Rose Bundt Cakes

I heart my new rose bundt pan!

My lovely lovely rose bundt cakes - the produce of my very latest bundt pan. I don't know why I do it to myself, I actually have more cake tins now than I have space to store it in! Only one thing for it..... I need a bigger kitchen [sigh!]. I bought the cake tin with full intentions of using it the very same day and at the very least, the next day. But a week later, it was still shiny new sitting on the counter unused. I don't know why I do that, but I'm sure you all have done it at some part of your baking lives. Whether it's a cookbook, cake tin or another baking item - you buy it with so much excitement but don't utilise it as planned until a while later!

I like my frosted layer cakes - filled and frosted with buttercream or ganache and made to look all pretty and picture perfect. But bundt cakes are different, you can't actually compare. They are beautiful as they are with a snowfall dusting of icing sugar. With bundt cakes, it's getting the flavours right that's important. All your flavour combinations will stand out then on show and you can really show off with them! Love it!  I decided on an orange poppyseed cake rather than the traditional coffee flavour. The flavours were gorgeous, we had ours with a pot of tea while the rose bundts were still slightly warm - scrummy! Seriously tho, bundt cakes are perfect for guests or friends coming over for a cup of tea/coffee.

             

I did run into a slight problem though, I found that the cakes would stick to tin in the small crevices. I used the butter-flour mixed together and brushed onto the pan but that wasn't exactly successful. I tried the spray and then flouring which was ok but the best way was to butter it really really well and flour it and then butter up ANY bit of it that hadn't been greased. It seemed to work after that. Have I mentioned that I love my rose bundt pan??!!

The flavour of the cake was gorgeous, the cake was dense and moist and tangy - perfect!

Here's the recipe I used:

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

3 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup butter (softened)
3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice
1/8 cup poppy seeds

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees/ 160 Celsius/ Gas mark 3.
• Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In another bowl cream sugar, butter and vanilla.
• Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each.
• Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients.
• Add buttermilk, orange zest, orange juice and poppy seeds and mix well.
• Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan, then tap the pan to break any air bubbles (unlike myself 'cos I forgot!)
• Bake for 35 minutes, possibly longer (until the crust is deep golden brown and the cake pulls away from the pan)

xxxx