Bundt Cake

Fancy. A word that best fits the Bundt cake. It’s the kind of thing you take to someone’s house as a dessert for a dinner party, a housewarming, or frankly just to impress. Baked in its distinctively shaped pan, there is no single recipe to follow. There are lemon Bundt cakes and strawberry swirl ones. Chocolate. Devil’s food. Apple. Pineapple coconut. Marbled, even.

Oh, and don’t forget the icing. That’s the best part. The long legs of white icing made from copious amounts of powdered sugar drizzled on top gives it just the right pizzazz. Sure, you’d eat it without the icing. But, it wouldn’t look half as sexy.

Bundt cake has its history in northern Europe, particularly in the Jewish communities of Germany, Austria and Poland. But what makes it unique is the pan. Some molds are pretty straight forward while others can get pretty ornate. Either way, it’s a dessert that looks special.

While I love a good lemon Bundt cake with vanilla icing just like the next guy, I couldn’t resist making this recipe. It called for almond flour, which made it taste rich and dense yet still keeping the dough light. A slice of this felt more filling and substantial than one with only all-purpose flour. Because of its nut base, I almost felt like it was healthy. (Almost.)

Much like pound cake, Bundt cakes take well to a good alcohol soak. Rum. Cognac. Grand Marnier. Whiskey. You name it. A good boozy kick is a nice little surprise any day.

Here’s the recipe:

For the cake:

1 3/4 c. almond flour

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

6 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c. granulate sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 TB cognac, or liquor of your choice

Simple Syrup:

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. water

1 TB cognac

Vanilla icing:

3 TB whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan with butter and dust lightly with flour.

Whisk the two flours and salt together and set aside. Then in a separate bowl, mix butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time mixing batter thoroughly.

Little by little, add the flour mixture with the speed mixer on medium-low. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so all of the flour is combined with the butter and sugar. Mix in the 2 TB of liquor. Pour batter into Bundt pan and tap on countertop to make sure its distributed evenly. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a cake knife comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in 1 TB liquor. Return to low heat and keep warm.

Once cake is ready, place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Pour in about half of the liquor from the saucepan. Remove from pan and brush on the remaining syrup. Let cool completely for about an hour.

For the icing, whisk together milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, place the powdered sugar and combine with the liquid until smooth.

Drizzle icing over cake and let it set, about 30 minutes. Can be served immediately or stored for up to 3 days.