THE JOY OF BUNDT CAKES: My Recipe Gift To You Citrus Bliss Bundt Cake

I have a passion for Bundt® cakes, so I'm working on a cookbook of the very best recipes. I need a clever title, so all suggestions welcome.

There is good news and bad news with this project. I have to make every cake to assure quality control, and some I haven't made for years--so the good news is revisiting and tweaking recipes is great fun!

The bad news? Well, there is always a Bundt® cake under the glass dome in my kitchen. So my plan is to only make one when I can take it somewhere. However I do need to taste test, so how rude is it to take a cake with a little slice gone?

This one is probably one of my very favorite recipes EVER and the family fights over the last crumbs. I've included tips at the bottom, because these type of cake bake differently depending on your pan and your oven, so experiment a little and watch the baking process carefully.

If you make this cake, do let me know how it was and if you made any time adjustments. I sent slices to daycare the other day, and the report was, "This cake is evil. It's the best I've ever had." I think that means it's a winner.

My gift to you! Many more to come.

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 from the kitchen of Cheryl St.John...

Glazed Citrus Bundt® Cake

¾ cup softened butter

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 Tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 - 2 tsp lemon extract

3 cups sifted flour

1 cup Sprite or Squirt

Preheat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour Bundt® pan well

Beat butter with hand mixer. Add sugar one cup at a time and mix until creamy.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing briefly after each.

Stir in lemon zest and extracts.

On medium speed alternate adding flour and Sprite. Don’t overbeat.

Pour batter into pan.

Baking time varies depending on your oven and your pan. I use my convection oven setting. My heavy NordicWare® pan bakes more quickly than my silicone pan. In the NordicWare® I bake this about 40 minutes, then cover with foil for another ten. Test and if a toothpick doesn’t come out clean, add more time. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack ten minutes. After ten minutes remove cake from pan and allow to cool.

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp Rose’s sweetened lime juice (I find this in the liquor section)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Whisk until desired consistency and drizzle over cooled cake.

Bundt Cake Tips:

·        There is a difference between a tube pan and a Bundt® pan. A tube pan is more shallow, while a Bundt pan has higher sides. Each will hold a different amount and will bake the same batter differently.

·        Cooking spray doesn’t cut it for a Bundt® cake. Grease with shortening and dust with flour to help the cake rise in the pan.

·        Always sift the flour.

·        Over mixing the batter gives cake a tough texture.

·        When creaming sugar and butter, have the butter at room temperature, mix on medium and add the sugar gradually.

·        Don’t overbeat eggs. Mix with a whisk or on low with the mixer, just until blended.

·        After removing from the oven, cool the cake on a wire rack for ten minutes. Any longer and you risk the cake sticking to the pan. Finish cooling on a rack.