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Bundt Cakes |
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A Bundt cake is simply
the name used for a dessert cake baked in a Bundt pan
or a round baking pan with a tube in the middle with fluted, decorated
sides. They are
typically made from butter/shortening or dense, rich cake recipes,
such
as the
Butter or Pound cake.
Bundt cakes are versatile and keep well. They need little
embellishment and can be simply served with fruit or drizzled with a
glaze or dusted with powdered sugar. Very few are frosted or
filled. (Picture
from
nordicware.com) |
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 Q:
What if a recipe uses a 'Bundt' pan but doesn't specify a measurement. Is
there a standard size for a bundt pan?
A: The pan size depends on the
amount of batter the recipe makes. It is usually stamped on the pan. The
number of cups of flour in the recipe are always a good indicator, too. A
tube pan can be used, instead. (Bundt is a fluted form, tube is plain.)
Look in my
Pan Size Substitutes Chart
for the right size; the pans are interchangeable if they hold the same
amount of batter.
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Flour Amount |
Bundt Pan Size |
Tube Pan Size |
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1 1/4 cups |
6 cups |
7 -1/2 x
3 inches |
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2 1/4 to 3 cups |
12 cups - standard size |
10 x 3
-1/2 inches |
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The Bundt Pan:
The aluminum Bundt pan was
invented in 1950, by H.
David Dalquist, founder of
Nordic Ware Bundt Pans,
at the request of members
of the Minneapolis Center of the Hadassah Society.
They were interested in a pan that could be used
to make kugel, a Jewish dessert.
They had old ceramic cake pans of somewhat similar designs but wanted an
aluminum one.
Dalquist created a new shape
and added regular folds to make it easier to cut the cake. The women from the
society called the pans "bund pans" because "bund" is German for a gathering of
people. Dalquist added a "t" to the end of "bund" and trademarked the name.
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SARAH SAYS:
Cakes that are
good "keepers" are pound cakes, coffee cakes, crumb cakes and bundt cakes.
They all
mail well, too. |
For years, the company sold few of
the pans. Then in 1996, a Texas woman won second place in the Pillsbury Bake-Off
for her Tunnel of Fudge Cake made in a Bundt pan. The win prompted a nationwide
scramble for the pan. Pillsbury licensed
the name in 1970 for a line of cake mixes.
When H. David Dalquist died on
January 6, 2005, the company had sold more than 50 million Bundt pans. It is the
top-selling cake pan in the world.
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SARAH SAYS:
Now if you really want to dress up a
Bundt cake, put it on a pedestal cake plate and make it showier with a
glaze. I enjoy a thick
glaze that I drizzle over the cake back & forth with a spoon so you can
see the design. To make, I never put in as much liquid as called for in
the recipe.
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Nordic Ware Bundt Pans
are heavy, dark pans. Because they are dark, the cake will bake faster. When
baking, make sure you reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees F (13 degrees
C).
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Q:
Lately, I've had trouble removing my bundt cake from the pan after baking.
I grease the pan thoroughly and let the cake cool for 2 hrs. Do you have
any ideas? It's stuck and won't come out!
A:
A big issue with
bakers seems to be the often occurring problem of getting such cakes, nice
as they are, to come out of their Bundt pans in one piece.
Part of
the trick is to
prepare the pans
in a certain way: with equal parts of shortening, oil and flour, and use a
pastry brush to apply it; get every nook and cranny but not so much that
when the cake comes out it has white flour on it in spots.
The other part
of the trick is to do certain things when unmolding:
(1) Just before the Bundt cake is through
baking, place a folded bath towel in the sink and saturate it with
steaming hot water. Keep the towel in the sink;
(2) When the cake comes out of the oven, Immediately set it on top of the
towel, pan side down, and leave it for ten seconds; and,
(3) Immediately invert the cake onto a cooling rack. The cake will come
out clean and whole without sticking. Be careful because cakes are very
delicate when hot and can break apart easily. If the cake starts to break
apart, leave it in its pan to cool for 20 minutes and try to unmold,
again.
COMMENT:
Up until now, every
cake I've baked in my Nordic Ware bundt pan has always stuck and torn in
parts. With your advice on oiling the pan with the special three part
mixture followed at the end of baking with the steam-removal method, the
cake came out perfectly. Thank you so much for the tips! Anne Pfeiffer
1-11-04,
Ask Sarah |
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