cake from our regular Gluten-Free Yellow Cake mix. No need to purchase different flours and starches, we've done that work for you.
Knowing, too, that gluten-free baked goods benefit from the extra support of a good pan, this denser type of cake is spot-on for using a Bundt pan. Try a slice with your pumpkin spice latte, or even better, have one mini bundt all to yourself for a special afternoon treat.
If the Caribbean-Style Rum Cake is the epitome of summer, Orange-Cranberry-Nut Cake heralds the Christmas holiday season like no other.
Bright jewels of candied fruit take a luxurious soak in brandy or juice, then are set afloat in an orange-scented cake. Not a fruitcake, but rather a cake with fruit. Like potato chips with their satisfying crunch, the texture of this cake will keep you coming back for slice after slice. The "pop" of the cherries, the snap of the nuts... it is one deeply satisfying experience.
We hope you've gotten some inspiration from this short list of our favorite Bundts. Bundt cakes in particular freeze beautifully, so they can be made just after Thanksgiving and rest happily in the deep freeze until you need them. Why not whip up a couple early in the season?
Knowing you've got stash of flavorful cakes with style and flair ready to go may not change your life like making a new friend can, but I guarantee it'll keep you smiling all year long!
Do you have a favorite Bundt cake recipe? Or a favorite style? Let us know in the comments, below!
