Bready or Not Original: Rum Bundt Cake
This Rum Bundt Cake is luscious–soft and moist, with rum baked-in and soaked-in. It’s perfect for an indulgent New Year’s Eve treat, or make it any time of year!
The most basic form of this recipe came to me on a postcard sent by my mother-in-law’s husband. He travels a lot, and sent me a card from the Virgin Islands that included a rum bundt cake recipe on the front.
The thing was, the recipe was squeezed into limited space and quite basic. The baking temperature was low and strange, too–no way was an enriched bundt cake baking at 300-degrees in 45 minutes.
So, I rewrote the recipe. I also added more rum. I used the return-to-pan soaking method I learned from Bake Off years ago to make sure this baby was really rummy. That liquid gold shouldn’t drip off. No, it needs to be used to bathe a cake.
The end result is fragrant with rum. The outside is crisp while the crumb is tender and moist without being soggy. It’s not a super-sweet cake, either, but it is definitely lush.
Modified greatly from a souvenir postcard.
Bready or Not Original: Rum Bundt Cake
Equipment
- large bundt pan
- pastry brush
- chopstick
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 2 cups white sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup rum
Rum soak:
- 1/4 cup rum divided
- confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Heavily grease or use nonstick spray in a large bundt pan.
- In a mixer, blend together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Follow up with the flour, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and rum.
- Pour batter into pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool for about 20 minutes, then invert cake onto a cooling rack. Don’t wash the pan!
- After the cake is completely cool, tip it back into the pan. Stab the top (the future base) all over with a chopstick or similar tool. Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of rum over the surface. Let it sit a few minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate. Again, stab the surface all over with something like a chopstick. Brush the remaining 2 Tablespoons rum over the top and sides, mopping up any droplets to brush on again. Let set a few minutes.
- Before serving, sprinkle on confectioners’ sugar. Slice and enjoy! Keep covered in fridge or at room temperature. Cake can be frozen in individual slices for later enjoyment, too.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: White Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
This White Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake features a light, refreshing peppermint flavor and a lot of white chocolate. Seriously, it’s a snow-capped mountain of a cake.
Don’t look for health food here. This thing is sweet. Lush. The middle is moist and dense, with a base (the former top) wonderfully crunchy in contrast.
White chocolate is melted into the batter, with chips also mixed in. See the golden dapples throughout the crumb? Those are the chips. They are like sweet explosions in the mouth.
And yes, there’s that snow cap: a thick blanket of melted-down chocolate wafers. It ends up firm, but ready to melt again once it meets the warmth of a mouth. It’s perfect along with that tender cake.
This will be great for any December gathering, but it’s so delicious, you’ll want to make it year-long!
Bready or Not: White Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 10-cup bundt cake
- nonstick spray with flour
- microwave-safe bowls
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 and a half sticks, softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup half & half or milk
- 8 ounces white chocolate chips divided
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Topping:
- 8- ounces white chocolate melting wafers melted
- 5 peppermint candies crushed, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Apply nonstick spray with flour to coat the interior of the bundt pan.
- In a big bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by the extracts.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the big bowl alternatively with the half & half, beating until they are just combined.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat 2 ounces of white chocolate chips in 30 second bursts, stirring well between each zap, until it’s melted and smooth; keep an eye on the white chocolate, as it can burn fast! Add the melted chocolate into the cake batter. Follow that with the sour cream and the remaining white chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes; the middle should pass the toothpick test. If it’s getting overly brown near the end, cover the top with foil.
- Let cake cool in pan for 20 minutes, then upend onto a cooling rack. Cool completely, speeding process in fridge if desired.
- Melt chocolate wafers in microwave or on stovetop. Drizzle atop cake to form a thick snowcap. If desired, top with peppermints.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Browned Butter Coffee Bundt Cake
This Browed Butter Coffee Bundt Cake is moist, delicious, and packed with a flavors that will get your day off to a good start.
And by a good start, of course, that includes CAFFEINE. Espresso powder is included in the icing!
What I love about this cake is that it has all the luscious flavors of a coffee cake without the crumbly mess of the topping. In this cake, that crunchy, extra-sugary layer is in the center!
This is a great cake for a breakfast or brunch, and it’s a fantastic one to cut into individual slices, wrap up, and freeze for later.
If 2021 is anything like 2020, it’s a very good idea to have a stash of quick-thaw cake in the freezer.
Modified from Fall Baking Magazine 2013.
Bready or Not Original: Browned Butter Coffee Bundt Cake
Equipment
- large bundt cake pan
Ingredients
Bundt cake
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks
- nonstick spray with flour
- 2 cups pecan pieces finely chopped, divided
- 2 cups brown sugar packed, divided
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt or plain yogurt, crème fraiche, or sour cream
Coffee icing
- 4 teaspoons milk or half & half, or more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar or more as needed
Instructions
- First of all, brown the butter. (Note that this can be done a day ahead of time with the butter stashed in the fridge; set at room temperature to soften again or briefly and carefully, zap in microwave before mixing into recipe.) In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until it becomes brown and embodied by a nutty fragrance. Remove from heat and cool for a while, then transfer to a small bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours, at minimum, to make firm.
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Apply nonstick spray with flour to coat inside of a large bundt pan. Soften the browned butter a bit.
- Prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cups of chopped pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of flour. Add 3 Tablespoons of the browned butter and work it in with a fork until it makes a crumbly mix.
- In another bowl, mix together the 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat together the remaining browned butter with the rest of the brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Take turns mixing in the dry ingredients and the yogurt until just combined. Fold in the remaining 1 1/4 cups pecans.
- Pour about half the batter into the prepared pan and even it out. Sprinkle filling over it all the way around. Pour in the rest of the batter and spread it even again.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in the middle. Let cool for about 20 minutes, then invert it onto a rack to completely cool.
- Make the coffee icing. Stir together the milk, espresso powder, and confectioners’ sugar, adding more milk or sugar as needed to make an icing of a good consistency. Drizzle over cake.
- Store at room temperature. Can be sliced and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt Cake
This Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt Cake bakes up fluffy and light, with a fresh tang of lemon.
I’m not going to lie: this cake is going to dirty a lot of dishes, including two large bowls. The extra work makes for delicious results, though.
The texture of this cake is what makes it special. The Greek yogurt adds moisture, while the six eggs–with whites separated and beat to stiff peaks–adds a lot of loft.
My batter bowl ended up being full to the top and tricky to mix. I was worried that my bundt pan would overflow during baking and kept an eye on it, but it ended up being fine. Even so–be wary of your own pan.
The baked cake is fancy and simple all at once. This needs no glaze. A sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar makes the cake prettier without adding any heavy sweetness.
This cake is great for travel, either sliced or whole, because there’s nothing about it that can melt or ooze. I imagine it freezes well in slices, too, but I didn’t try that with this particular cake.
Bready or Not Original: Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 10-cup minimum bundt pan or tube pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour or substitute 3 cups all-purpose flour with 6 Tablespoons removed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs room temperature, separated
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 2 medium lemons finely grated and juiced
- 1 cup Greek yogurt plain or vanilla
- confectioners' sugar optional, to dust over finished cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Grease and flour the bundt or tube pan.
- In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add in 1/2 cup of the white sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Their mass will increase immensely.
- In another large bowl, beat together the butter, remaining 1 1/2 cups white sugar, egg yolks, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, and 3 Tablespoons lemon juice. If using electric mixer, beat on medium until everything is creamy and pale yellow, which takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the dry mixture to the yolk bowl, alternating with the addition of the Greek yogurt, until both are incorporated. Gently fold in the egg whites; this will create an enormous amount of airy batter.
- Pour and scoop into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes; if the pan is full to the top, keep an eye on it in case it overflows. Cook until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto a wire rack to completely cool.
- Store beneath a cake dome or otherwise covered, at room temperature. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Golden Syrup Snack Cake
Golden Syrup Snack Cake! This delicious, sticky, sweet-but-not-too-sweet cake delivers a taste of the UK wherever you may live.
I see golden syrup all the time in British recipes. I debated trying those recipes, but wondered if I could finagle some kind of American equivalent to golden syrup. Nope.
Accept no substitutes. Golden syrup is kinda between honey and maple syrup, but has its own unique kind of sweetness. The good news is, if you’re in America, it can be found on the shelf in grocery stores. I live in the boonies on the far western fringe of Phoenix, and I can even find it here… though it is kind of expensive.
The grocery gods did smile upon me, though. I scored TWO bottles of Lyle’s Golden Syrup for half off in the clearance area. I actually squealed out loud.
This cake has a soft, tender crumb that is gently sweet throughout. The glaze of extra syrup brushed on top adds a perfect finish. This is the perfect treat to serve up for a binge-watch of British telly!
Recipe heavily modified and converted in measurement from a recipe found at the BBC.
Bready or Not Original: Golden Syrup Snack Cake
Equipment
- 8x8 or 9x9 pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube
- 1/2 cup turbinado or other raw sugar
- 3/4 cup golden syrup such as Lyle's, but not the squeeze bottle version
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup milk or half & half
Glaze
- 2 Tablespoons golden syrup
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat butter, golden syrup, and turbinado sugar until melted and combined. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9-square cake pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Mix with the contents of the large pot.
- Into this pot, add the baking powder, ground ginger, and salt, followed by the flour. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40 to 50 mins, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Measure the golden syrup for glazing into a bowl and brush it atop the warm cake.
- Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. Store covered by foil or sliced up in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Cream Cheese-Stuffed Lemon Bundt Cake [cake mix]
This is a simple-yet-fancy recipe that uses 1) cake mix, 2) a bundt pan, and 3) ends up tasting like a giant lemon Twinkie. YUM.
This is one of those cakes that looks like it requires tons of works, but it really doesn’t. Because of the addition of fresh lemon and lemon curd, the chemical taste of cake mix is completely masked, too.
The filling is an easy step, too. I hate piping, but it was not prob here. I used a gallon Ziploc, snipped off the corner, ta-da!
This cake would be great for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert. Whenever, really.
Make this when you have numerous people to share with. It’s just so, so tempting and delicious. Like Twinkies. BUT BETTER.
This recipe is over halfway through my April of lemon recipes!
Lemon Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Glazed Lemon Ginger Bars
Cranberry Lemon Biscotti
Cream Cheese Stuffed Lemon Bundt Cake [today]
Lemon Frangipane
Bready or Not Original: Cream Cheese-Stuffed Lemon Bundt Cake
Equipment
- large bundt pan
Ingredients
Filling
- 8 ounce cream cheese 1 box, softened
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large lemon zested and juiced
Cake
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3/4 cup lemon curd
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon curd
Instructions
Make the filling
- In a small bowl, mash together the cream cheese, white sugar, lemon zest and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice; reserve the remaining juice for the glaze. Once the filling is combined, spoon it into a piping bag with large tip or a gallon Ziploc bag with the corner cut off.
Make the cake
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Apply nonstick spray to a large bundt pan.
- In a big bowl, cream together the butter and eggs. Add the cake mix, scraping bottom of bowl as needed. Add the lemon curd, beating until mix turns fluffy.
- Spoon about half the cake mix into the prepared pan. Pipe the filling in a circle around the top of the batter. Try to keep the filling from touching the sides. Add the rest of the batter on top and smooth it out.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test.
- Cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to completely cool.
Make the glaze
- Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 Tablespoon lemon curd to form a thick yet oozy glaze. If necessary, add more juice or water to thin, or more confectioners' sugar to thicken. Drizzle atop cake.
- Store under a cake dome or plastic wrap in fridge.