How to use a bundt tin well
In our December issue we have a stickily delicious recipe for a ginger and clementine bundt cake. It’s a fabulous recipe, and the resulting cake is a treat at any tea table or would make a fresh alternative to a traditional Christmas pud.
The pleasing moulded ring shape of a bundt tin creates a cake that has plenty of ‘edgy bits’ to crisp up nicely (do be sure to grease that tin to within an inch of its life to ensure it comes out in one clean piece) as well as lots of nooks and crannies that are ideal receptacles for any drizzle or sauce.
There’s no escaping it, the bundt tin, invented by the late H. David Dalquist in Minnesota in 1950, is a work of genius. And it got us thinking… what else can you do with a bundt tin? Here are a few ideas to help you make the most out of your most impressive cake tin, should you wish to.
1. Make a LOT of cakes. If there’s one thing that’s better than cake, it’s LOADS of cake. A lot of folk believe that a bundt is a ‘type’ of cake, but it’s only really a ‘shape’ of cake (and what a shape it is). You can make any sort of cake in a bundt tin and get the same stunning moulded outline in whatever form you fancy. It’s a great shape for drizzles because there are plenty of grooves for the drizzle to sink into, so we are fond of a nice lemon drizzle bundt. But it also makes a stunning looking red velvet cake, which you can top with a cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts. For something lighter, a vanilla and strawberry sponge with a light dusting of icing sugar looks pretty on a tea trolley. Alternatively, you can’t go wrong with a gingerbread or spiced pumpkin cake, drizzled with a salted caramel sauce. The possibilities are endless.
2. Create buffet table centrepieces. The bundt shape looks dead impressive with very little effort and makes for great food to share. Bake a meatloaf in it for gathered friends to help themselves to slices of, alongside salads. For a picnic showstopper you can bake a simple bread dough in it as you would in a loaf tin, slice the resulting giant bundt roll in half to create a giant sandwich and fill with your choice of fillings, then slice into segments and return to the tin and cover with foil for travel.
3. Make a fancy side dish. If you feel there’s never enough stuffing with your Christmas dinner, how about a bundt ring of stuffing? We like a cranberry and chestnut version, which looks particularly festive. Cheesy or garlic breads to accompany pasta or pizza look good bundtised, too. Just pile in your dough, garlic, torn mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes or whatever you fancy and bake as normal before turning out.
4. Use it for puddings. Fill with jelly and when set, turn it out onto a plate and fill the hole in the middle with chopped fruit to complement the jelly flavour. We like orange jelly with chopped clementines and pomegranate at this time of year.
5. Cool drinks in it. Fill with ice and it’s the perfect size for little cans of tonic water or fruit juice bottles. Cheers!
6. And finally, we’ve saved this one until last because it’s as mad as it is brilliant: roast a chicken in one for the crispiest skin you’ll ever taste. You sit the chicken with its bottom over the central ‘spoke’ of the bundt tin (yes, we never said it was elegant) and roast it standing up, basting occasionally with the juices that collect in the bottom of the bundt tin. Extra points for looking hilarious when it comes out of the oven, too.
So there we are. If you don’t already own a bundt tin, we hope we’ve convinced you it’s an essential purchase, and one we think you should christen with our lovely bundt cake recipe in the December issue, photographed above by Cristian Barnett. The recipe is by Rachel de Thample, and she’s also shared some of her other favourite bakes to make on a quiet day. Worth taking a day off work for to enjoy in the peace and quiet of your own company.
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