I bought a bundt pan about a year ago and it’s been wasting away in my cupboard since then, unwashed, unused, unloved. The whole reason for buying it was because i wanted to start making bundt cakes (duh), but I constantly found myself getting pulled towards cupcakes (I love individual desserts) and layer cakes (so pretty).
But when I saw a recipe for a Sour Cream Pumpkin Streusel Bundt Cake, I was smitten. Pumpkin? I love pumpkin! Streusel? Yes, please! And a chance to finally crack open my poor bundt pan? What could be better?
The first thing I noticed was that it called for a 12-cup bundt pan. Um, they have more than one size? I felt a bit silly, but I really wanted to avoid some big mistake halfway in, so I poured 12 individual cups of water into the clean pan just to make sure I really did own a 12-cup pan. (I do; And I now know that without a doubt.)
I thought that would be the only potential disaster and I felt satisfied knowing that I had nipped that little thing in the bud.
I shouldn’t have tempted fate.
I really hate kitchen disasters. I know I have a small perfectionism problem and it’s really stupid, but I like it when things come out they way they’re supposed to. Or, in this case, when they actually come out. As in, physically out of the pan.
But I’ll get to that in a second.
For me, it’s not a pumpkin recipe unless there’s nutmeg. Yes, cinnamon and allspice are yummy, but nutmeg and pumpkin are an inseparable pairing, as far as I’m concerned. (OK, maybe not for savoury recipes.) So, I made a couple of adjustments to the original recipe, which didn’t call for this lovely warm spice.
Also, this makes a serious amount of batter. When I had finished it and was about to put it in the bundt pan, I wasn’t actually convinced it was all going to fit. It did. Thankfully.
So, the recipe makes it clear not to let any of the streusel layer touch the edges of the pan. I made an effort, but, well, some of the brown sugar-butter mixture may have made its way up against the tin. Later, when only 3/4 of the cake came out of the pan, I wondered if part of the reason was because the streusel layer weakened the cake at the edges. Making it easy for it to separate out when gravity took over as I upended it onto a rack to cool. Either that or I had not prepared my pan well enough. I had sprayed liberally with cooking spray, but have had problems with it in the past. As in, other cakes have not always made their entire way out of the pan either. This isn’t usually a problem because the bottom of a layer cake or loaf cake stays on the bottom of the plate or whatever and no one ever knows that you had a bit of a problem. The issue with a bundt cake is that the bottom of the cake is actually the top part, which you present, of course.
Whatever the reason, the damn thing didn’t turn out (in both definitions) properly. I was too proud to photograph the crater in the cake where the nicely rounded bundt edges should have been. Though, in hindsight, it may have been good therapy just to show that not everything works out all the time and that I can be OK with that.
I’m not even going to get into the fact that I am inept when it comes to glaze. But it sure was not, in the end, a very attractive cake.
Nevertheless, it was damn tasty! And that glaze? Spicing it up with a little nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice made a huge difference.
In all, a dreamy, autumnal cake. Even if it was ugly as all get out.
Sour Cream Pumpkin Streusel Bundt Cake
adapted from Mommy? I’m Hungry (go here for a photo of what the thing should actually look like. Sigh.)
Streusel:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons butter, cold
2 teaspoons butter, cold
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
dash cinnamon
dash allspice
dash nutmeg
splash of milk
Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour (or spray, though we know how well that turned out for me) a 12-cup bundt pan.
For the streusel, combine the sugar and spices in a small bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside
For the cake, mix together flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each thoroughly after each is added. Add pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla. Mix well, Gradually beat in flour mixture.
To assemble, spoon half of the batter into the bundt pan. Sprinkle in streusel, not letting it touch the sides of the pan. Top with remaining batter, making sure the batter layer touches the edges of the pan.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick (this is a tall cake, I used a wooden skewer) inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in pan on wire rack, then invert onto rack to cool completely.
When cool, combine icing sugar with spices and splash of milk to make glaze. Stir thoroughly until well mixed and drizzle over cake.
18 Comments
Your blog is luscious but I surely do wish you’d get a search feature. I will eventually read clear back to the beginning but I would love to be able to search a certain ingredient or category like bread.
Hi Sandi, there is a search feature on the right-hand column but you have to scroll down a bit, past the categories, archives and blogroll. You can search by ingredients or keywords. I hope that helps!
Thank You! That helps a lot. And now I am in the process of hooking my niece on your blog, lol. She is THE baker in the family.
Excellent! This sounds like the best thing ever!
Wow! This sounds so good! I found you today and subsequently posted about your AMAZING-sounding butternut squash and carmelized onion tarts. I can’t wait to try them!
I love my bundt pan, I just got it recently and am always looking for recipes to use it with. Mine is only 10 cups though. This sounds delicious…sorry you had trouble getting it out of the pan. At least it tasted good!
Yum!
That is a really nice pan, sadly I can’t seem to find anyone who sells them near me:'(. Any suggestions for an alternative short of cooking in a circular cake tray and then cutting a hole in the middle?!
Hmmm. I don’t think baking it and cutting out a hole will work because it would take that much longer to cook through the middle (whereas with a bundt pan there is no middle and the air can circulate freely). Have you tried looking online for one? I’m not sure where you live, so I can’t direct you to a particular store…..
Hello there…
Just read this post and smiled, I can totally relate to the crater problem. I was googling around and notice that you have the same Bundt cake tin as me. I purchased mine today and immediately put into action a Mayan Chocolate recipe that contained some lovely ingredients like cinnamon and cayenne pepper. The mix went smoothly, in the oven Gas Mark 4 for 40 minuets, tooth pick came out clean….
Then disaster, it stuck. Some gentle taps on the outside with a wooden spoon, a little shake or two then and I thought success. Until I still felt weight in the tin… Ditto my lovely rounded Bundt edges were still stuck inside. Oh well, I pulled them out stuck them on top and applied the Glaze about an hour ago. Lets see what happens, I think on my next adventure with this tin some lubricant will be applied prior to baking.
I have to say I love the sound of the Sour Cream Pumpkin Streusel, may have to go on the ‘To Bake List’
Kind regards
Russell
I am going to solve this problem by baking it in a 9 1/2 x 11 pan. This recipe sounds fabulous. I’m baking this for our autumn condo picnic.
I make bunt cakes all the time. Get the spray that combines cooking spray and flour. Spray the pan very heavily. Works great. This is one of those rare specialty products that is worth buying. I have not noticed a difference btw brands.
Made it and loved it! Thanks for the great recipe to add to my collection!
Made this yesterday with a couple changes – added pecans to the streusel and used Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. Delicious!! Going to try it again with a cream cheese filling in place of streusel filling. Thanks for this recipe!
excellent cake its amazing