What the bundt?!

Happy birthday to me!

Dec 08, 2024

Yes, it’s my birthday, but first, a story…

American brothers, David and Mark Dalquist, were approached by the Jewish community in Minnesota, after they had co-founded a cookware company called Nordic Ware. The community wanted a more modern version of the cast iron Gugelhupf tin and a few years later, they launched what is now known as the bundt tin. Originally called ‘bund’ tins, a ‘t’ was added to successfully trademark the word. A very clever move, although that would only become apparent many years later!

Initially it sold so poorly that they considered discontinuing it, but in 1963 it was mentioned in the New Good Housekeeping Cookbook which boosted sales a little. It took a Pillsbury Bake-Off and a Mrs. Helfrich’s second place entry called the Tunnel of Fudge to receive more than 200,000 requests for a bundt tin. Talk about a turning point!

To date, more than 60 billion bundt pans have been sold by the company in the US alone, which led to November 15th being named National Bundt Day!

I think my obsession with bundt cakes comes from my obsession with the tins and the various patterns. Over the years I have bought ceramic ones, antique ones, ones with amazing shapes, and when we travel, and we get back home and begin unpacking, you will always find a bundt tin with a unique new shape or pattern carefully wrapped and packed somewhere in the midst of my clothing.

Below are a few of my favourite bundt cakes. I have baked two for my birthday and will enjoy them with family and friends.

Chocolate, fig and almond cake

This version is gluten-free and is one I bake often.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
melted butter (for brushing)
6 to 8 ronde de Bordeaux (baby) figs (or cut regular-sized figs into halves)
170 g 70% dark chocolate
170 g salted butter
2 tbsp Port
6 eggs, separated
170 g coconut sugar
170 g almond flour

Method
Brush a bundt tin lightly with butter. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the figs in the bottom of the cake tin (if using the bigger figs, place them open side down).

Place the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a small pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally. When melted, add the Port, stir and leave to cool.

Beat the coconut sugar and egg yolks until thick and velvety. Add the melted chocolate mixture and the almond flour to the egg mixture and mix well.

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold into the mixture and pour over the figs in the cake tin. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to cool.

To serve, drizzle with melted dark chocolate.

Olive oil and almond bundt cake

Ingredients
5 large eggs
300 g granulated sugar
150 ml extra virgin olive oil (with nice robust flavour)
½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
90 g almond flour
230 g cake flour
¾ tsp salt
1½ tsp baking powder
125 ml full cream milk

Method
Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Grease the bundt tin.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until light and pale yellow. Add the olive oil and extracts and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 50 minutes (mine needed another 30 minutes) until cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow the cake to cool on a rack.

Lebanese sfouf (turmeric cake)

This is a dry cake, but it is perfect if served with a dollop of Greek-style yoghurt. The flavour and colour are so unique and it makes for a lovely morning coffee-time cake. Traditionally it is baked in a tray and top with blanched almonds. I tried it in a bundt this time.

Makes 2 small cakes

Ingredients
some tahini to brush the cake tins
400 g cake flour
500 g fine semolina
500 ml full cream milk
1 tsp aniseed, ground in a mortar and pestle
1 cup sunflower or canola oil
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
blanched almonds for decoration
white chocolate, melted, for decoration

Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Brush the cake tins with tahini and set aside.

Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the liquids and combine - you should have a medium to soft batter. Place the almonds in the bottom of the bundt tin and scoop the batter on top.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes before tipping out on a cooling rack.

Allow to cool completely. Melt the white chocolate and drizzle over the top.