Bundt Cakes: Part 4

We're almost done!  Here are some additional bundt cakes that we made for my brother's wedding reception.  Yum, yum, yum!

Oh, and I haven't mentioned this before, but these bundt cakes all make between 12 and 16 servings (depending on how large you cut each slice).

Chocolate-Mint Swirl Cake

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops green food color

Cake:

1 box devil's food cake mix
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs

Chocolate Mint Glaze:

2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 or 2 drops green food color
1 tablespoon corn syrup
3-4 teaspoons water

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.  In small bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on high speed until smooth and fluffy.  Beat in granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 egg, 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract, and 3 drops food coloring until smooth; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, 1/3 cup flour, 1 cup water, the butter, and 2 eggs on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes.  Pour into pan.  Spoon cream cheese filling over batter.

Bake 44-52 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.  Cool in pan 15 minutes.  Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof plate; remove pan.  Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted; set aside.  For glaze, mix powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, 1-2 drops food color, the corn syrup, and enough of the 3-4 teaspoons water to make a thick glaze that can be easily drizzled.  Drizzle over cake.  Immediately spoon melted chocolate over glaze in 1/2-inch-wide ring.  Working quickly, pull toothpick through chocolate to make swirls.  Refrigerate until serving time.  Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Recipe Notes: Sprinkling with coarsely chopped chocolate mint candies makes this already incredible cake even more decadent!  The shortening keeps the melted chocolate chips smooth.  Butter and margarine contain more water than shortening, so they can't be substituted.

Source: Betty Crocker website, found here.

Notes: This one was fantastic...I think most of our family got to try it at the reception.  Besides that, it's a super pretty cake.  It would also be great for holidays...Christmas because of the green and the mint flavoring or St. Patrick's Day because of the green.

Brickle Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups (8-oz pkgs) Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee Bits, divided
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 container (8 oz.) dairy sour cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Powdered sugar glaze (recipe below)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 12-cup fluted tube pan or a 10-inch tube pan.  Set aside 1/4 cup toffee bits for topping.  Combine remaining toffee bits, 1/4 cup sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon; set aside.

Beat remaining 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, alternately with sour Cream, beating until blended.  Beat 3 minutes.  Spoon one-third of the batter into prepared pan.  Sprinkle with half of toffee mixture.  Spoon half of remaining batter into pan.  Top with remaining toffee mixture.  Spoon remaining batter into pan. Pour melted butter over batter.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.  Cool completely.

Prepare glaze; drizzle over cake.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup toffee bits over top.  12-14 servings.

Powdered Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.  Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary, until of drizzling consistency.  Makes about 1/2 cup glaze.

Source: Hershey's website.  Recipe originally found here.

Peach Vanilla-Bean Bundt Cake with Peach Soaking Syrup

Ingredients:

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, split
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups diced fresh peaches

Syrup:

1/3 cup fresh peach puree, strained
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice

Directions:

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and lightly flour inside of 10-inch bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Using either a stand mixer (paddle attachment) or a hand mixer, bean the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 3 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating for 30-40 seconds after each addition.  Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.  Beat in vanilla bean.  At low speed, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream.

Scoop half of the batter into pan and spread with spatula.  Sprinkle with peaches.  Scoop remaining half of batter on top of peaches.  Smooth with spatula.

Bake cake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto another rack.  Place the cake, on the rack, over a baking sheet.

While cake is baking, make syrup.  Combine peach puree, sugar, and orange juice in a small non-reactive saucepan and cook over medium-heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from heat.  Using a pastry brush, dab syrup generously all over surface of the warm cake, allowing it to soak into the cake before reapplying.  Let the cake cool completely.

Source: I found this on Pinterest.  It comes from a blog called "Week of Menus" and you can find the original post here.  Sadly, we didn't get a picture of this one and it makes for one pretty cake.  So make sure to check out her blog because her pictures are fantastic.

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apple Cake Batter:

1 cup finely chopped pecans, optional
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb)

Praline Frosting:

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth.  Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8-10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.  Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Stir in apples and pecans.

spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan.  Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan.  Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife.  Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 tbsp milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3-5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly.  Pour immediately over cooled cake.

Source: Southern Living, September 2011, found here.

Notes: This cake was fantastic. The cream cheese swirl was wonderful, the cake was flavorful, and the frosting was super yummy. What more could you want?

Maple Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup packaged dark-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan.  Dust with flour, and tap out excess.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sat.

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in 1/2 cup maple syrup and vanilla.  Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream, beating until just combined after each addition. Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack to cool completely.

Just before serving, beat cream with a mixer or a whisk until soft peaks form. Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and beat until soft peaks form. Spoon whipped cream over cake, and drizzle with maple syrup.

Serve immediately.

Source: Martha Stewart website, found here.

Notes: We opted for a sweeter maple frosting instead of the maple whipped cream. We found a maple frosting recipe through Pinterest. It was a recipe for maple-frosted donuts. The maple frosting recipe is below.

Maple Icing

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons mapleine (found by the flavor extracts and seasonings)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, mix butter, brown sugar, and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Add the mapleine and powdered sugar and blend well with a hand mixer. Add a little more powdered sugar if needed.

Source: As mentioned above, we found this recipe through Pinterest. It is from a blog called "Di's Favorite Recipes" and you can find her post as well as the recipe for her maple frosted donuts here.

Above: This one was a popular cake and by the time I got around to snapping a picture of it, it was half gone!

Banana-Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup water

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Cinnamon Glaze:

1/2 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting

2-3 teaspoons milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. (325 degrees F for dark or nonstick pan).  Grease and lightly flour a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, water, bananas, butter, cinnamon, and eggs with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Stir in walnuts, if using.  Pour into pan.

Bake for 47-57 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof serving plate; remove pan.  Cool completely, about 2 hours.  In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until thin enough to drizzle.  Drizzle over cake.  Store loosely covered.

Recipe notes: Firm, bright yellow bananas can take a week or more to ripen enough for baking.  You know they're ready when they have lots of dark brown spots and are soft to the touch.  Have too many perfectly ripe bananas?  Toss them in the freezer, unpeeled.  When you're ready for them, just thaw, cut off the top of the peel, then squeeze the banana straight into your mixing bowl.  Dust the top of this sweetly glazed cake with ground cinnamon for a pretty and flavorful touch.

Source: Betty Crocker website, found here.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, at room temperature (do not substitute)
6 eggs, room temperature
8oz sour cream, room temperature
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a tube pan or a bundt pan (the tube pan is preferable, but the bundt pan works well too). Use the second rack from the bottom in your oven.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold the baking soda into the sour cream. Add half of the flour and half of the sour cream into the mixer. Beat well. Add in the remaining flour and sour cream and the vanilla and almond extract. Mix well. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes, invert onto rack to cool completely.

Source: We found this recipe through Pinterest. It came from a blog called "The Cutting Edge of Ordinary" and you can find the original post here. The author of this blog got the recipe from a fundraising cookbook called The Pimental Family Cookbook.

Notes: This pound cake was perfect. A solid, wonderful recipe. A definite keeper.