Mothers Day Bundt cake

What is a Bundt Cake?

A bundt cake is a dessert cake that is baked in a bundt pan, shaping it into a distinctive ridged ring. The d in “bundt” is assimilated into the t. The term is used chiefly in North America.

It would appear that “bundt” is derived from the German Bundkuchen (in Southern Germany and Austria called Gugelhupf, in Switzerland Gugelhopf), a ring-shaped tea-time cake. The word bundt appears as early as 1901 in The Settlement Cookbook, written by Lizzie Kander of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bundt is used instead of bund in a recipe for “Bundt Kuchen.”

The aluminium bundt pan, a version of the ceramic cake forms that were used in Germany, Austria, and Hungary to make the ring-shaped cakes, was trademarked in 1950 by H. David Dalquist, founder of Nordic Ware, based in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Dalquist developed the bundt pan at the request of members of the Hadassah Society’s chapter in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The old-world pans, with fluted and grooved sides, made of delicate ceramic or cast iron, were heavy and therefore difficult to use. Dalquist modified some existing Scandinavian pan designs and fashioned his bundt pan out of aluminium.

The pan sold somewhat slowly until a Pillsbury-sponsored baking contest in 1966 saw a bundt cake win second place. This prompted a scramble for the pans, causing them to surpass the tin Jell-O mold to become the most-sold pan in the United States. Since introduction, more than 50 million bundt pans have been sold by the Nordic Ware company.

The women of the Hadassah Society called them “bund pans.” The German word bund in bundkuchen originated either from bundling or wrapping the cake’s dough around the pan’s centre hole or because a bund is a gathering of people. (In both German words, the final d is pronounced like a t.) Dalquist trademarked the word bundt, and Pillsbury licensed the name in 1970 for a line of cake mixes. In early 2007, some of the original bundt pans were taken into the Smithsonian Institution’s collection.

Mothers Day Cake

So my mother indulged me. We bought the mix, made the cake and it was beautiful. But as it was a mix, it tasted like a mix.

Even at 5, I was disappointed. But my mother had a happy solution. The very simple and very classic sour cream coffee cake. We made that coffee cake together for years, and then for at least a decade I made the same coffee cake myself every time I went to or hosted a brunch.

Predictably, I can’t make a sour cream coffee cake without thinking of my mother which, in my mind, makes it the perfect Mother’s Day treat.

You can substitute walnuts for the pecans if you like, and even add coconut or a bit of chocolate to the batter, which is rich and moist without being heavy. I’d bet that I could even add blueberries to the batter and glaze the coffee cake with a lemon icing to make the lemon blueberry Bundt cake of my childhood dreams!

Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 12

For the batter:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups sour cream (not light or non-fat)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sifted flour (sift before measuring)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

For the cinnamon-sugar filling:

1 cup pecans, chopped

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

Heat the oven to 325 F. Coat a 12-cup (large) Bundt pan with a bit of vegetable oil or cooking spray (do not use baking spray).

To make the batter, in a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla, then mix again until well incorporated.

Measure and sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to butter-sugar mixture a little at a time, mixing between additions and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until well mixed. Set aside.

To make the filling, in a large bowl combine the pecans, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Spoon a shallow layer of the filling mixture over the bottom of the Bundt pan. Spoon half the batter into the pan over the filling. Sprinkle all but 1/4 cup of the remaining filling evenly over the batter.

Pour the rest of the batter over the filling, smoothing it with a silicone spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining filling.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from sides and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Start testing for doneness after the cake has baked for 40 minutes since ovens and pans vary in the way they bake. Remove from oven and transfer cake pan to a cooling rack. Let cool before slicing.

baking with Bill & Sheila

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