Category: bundt cakes

summer savory pound cake

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despite the heat and lack of rain, some of the herbs in the demonstration garden are going strong.  one of them that is putting on a show is the summer savory.  last week, i decided to cut the plant back since it had spilled out of the bed and across the walkway.  not wanting to waste the bounty, i brought it home.  it seems only fitting that it found it’s way into the cake i took to share with my fellow gardeners in the demonstration garden this morning.

to tell the difference between summer savory and winter savory, look at the color of the flowers.  winter savory has white flowers, summer savory has lavender.  while it doesn’t show well in the photo, the blooms most definitely were lavender.

summer savory pound cake
1 (4-6) cup bundt cake serving about 6-8
1 cup sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-2 tablespoons freshly picked summer savory leaves
zest from 1 orange
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon wildflower honey
preheat the oven to 350.  grease and flour a 4-6 cup bundt or tube pan and set it aside.  cream the butter and sugar with the savory, zest and salt until it is light and fluffy.  add the eggs slowly, one at a time, and scrape the bowl between additions.  sift the flour and leaveners over the batter and fold it in a few times by hand.  sprinkle the buttermilk over the top of the batter and fold the mixture until it is completely blended.  scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven.  while the cake bakes, prepare the syrup by heating the juice and honey until they almost come to the simmer.  set aside and keep slightly warm.  bake the cake until a pick inserted comes out clean, approximately 50 minutes.  allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes and then turn it out onto a rack set over a pan to completely cool.  once the warm cake (yes, warm because a cold cake does not accept syrup as well as a warm one) is on the rack, gently brush the syrup over the top of the cake.  allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
and back out to the garden i go!  

cinnamon swirl coffee cake; a comedy of errors

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just about every sunday morning, i head out to the demonstration and research garden to work with my fellow master gardeners.  it may sound like a bad way to spend a sunday morning but it is actually a lot of fun when a group of us get together for the purpose of tending the many beds.  yes it is social, but we also have the opportunity to learn about all things “garden.”

did i mention the cake?  it is hard to get volunteers to crawl out of bed early on a sunday morning so i have taken to bribing them with homemade cake.  every saturday evening, i bake a cake to take out there on sunday morning.  on the rare occasion that my husband can join me due to his insane work schedule, i let him choose the flavor; he chose chocolate chips this time.

one of my favorite types of coffee cake is a classic crumb cake.  tons of cinnamon scented streusel on top of a dense vanilla cake dusted with a barrel of powdered sugar.  mmmmmmm…add some chocolate chips and a cinnamon nut swirl and you just hit that one over the fence!  when i want a coffee cake like that, i reach for my worn out copy of the cake bible by rose levy beranbaum and i turn to her sour cream coffee cake recipe.

so, here i was in my kitchen on a saturday evening preparing to bake the coffee cake for my trip to the garden sunday morning.  how hard could that be?  oven set to 350 for preheating.  the food processor came out to make the crumb topping.  then i began to measure the ingredients for the topping and the ribbon since they are prepared first.  light brown sugar(bag of dark is open, i grab that instead), sugar, pecans, cinnamon, cake flour,  CAKE FLOUR!!!  uh oh, no cake flour; out came the all purpose and the corn starch to make a quick substitute.

next up, the butter for the topping and the cake, egg yolks, wait; let’s make that 2 whole eggs rather than 4 yolks-i don’t want left over whites.  back to it; sour cream-hmmm, it shouldn’t be neon pink now should it?  no problem, i’ve got buttermilk.  moving right along, vanilla, cake flour(or should i say pretend cake flour), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and let’s not forget those chocolate chips!!!

needless to say, it pays to stock the larder and to check it for the ingredients before you get started.  but despite the missing ingredients, the cake came out fantastic and for a change, the squirrels did not get a single crumb!!!

sour cream comedy cake with chocolate chips
1 (8) cup tube pan, serves 8-10
adapted from rose levy beranbaum’s sour cream coffee cake recipe in the cake bible, 1988, william morrow and company.  
topping
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup pecan pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup cake flour (or 1/3 cup all purpose flour and 1 tablespoon cornstarch)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
place the sugars, pecans and cinnamon into the bowl of the food processor and pulse to coarsely chop the pecans.  measure out 3/4 cup and set it aside.  add the flour and butter and pulse it to form small pea sized lumps of topping.  set this aside and prepare the cake batter.
cake batter
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups cake flour (or 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and slightly softened
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
preheat the oven to 350.  grease and flour an 8 cup tube pan and set aside.  whisk the eggs with 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk and the vanilla.  in the mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda and the salt and mix to combine.  add the butter and the remaining 6 tablespoons of buttermilk.  on low speed, mix until the ingredients come together.  turn the speed to medium and allow it to cream for several minutes until it is light and almost fluffy.  add the egg mixture in several additions, scrape the bowl after each addition and mix until combined.  add half of the chocolate chips and stir them in by hand.  pour about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.   sprinkle the chocolate chips and the cinnamon/nut mixture evenly over the batter.  carefully drop the remaining batter over the topping in small dollops and then spread them out to form a thin layer.  sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the cake and bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about an hour.  allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes.  carefully turn the cake out and then invert it onto a rack to cool.  serve as is or with a dusting of powdered sugar.  
and if you are interested in that garden i mentioned, see it here

lemon pistachio breakfast cake

Published on by alisahuntsman2 Comments

every sunday morning, i head out to the demonstration garden to work with my fellow gardeners for a few hours.  it is usually peaceful out there and we always have a good time together.  how can you go wrong if someone always comes out to the garden with a freshly baked cake?  unless you are that someone who is searching through cupboards trying to figure out what to bake…did i mention that the “someone” in question is me?

this week, lemon sounded like a good choice to me.  it has been so hot and lemon sounded light and refreshing; a good choice for a crowd.  that is providing a crowd shows up.  since it was a holiday weekend, i ended up gardening by myself with a cake for company.  luckily, for me anyway, i wasn’t in a sweet tooth mood and was easily able to limit myself to a small slice.

this is a moist cake that is quickly mixed up in one bowl and baked in a medium sized (about 8 cups) bundt pan.  rather than make a glaze as the recipe called for, i opted for a more finger friendly dusting of powdered sugar-we don’t have the time for plates and forks in the garden.

lemon-pistachio breakfast cake

adapted from a recipe by lou seibert pappas.  the original recipe, lemon-glazed buttermilk bundt cake can be found in the 2006 book, coffeecakes, simple, sweet and savory published by chronicle books.

serves 10-12
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
3/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup chopped pistachios (i used unsalted, dry roasted pistachios from trader joe’s)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
powdered sugar for dusting the cake

preheat the oven to 350.  grease an 8 cup bundt pan and set aside.  in a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, zest, canola oil, chopped pistachios and salt and whisk until smooth.  sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda over the top of the egg mixture.  stir it a couple times with a rubber spatula, add the buttermilk and continue to mix until smooth.  scrape it into the greased pan and spread it out evenly.  bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert it onto a rack to cool completely.  to serve, dust the top with a small amount of powdered sugar and cut into slices with a serrated knife.

apple-walnut bundt cake

Published on by alisahuntsman2 Comments
whenever i go out to the demonstration and research garden (demo garden, as we call it) to work with my fellow master gardeners, i always bring something freshly baked.  most of the time, it is a bundt cake.  every now and then, it is a loaf cake, a batch of muffins or scones or some sort of homemade bread.  this cake is a quick and easy recipe to follow that makes a tasty cake.  it can be made with apples or pears and either way will be equally decadent.

in my collection of bundt pans are a few that came to me from my aunt; they belonged to my late uncle who was a serious bundt cake fan.  this cathedral pan is one of my favorites for large recipes-it is at least 12 cups and makes a huge cake.  beware of a pan that size; the bigger they are, the longer the cake will bake if the pan is full of batter!

apple-walnut bundt cake
serves 12-16
3/4 cup walnut pieces
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup canola oil
2 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
preheat the oven to 350.  grease and flour the cake pan and set aside.  place the walnuts on a baking pan and toast in the oven until slightly fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.  allow the nuts to cool.
in a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar and canola oil until smooth.  add the walnuts and apples and stir to combine.  place the flour, spices and baking soda into a sifter and sift over the batter.  fold the flour into the batter and mix until incorporated.  scrape the batter into the pan and bake until a tester inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan.  carefully turn the cake out onto a rack and allow it to cool completely.  to serve, cut with a serrated knife.  
and as always my friends, if you bake it, show it off and send me a photo!

chocolate beet bundt cake

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every year starting in january, a new master gardener class begins.  each week there is at least one class on a topic related to gardening.  as a certified member, i am required to earn continuing education hours to maintain my certification;  i attend  as many of these classes as i can.  more importantly, it is helpful to attend the classes in an effort to welcome the new members and hopefully, retain them once the classes are finished.  i take that part seriously; i bribe them weekly with cake!  this weeks offering was a rich and moist chocolate bundt that also contained a secret ingredient:  beets.  

while digging through the cupboards, i came across a can of beets that had been pushed to the very back.  i ran the beets through the blender with the juice from the can to get an awesome red puree.  for those of you who prefer to use fresh or your own canned beets, you will need 1 3/4 cups of puree with the consistency of buttermilk so be sure to add the liquid you boiled/canned them in as needed.

when folded into the batter, it doesn’t show-it disappears like magic.  not only that, no one and i mean NO one was able to guess what was in the cake.  then again, it was so chocolatey and moist, i doubt anyone was thinking it reminded them of beets.  so why bother?  the moisture for one and the added fiber too and then because i love hiding the vegetables in the cake…
all ready for the oven!
chocolate-beet bundt cake
adapted from straight from the farm
1 (12 cup) bundt serving 16
1 (15 oz) can beets
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, natural preferred
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
powdered sugar for dusting the top of the cake
preheat the oven to 350.  grease and flour a bundt or tube pan with a 12 cup capacity.  drain the beets and reserve the juice.  place the beets in a blender with some of the juice and blend briefly.  add the remaining juice and blend until smooth, pour into a bowl and set aside.  melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on the lowest power or defrost setting using 30 second intervals.  stir until smooth and set aside.
in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the dark brown sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy.  pour in the melted chocolate and mix well.  be sure to scrape the bowl at least once to completely combine the ingredients.  add the eggs, 1 at a time and scrape the bowl as you go.  to sift the dry ingredients, place the flour, cocoa, baking soda and spices in a large mesh strainer.  sift them over the chocolate mixture.  fold a few times, add the beets and fold until the batter is uniform in color.  
scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a pick inserted comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.  sift powdered sugar over the top of the cooled cake. 
bake one and send me a photo!  may the power of the beet be with you…

gingerbread beer cake with bittersweet chocolate glaze

Published on by alisahuntsman1 Comment
gingerbread.  beer.  chocolate… what more does anyone need?  mix it all up and bake it in a bundt and trust me, you will not need anything else.  i recently entered this recipe in a food52.com contest so wish me luck!  you can view the recipe here and use the photos below from the step by step to see what things should look like.

 when i know that i need to sift dry ingredients, i place a mesh strainer over a bowl and place all the ingredients to be sifted in it.  then i sift it into the batter a portion at a time.  the bowl makes it easier to contain and the stuff that falls through the strainer can be dumped in without the hassle of lifting paper…

 the two batters in the pan before swirling them

 swirling the batters carefully, so that you do not remove the grease/flour layer from the pan, is best done with a small spoon.  gently insert the spoon and stir and lift small quantities of batter to marbleize it.

 the cake after turning it out of the pan.  the hardest part-not cutting into it while it is warm!
 drizzle the glaze over the cake in a free form manner for the best look.

and that meeting i took the cake to-this was all that was left; two skinny slices of heaven…so this is in this weeks food52.com contest for your best chocolate and spice.  and as always, if you bake one, send me a photo and i will post it here!  bake on my friends, bake on…

now that’s a rainbow cake!

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it’s been a month, exactly one month today, that my house was broken into and my computer was stolen.  what a month it has been!  my media tour is moving along and i have replaced my computer-added a security system to the house also since just replacing the doors a second time seemed useless.  let’s hope it makes a difference.  time has flown and things have blurred a bit so imagine my surprise when i realized that i had missed more than half of mary, the food librarians annual bundt fest!!!   i just had to fix that and send some bundt love her way and i couldn’t think of anything better than a little zebra action.  but for those of you who know me, you know that i wouldn’t be happy with just two colors, no, after the month i had, i needed the whole damn rainbow!!!!!!!  get ready mary, here comes the rainbow bundt…

after mixing the batter, i separated it into 5 equal parts.  then i added color to 4 of the portions and left one plain.  all i had to use was a package of mc cormicks neon egg colors which consisted of pink, purple, blue and green.  each color mixed in differently and they each needed different amounts to get the color saturation just right.  to get the stripes, you carefully pour in spoonfuls of each color batter to the same spot in the pan to make rings.  the rings spread out and fill the pan and if you use a bundt pan like i did, it looks really amazing.

now, how cool is that?  the stuff that dreams are made of if you ask me.   okay, i admit it, the stress is getting to me-obviously, neon colored cakes are all it takes to amaze me…

a few notes before we get started.  first, i increased the recipe by half to fill the bundt pan, after all, mary is having a bundt fest.  second, i omitted the cocoa powder in the recipe since i wanted a rainbow cake.

rainbow bundt cake
adapted from king arthur flour
1 twelve cup bunt serving 12-16

6 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup canola oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
liquid food colors, as many as you like
preheat the oven to 350.  grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.  place the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt into a large mixing bowl and on medium, whip until it thickens-about 10 minutes.  slowly pour the oil in taking care not to hit the beaters or you will wear it and so will your kitchen.  if you are using a hand held mixer, put it away now, and if you are using a stand mixer, remove the bowl from the machine and pour the batter into a large but shallow bowl.  sift the flour and baking powder over the egg mixture and carefully fold it into the batter.  fold the milk in last-if you have followed this order, you should not have any lumps.  if you have lumps, run the batter through a mesh strainer to break up the lumps and smooth out the batter.  divide the batter into 5 bowls (1 1/2 cups each) and tint as desired.  using a serving spoon, carefully pour spoonfuls of each color into the same spot in the pan to create a bullseye pattern that spreads and fills the pan.  bake until a tester inserted comes out clean, about an hour to an hour and 10 minutes.  allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then carefully turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.

be sure to check out mary’s month long bundt fest-i love big bundts 3 and do bake one with her!

oh, one more thing.  before you start wondering about my photos, and whether i have lost my mind, my camera was also stolen.  those photos were taken with my not so smart phone (no iPhone or droid for me).

where’ve ya been?

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and no, i haven’t been to london to visit the queen. oh wait, were you asking me or the cat? it’s been a busy week for me. we always try to do something for valentines day and this year, we hosted a dinner party for the girls. if you want to call a party, mainly it was just a dinner with a fancy dessert.
but before i was temporarily sidetracked, i was working on a cake for chapter two. i am really embracing the concept of simple when it comes to the cakes. using some sort of tube/bundt pan really makes it easy to decorate-just pour a glaze over it and be done with it. while working on this one, i was reminded of that scene in my big fat greek wedding when ian’s mom, harry, presents thula’s mother with the bundt cake. it’s a cake with a hole in it…who serves a cake with a hole in it???
my thrift shopping obsession has given me a chance to find a few interesting pans and when you add that to the tubes and bundts from my days as a bakery owner and the pans from my uncle, i have plenty to choose from.
the ever growing collection
so here is another attempt at this weeks challenge, root beer float cake. (at this point i should mention that i forgot to flour the pan after greasing it and this is the result) i did this in the cafe a while back but did not like it with boylan’s root beer soda; it was way to sweet and mild with no flavor of root beer.
a trip to the grocery store had me stocked with a natural, micro brew root beer that had things like sarsparilla and bourbon vanilla in it. the best part, it left me with absolutely no need for the root beer concentrate that every recipe i looked at called for. it made a tasty drink as well as a tasty cake! (that whitish look to the cake-i remembered the flour after greasing the pan)
a simple vanilla glaze and there you have it, root beer float in a bundt cake. drink up y’all!