Sampler
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Here’s a taste of the first edition of Bonkers for Bundt Cakes.
You can purchase the updated and expanded edition in the Bonkers for Bundt Cakes Store.
Volume IV
December 2002
Bonkers For Bundt Cakes
Now in both e-book and print, Bonkers for Bundt Cakes has been updated with some new recipes and improved. This is a sampler from the original edition, all of which are is included in the current edition.
Table of Contents
- The History of the Bundt Pan Name
- The Bundt Pan Becomes Famous
- Why Use a Bundt or Tube Pan?
- Bundt Pan Tip
- Almond Streusel Coffee Cake
- Banana Flavored Coffee Cake
- Bourbon Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Truffle Pound Cake
- Piña Colada Cake
- Pistachio Coffee Cake
- Pistachio-Rum Cake
- Poppy Seed Kugelhupf
- Pumpkin Ring Cake
- Raspberry Marbled Cake
- Spiced Applesauce Cake
- Walnut Coconut Cake
I’ll always remember Grandma’s Rum Cake - it wasn’t too sweet and it had the pleasant tang of rum. After reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, I imagined that Rum was my favorite liquor because I liked pirates and that was why I liked Grandma’s Rum Cake so well.
Grandma always baked it in a Bundt® pan - a tube pan with fluted sides - giving it natural serving size cut marks. One was a small slice and another was a large slice, and they alternated around the donut-shaped cake.
As I grew older, I found I liked many cakes that used this same pan, and I noticed that some recipes called for a “Bundt pan” and others called for a “tube pan.” What was the difference? This is what I discovered:
The History of the Bundt Pan Name
In 1946, David Dalquist Sr. founded the Nordic Ware company. During the fledgling days of this company, three ladies from the local Hadassah chapter of Minneapolis approached him with a request from the president of their chapter. She had inherited a hand-made mold from her European grandmother, and the ladies asked him to produce a pan based on this mold.
The mold was a German “bund pan.” The word “bund” is German for “alliance” or “a gathering.” A “bund cake,” therefore was suitable for a gathering (and if you think about the shape, it looks like the cake is gathering around its center). So that he could trademark the name, Dalquist added the “t” to the end of the word.
Interestingly enough, however, the bund pan used as a model for the Bundt pan, was an Austrian or Alsatian Kugelhupf pan. The word “kugel” means “ball,” but “hupf” or “hopt” has no meaning. No one knows if the name came out of the pan’s shape or if it is one of those words that has evolved over time. One writer speculated that the term “kugelhupf” may have had its roots in the words “Koenig,” which means “king” and “haupt,” which means “head.” He suggested that the original name might have described the crown-like shape of the fluted cake.
The Bundt Pan Becomes Famous
Nordic Ware released the Bundt Pan in 1950, and by 1960 it was the top selling cake pan in the United States. But it took the Pillsbury Bake Off contest in 1966, when several of the contestants used the pan, for it to really take off. By 1970, Pillsbury licensed the name and created an entire line of Bundt cake mixes, greatly increasing sales of the pan.
Today, Nordic Ware estimates that there are more than 45 million Bundt pans owned by Americans. The pan has become so popular that “bundt pan” is now often used as a generic term for tube pan.
Why Use a Bundt or Tube Pan?
The tube design of the Bundt pan promotes even baking for the center of the cake, especially with heavier batters such as quick breads and pound cake. In addition the fluted shape, makes portion control a snap! And, of course, decorating is simple - just drizzle some glaze on the cake or dust the cake with powdered sugar and you have a beautifully presentable dessert!
Bundt Pan Tip:
Because of the fluted design, the likelihood of the cake sticking is increased over more simple pans. Therefore it is very important that you grease well all creases before pouring in the batter. I’ve found that using a non-stick cooking spray is easiest - much easier than trying to get all the creases with a paper towel (or your fingers) dipped in vegetable shortening, and less messy, too!
Piña Colada Cake
I invented this recipe because my husband liked one that we found at Sam’s Club. It turned out moist and not-too-sweet. Definitely yummy!
- 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in juice (not syrup)1 package Pineapple cake mix11 package (1 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix21/2 cup oil4 eggs1 package (7 oz) coconut flakes1/2 cup sugar1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup light rum3
1 You can use yellow cake mix instead. The result will not have as intense a pineapple flavor.
2 If you can find coconut pudding mix, so much the better.
3 You can use water instead. Or experiment with spiced or dark rum!
Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
Prepare Bundt or tube pan by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray or rubbing it with a light coating of shortening or oil. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut flakes into the bottom of the pan.
Drain juice from crushed pineapple into a glass or small bowl. Measure out 1/8 cup, reserve the rest and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine ingredients in the following order: cake mix, pudding mix, reserved pineapple juice (not the 1/8 cup), pineapple, oil and eggs.
Using an electric mixer set on low speed, mix until well combined. Then beat at medium speed for two minutes.
Measure out 1/4 cup coconut flakes and set aside. Fold the remainder of the coconut flakes into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back after being touched in the center.
10 minutes before the cake is done, combine sugar, butter, rum and 1/8 cup pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat and boil for 2-3 minutes.
Remove cake from the oven - but not the pan. Poke deep holes in the cake with a chopstick or knife. Pour the still bubbling sauce directly onto the cake. You’ll probably have to do a little at a time, letting the sauce soak in before adding more.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 45 minutes. Turn the cake over onto a serving dish. Sprinkle remaining coconut onto moist cake surface and let cool completely before serving.
Copyright © 2002
Carma Spence-Pothitt
A DragonWyze Production
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