Are Bundt Cakes Only for the Holidays?

A bundt cake isn’t defined by how it tastes. Did you know November 15 is celebrated as National Bundt Day? But even that still doesn’t mean that a bundt cake is only good for a particular day or a group of holidays. People all over the world bake this fluffy goodness throughout the year. The best part? A bundt cake can be any cake, as long as it is baked in a bundt cake pan. 

So, the bottom line is — a bundt cake is only defined by how it looks. It usually has a hole in its center, making it look like a donut. This cake has been associated with Christmas and other holidays, particularly because of its unique shape. It became popular when a company introduced the super-cool bundt cake pan, inspired by another European cake.

History of Bundt Cakes

A local group of women from Hadassah society approached the founders of Nordic ware to come up with a pan similar to the one they used in Europe. That particular European pan was called Gugelhupf. The company agreed and produced a few numbers of such pans. At first, the pans didn’t really do well and the company decided to discontinue them. 

The real bake-through (see what we did there?) for the bundt pan was when Ella Helfrich won one of the bake-offs with her phenomenal ‘tunnel of fudge’ recipe in a bundt pan. Eventually, the company received thousands of requests for the pans, until they became the most sold cake pans, and the rest is history. The National Bundt Day (November 15) that we talked about earlier was designated to celebrate the popularity of bundt pans. 

How to Bake and Serve a Mini Bundt Cake?

Baking a mini bundt cake is a whole lot easier and takes less time to bake it. Our favorite part? The guilt of devouring them in one sitting is minimal. Here’s how you can bake a mini bundt cake:

1. Prepare a ring of vanilla batter in your buttered and floured mini bundt cake pan.
2. Prepare a ring of chocolate batter the same way. Use a toothpick to mix the two layers.
3. Add another vanilla layer on top and give it a stir with a toothpick as well. You will appreciate the chocolate-vanilla texture.
4. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Once done, allow the pan to cool and get the cakes out of the pan for chilling.
5. Add ganache and glaze to the chilled cakes and serve.

Why Is It Called a Bundt Cake?

As we mentioned earlier, the cake is named after Gugelhupf, a European cake. In North Germany, this cake is known as Bundkuchen. The company named the Bundt pan after the latter and the ‘t’ was added for branding. 

Why Are Bundt Cakes Moist?

There’s a hole in bundt cakes, which means that more batter is in contact with the pan. This makes the batter more exposed to the heat, which ultimately helps make the cakes remain moist and soft. 

Tips and Facts About Bundt Cakes

• While there’s no hard and fast rule about this, bundt cakes aren’t usually frosted but topped off with ganache, nuts, and sugar.
• The best part about bundt cakes is that they don’t limit your creativity. You can bake bundt cakes with fillings baked in, you can top them off with cream, nuts, fruits, and glaze. It’s ultimately your call.
• To this date, over 60 million bundt cake pans have been sold in the US.
• There still are some original bundt pans in some households that were manufactured in the 1950s.