You’ll always know if you’re eating Bundt cake from its distinctive circular shape, doughnut hole in the middle and ornate, oblong ridges and plumes around the outside. The original Bundt shape was inspired by the Gugelhupf, a traditional yeast baked cake enjoyed across Europe.
Have you ever seen the beautifully designed Bundt pans up close? They’re these baroque-looking, exquisite heavy cast pans with the most intricate designs that beckon to be filled and baked.
Some of the shapes look like tall papal hats and others like a Catherine wheel of sorts, spreading in all directions.
They all have these labyrinthine grooves and when you see the cakes that come out of them, you’re left in awe of the elaborate details and it makes a person wonder at how a cake could be baked to look like that.
Well, hold your breath, it’s within your reach to make just such a showstopper.
Orange Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 450 g flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- 2 small oranges unwaxed
- 250 g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 120 g icing sugar
- Cooking spray olive or sunflower oil
- 10 cup Jubilee Bundt Pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C
- Spray your Bundt pan with a cooking spray or brush on a layer of butter or oil, ensuring you reach all the crevices in the pan
- Combine the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl
- Add the butter to a stand mixer bowl, grate in the zest of both oranges and beat until creamy
- Add the caster sugar and beat until light and fluffy
- Add the eggs one by one, beating in between
- After the last egg, slow down the speed and add a third of the flour mixture, followed by a third of the buttermilk
- Continue like this until both the flour mixture and the buttermilk are all incorporated
- Beat in the juice of one of the oranges
- Transfer this mixture to the Bundt pan
- Place on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking every minute or so after the 1-hour mark
- It will look as if the cake has risen too much but this is normal – it will rise and then settle down again
- When a skewer comes out clean, the cake is ready
- Remove the pan and turn upside down on a cake rack lined with parchment paper
- Leave in the pan for 15 minutes before unmoulding
- When the cake is cool, sprinkle on some icing sugar over the top
- For a bit of a showstopper: sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and beat in the juice of the remaining orange until it is thin enough to run down the sides of the cake
- Pour this directly over the top of the cake and garnish with the zest of another orange or a mix of lemon and lime zest for additional colour.
Notes
Reminiscent of the Diamond Jubilee, this Bundt pan is something to celebrate!
You'll love the hidden hearts that appear within the swirled diamond pattern. The angular pockets will catch your cake's glaze and soak the sweetness deep into the sponge.