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I’ve dug out my Bundt pan for a German recipe this week. To properly bake some desserts, Bundt pans have a hole in the middle. This suits some of the European recipes because it helps bake all the batter and prevents the under-cooking of dense batter that would happen in a traditional baking pan. H. David Dalquist, a metallurgy expert, cast the first Bundt cake pan in 1950.
Michael said it looks boring but tastes amazing. Huh!
Cake Ingredients:
450g plain flour
400g sugar
285g unsalted butter (room temp)
3 eggs
225ml buttermilk
85ml vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp vanilla bean
Syrup:
80g sugar
80ml water
1tsp vanilla essence
Vanilla icing:
225g icing sugar
45g buttermilk
¼ tsp orange or lemon essence
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
Preheat oven to 170⁰C. Prepare a Bundt cake tin by greasing and coating in a fine layer of flour.
In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda and salt. In another bowl whisk by hand the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between. Then add a third of the flour mixture, mix and then add a third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat two more times until everything is just combined.
Pour batter into the prepared tin and bake for appx 45-50mins, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 mins. Turn out onto a wire rack. Prepare the syrup by heating the ingredients together until it boils. Allow to cool slightly and then brush this all over the cake.
Once the cake has cooled completely, make the icing by whisking all the ingredients together until it is a thick but pourable consistency. Drizzle over the cake and allow to set.
Enjoy
Gaby Van Clarke
Water is a source of life and vitality. As we age our bodies are less able to hold water so our skin sags, our bones become brittle, our hair drier, thinner and frizzy.
Introduced by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century, and adapted over time to suit Japanese tastes, this light bouncy sponge is considered a traditional Japanese speciality. More delicate and airy than a regular sponge cake, castella ( カステラ, kasutera) is famous for a fine and moist crumb.