It's a tale that's as old as time. Baking enthusiast sees bundt pan on clearance rack. Purchases said bundt pan, then races home to create an epic bundt that will be ooh-ed and ahh-ed over at the dinner party. Baking enthusiast places bundt in oven, and revels in smugness at the beautiful cake to come.
Bundt emerges hot and ready. Baking enthusiast tries everything to remove cake from pan. Bundt is in pieces. Baking enthusiast has fallen to pieces as well. Weeps in corner eating delicious pieces of crumbled cake and drinking wine straight from the bottle.
What, that's never happen to you?
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Lets be blunt, bundt cakes can be real bitches. Your brand new pan may work perfectly for a few cakes, but it always gets to the point where your bundt gets stuck. I am here to help you cure that.
This is one of the best tricks in my arsenal, so write it down and stick it in your grandma's recipe box, because once you try it, you will use it every time.
Making a liquid paste, we are going to paint our bundts with a 2:1 ratio of butter and cocoa powder or butter and flour. This liquid paste brushes on the interior of the bundt pan, then placed into the freezer, will help your bundt pop out everytime.
For Chocolate Bundts:
1 ounce butter, melted ½ ounce natural (NOT dutch processed) cocoa powder
Melt butter in a small pot. Whisk in cocoa powder until there are no lumps, completely smooth consistency.
With a kitchen brush, paint the inside of your bundt pan with a layer of mixture (make sure that your layer is smooth and that you don't leave large lumps of the mixture).
Place bundt pan in freezer.
Pull bundt pan from freezer, fill with batter, and place immediately in pre-heated oven.
Store leftover paste in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
For All Other Flavored Bundts:
1 ounce butter, melted ½ ounce ap flour
Melt butter in a small pot. Whisk in flour until there are no lumps, completely smooth consistency.
With a kitchen brush, paint the inside of your bundt pan with a layer of mixture (make sure that your layer is smooth and that you don't leave large lumps of the mixture).
Place bundt pan in freezer.
Pull bundt pan from freezer, fill with batter, and place immediately in pre-heated oven.
Store leftover paste in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Now go forth and bundt it up.
Rachel Miller is a pastry chef and food writer in Phoenix, where she bakes, eats, and single-handedly keeps her local cheese shop in business. You can get more information about her pastry at www.pistolwhippedpastry.com, or on her blog at www.croissantinthecity.com.
