Bakewell Bundt Cake
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Author: Pemberley Cup & Cakes by Rosa
Type of recipe: Bundt Cakes
Cuisine: British
Yield: 10-12
Ingredients
(All ingredients must be at room temperature unless otherwise noted)
For the cake:
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups (300 g) caster (superfine) sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond essence
- 2¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons (305 g) self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (50 g) ground almonds
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (140 g) raspberry preserves
To decorate:
- Icing or confectioner's sugar
- Toasted flaked almonds
Method
- Preheat oven (electric) to 350 degrees (180ºC) and place oven rack in the center position.
- Using a pastry brush, butter a 10-inch or 10-12 cup (25 cm Ø) bundt pan thoroughly. Sprinkle some flour in the pan, hold it over a sink, and turn and tilt the pan to distribute the flour evenly. Then invert the pan and tap out the excess flour to prevent a buildup of grease and flour on the finished cake. When greasing and flouring, be sure to coat all the crevices in the pan so the cake will release easily and the design will be sharply defined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together 2¼ cups (290 g) of the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add lemon zest and ground almonds to the flour mixture and whisk until perfectly combined. Set aside.
- Using a electric hand/stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or a separate large mixing bowl), beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy for 4-5 minutes at medium-high speed.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula, reduce to medium-low speed and beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
- Then beat in vanilla and almond extracts until totally combined.
- Add flour mixture (point 3) in three additions, alternating with 2 additions of buttermilk, that is, start with ? dry ingredients, next ½ buttermilk, ? dry ing. again, last ½ buttermilk and final ? dry ing., mixing after each addition just until dry ingredients are moistened. Batter should be still a bit lumpy, that's fine; these lumps will disappear during baking. As a result, we will get a rich and dense consistency.
- To prevent the formation of air bubbles, gently spoon the batter into the pan. If you pour the batter in quickly, air pockets are likely to form, which can produce holes in the finished cake. To release any air bubbles that may have developed, tap the pan gently on a work surface. Using a rubber or an offset spatula, spread the batter so the sides are slightly higher than the center. The cake will bake more evenly and be less likely to form peaks.
- Finally, dust the remaining flour (2 tablespoons) evenly all over the batter top surface and then carefully pop the raspberry preserves on the flour, making sure that it doesn't reach the sides or the central tube.
- Bake for about 55 minutes until golden-brown and the top springs back when lightly touched or a skewer or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 10 minutes. Then tap the pan firmly a few times and shake it gently to help loosen the cake. Invert the pan onto the rack, lift it off and let the cake continue to cool completely on the rack before garnishing.
- Before slicing and serving, working with a light hand, dust the cake with some icing or confectioners' sugar (try not to cover all the details of the cake's design with a heavy coating). Do this just before serving as the sugar tends to melt into the cake as it sits. Finally, sprinkle with some toasted flaked almonds.It keeps covered for 3-4 days at room temperature.
Notes
- This time, I've used the 'Anniversary' Nordic Ware® bundt pan because I just love it for its clean and elegant design. But any other bundt pan of your choice will to the trick perfectly well too.
- Although the original recipe usually calls for raspberry preserves, this bundt cake version (or the original tart recipe) is just as superb if you use any other preserves, especially some with a tart tang for it combines beautifully with the almonds.
- Whenever we bake a cake with some jam in it, the latter usually sinks to the bottom of the pan during baking. It's just a question of densities, no matter what (except that in this case, as we invert the cake, the bottom becomes the top). A flour layer before adding the jam will help to prevent the jam from getting even out of the batter, but again, it all depends on temperature and the fat / sugar / water ratio which may be present in the batter. It's not actually a big deal, but even though, if you try and make this recipe and come up with any other solution to keep your jam at bay, I'm all ears...
- Although the original recipe usually calls for raspberry preserves, this bundt cake version (or the original tart recipe) is just as superb if you use any other preserves, especially some with a tart tang for it combines beautifully with the almonds.
- Whenever we bake a cake with some jam in it, the latter usually sinks to the bottom of the pan during baking. It's just a question of densities, no matter what (except that in this case, as we invert the cake, the bottom becomes the top). A flour layer before adding the jam will help to prevent the jam from getting even out of the batter, but again, it all depends on temperature and the fat / sugar / water ratio which may be present in the batter. It's not actually a big deal, but even though, if you try and make this recipe and come up with any other solution to keep your jam at bay, I'm all ears...
Recipe by Pemberley Cup & Cakes at https://pemberleycupandcakes.com/en/2015/04/01/bakewell-bundt-cake/