If you're looking for a quick and easy dessert, bundt cakes are a great choice. Thanks to the molded pans they're baked in, bundt cakes are beautiful when served plain--no complicated frosting job required! But if you must dress them up, a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar or drizzle of glaze is usually all you need.
Although they're simple to make, there are still some tips and tricks that can help you in baking bundt cakes. Following these helpful hints will ensure that you get a perfect bundt cake, every time.
Bundt Cake Pan Capacity
Traditional Bundt cake pans hold 12-cups of batter, which is the perfect two-cake cake mix size. Most recipes that make 10 to 12 cups of batter will fit perfectly in most bundt cake pans.
As far as other pans go, there is a 6-cup Classic pan, and the Wreath pan holds 6-cups as well. The Festival pan holds 9 cups. The Rose, Sunflower, Star, Fleur De Lis, Bavarian Pan and the Fancy Loaf Pan hold 10 cups each.
The Bundtlette Pan and the Mini-Bundt makes six 1-cup small cakes. If you do not see your specific pan in this list, just fill the pan with cups of water and measure how many it takes. The total number of water cups will be the same as your batter capacity.
Preparing Bundt Pans
If you've had your bundt cake stick to the pan, you are not alone! Bundt cakes are notorious for sticking to the complicated cake molds, and it can be a challenge to remove the bundt cakes cleanly, without tearing the cakes.
I have the best luck by preparing my pans by using a pastry brush to brush on the solid shortening (use butter-flavored for more flavor). I then dust with flour. Make sure all areas are covered, especially the center cone. Instead of flour, you could use a little of your dry cake mix, or for chocolate cakes you can use cocoa powder. If you use sugar instead of flour, your cake will end up with a glistening, slightly caramelized finish.
PAM Nonstick Cooking Spray now makes a Baking version, which has flour mixed right into the spray. This is another good choice for preparing Bundt pans.
Bundt Cake Baking Tips
For the best results, only fill your Bundt pan 2/3 full of batter. This will ensure that even with the batter rising while baking, it will not overflow the baking pan.
How long should you cook your bundt cake? Baking and cooling times vary according to batter density. I've seen recipes for the 12-cup pans to bake anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour. Bundtlette Pans bake from 15 to 35 minutes. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Your best bet is to keep a close eye on the cake while baking, and once it starts to appear done, test it with a toothpick. When the toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs attached to it, the cake is finished.
Leftover Batter
If your Bundt pan has a smaller capacity, you might have batter left over from a standard cake recipe. If you don't want the batter to go to waste, you can bake the remaining batter in a 3 x 5-inch loaf pan. If you only have one 6-cup pan, put half of the batter in the refrigerator. Allow the batter to come to room temperature and use it when the pan is empty and cool.
Cleaning Bundt Pans
After the pan is cool, I use a dry paper towel to wipe out excess flour and shortening, then hand-wash the pan. Hand-washing ensures the pan will remain in good condition for years to come.
Recommended Bundt Cake Recipes
Tangy Kumquat Bundt Cake: This fun twist on citrus cake uses kumquats to give the cake a fresh, vibrant flavor.
Pumpkin Bundt Cake: This is a lovely bundt cake that tastes great any time of year. It’s also good at tea time too.
Bacardi Rum Cake: I make this cake a couple of times a year. It is so good and easy to make too.
Because Bundt pans are so deep and hold so much cake, Mark says you will have to lengthen the baking time. The oven temperature does not have to change. Most Bundt cake recipes are baked for 60 minutes or more. Check for doneness at the 45-minute mark.
Because Bundt pans are so deep and hold so much cake, Mark says you will have to lengthen the baking time. The oven temperature does not have to change. Most Bundt cake recipes are baked for 60 minutes or more. Check for doneness at the 45-minute mark.
It's important to pay attention to the specifics called for in a recipe, but in general, most cakes are best removed from the pan after cooling for 10 to 20 minutes. Try it too soon, and it may fall apart. Wait too long, and it may stick.
And, well, I grease my Bundt pans with Pam Original. I find it fast and effective, and have never experienced any sort of residue or buildup over time,* but I'm also (like many pastry chefs) rather meticulous when it comes to cleaning my gear.
Remember that the baking time of the cake may vary depending on the material of your bundt pan. Heavy stoneware or cast iron pans require more time in the oven, while lightweight aluminum or silicone pans bake faster. Use a wooden skewer or toothpick to check the doneness of regular round cakes in the same way.
Once you've cooked your bundt cake and removed it from the oven, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then place a wire cooling rack over the base of the cake and invert the pan to release.
The best way to get a stuck bundt cake out of the pan:
Remove your cake from the oven and place on top of the towel and let it sit and steam for about 10 minutes. If your cake really doesn't look like it'll release, try freezing it until hard, then invert it.
When you remove your cake from the oven, don't flip it out of the pan right away! Instead, let the cake cool for ten minutes in the pan. Then, placing the wire rack over the base of the cake, invert the pan. Peek under the wire rack and see if the cake has dropped out.
Pro tip: Liquid fat (melted butter or oil) does a better job getting inside nooks and crannies of Bundt pans. Sugar can also be used in place of the flour for coating. This results in a crisp sugary crust on the finished cake.
To make sure your cake is done inside, do a toothpick test. Stick a toothpick or thin wooden skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it comes out sticky or covered in batter, let it bake some more.
Even if a bundt cake pan has a nonstick coating, it is best to grease and flour it to make sure the cake comes out easily. Nonstick cake pans lose adhesion with use and over time, so it is best to prepare the pan before baking as a preventative measure.
If, for example, your recipe calls for an 8-inch cake pan and you only have a 9-inch, relax, no problem. Just increase the oven temp by 25 degrees F and decrease the bake time by a quarter. In this particular example, since your pan is 1 inch larger, more surface area will be exposed.
Because pound cake and Bundt cake batters are so dense and the pans are so large, these cakes do take longer to bake than most—usually around an hour. Be patient as your cake bakes.
Sometimes Bundt pans can cause your cake to have a domed bottom, which means the cake won't lay flat. To avoid this, Dalquist says to turn the oven temperature down 25 degrees from what the recipe calls for. "This method needs a little more baking time, but not substantial, and creates an even cake," she explains.
Address: 747 Lubowitz Run, Sidmouth, HI 90646-5543
Phone: +99513241752844
Job: Design Supervisor
Hobby: Digital arts, Lacemaking, Air sports, Running, Scouting, Shooting, Puzzles
Introduction: My name is Delena Feil, I am a clean, splendid, calm, fancy, jolly, bright, faithful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
