When it comes to bundt cakes, I do my best to be creative and keep things interesting.
Having been a member of a monthly bundt baking group for over a year now, I’m always looking for new sources of inspiration and fun new ways to play with flavors and ingredients. I definitely have a few favorites out of all the cakes I’ve made since joining, but you may be surprised to know what my favorite kind of bundt cake is. When I’m not trying to get creative to fit a #bundtbakers theme, I like to keep things nice and simple.
Can you guess what my favorite bundt might be?
I bet most of you guessed chocolate. While I do love me some chocolate, that would be my second favorite.
One more guess…
Give up?
Lemon!
A simple lemony pound cake is tops in my book. Both dense and delicate at once, with a bright sunny citrus flavor front and center, it doesn’t get any better than that. I don’t know what it is about a citrusy pound cake, but I will just never ever get enough. The best thing about a lemon pound cake is how versatile it can be if you want to pair it with other flavors. Lemon is a perfect compliment to almost any fruit you can name. Think about it. Berries. Cherries. Stone fruit. Tropical fruit. Even other citrus! Lemon is like the little black dress of bundt cakes.
Do you have a favorite bundt cake? Well don’t keep it a secret! What is it?
Being the lemon lover I am, I did a very mature and completely dignified jump for joy when I found out that Anne of From My Sweet Heart chose Lemon as the #bundtbakers theme for June. Thank you Anne!
If you love lemon just as much as I do (or at least almost as much as I do) you MUST scroll down past the recipe to check out all the other recipes this month. Just reading through the list of titles has me drooling.
First I thought about just doing a simple lemon buttermilk pound cake, and while I’m sure I would have loved it, I wanted to do just a little bit more with this month’s sublimely summery theme. Berries would have been a great way to go, but just before joining #bundtbakers I came up with a recipe for a lemony blueberry buttermilk bundt cake that would knock your socks off. It’s so good, in fact, that it was just featured in the summer issue of Sweet Paul Magazine! Woot woot!
So that was out. Knowing this month’s theme I’m kicking myself for not keeping that one in my pocket just a little bit longer.
What else? What else?
Sometimes there are just too many amazing possibilities to be able to choose just one.
Rather than agonize over all the choices I figured I should just go about my business and let the inspiration come to me.
On my birthday last month Russell took me to lunch in Williamsburg and afterward we went for coffee at one of my favorite coffee shops. While waiting in line we passed their pastry case and inside we saw a neat little row of thick slices of rhubarb pound cake. Of course we had to try some. While their coffee never disappoints, the pound cake unfortunately did. The texture was great, and the sweetness was spot on, but it lacked in that tart rhubarb flavor that I was expecting, and their was no actual rhubarb visible anywhere in the slice. As soon as the words, “I could do better” came out of my mouth, I knew what I had to do.
Pound cake. Tart rhubarb. Summery lemon. It was on.
This pound cake is just as dense and buttery and eggy as a good pound cake should be, with just a tiny bit of extra lift thanks to the addition of a bit of baking powder. The crumb is moist and tender and perfect, with just enough sweetness to offset the tart rhubarb and compliment the bright lemon. Rather than pureeing it, the rhubarb is left in small chunks so you can see what you’re eating. An entire pound of rhubarb (4 whole cups) gets tossed with a bit of sugar and cooked for a few minutes before going into the cake batter. This way the rhubarb not only softens a bit, but also releases some of it’s juices to ensure the flavorful juice is distributed throughout the whole cake. A touch of lemon zest and juice is the perfect bright compliment to the sweetened rhubarb, and a simple lemon glaze is the only finishing touch this summery pound cake could ask for.
Rhubarb Pound Cake Bundt with Lemon Glaze
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
zest and juice of 1 lemon, separate
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour a bundt pan and refrigerate.
mix the cut rhubarb with 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium frypan or skillet. Cook over medium high heat until tender but not mushy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), cream together the butter, remaining 2 cups sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. In a large measuring cup mix together the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla; and in a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate 3 additions of flour and 2 additions of buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently fold in the rhubarb and any juices until the liquid is just combined and the rhubarb is evenly distributed.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of he cake comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for about 20 minutes. Invert pan to release cake onto the rack and cool completely before adding the glaze.
Lemon Glaze
zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
Whisk all ingredients together until well mixed and free of lumps. If a thinner consistency is desired, add a bit more lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon at a time). For a thicker consistency add more powdered sugar about 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Evenly drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled cake. Cake can be served immediately but can be stored, tightly wrapped and air tight at room temperature, for about 3 days.
This list of lovely luscious lemon cakes has my mouth watering like crazy. This month’s theme is pure heaven and I couldn’t be happier to gawk and drool over this long list of tasty bundts.
- Bee’s Knees Lemon Honey Bundt from Food Lust People Love
- Blueberry-Lemon Breakfast Bundt from Cali’s Cuisine
- Bundt Cake de Limón from La Mejor Manera de Hacer
- Eggless Lemon Bundt Cake from Seduce Your Tastebuds
- Extra Lemon Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs
- Lavender Lemon Cake from Magnolia Days
- Lemon & Lime Cheese Bundt Cake from Un Mordisco Un Pecado
- Lemon Apple Upside Down Bundt Cake from Simply Veggies
- Lemon Basil Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra
- Lemon Bundt Cake from Recipes, Food and Cooking
- Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Lemon Confetti Bundt Cake from Our Good Life
- Lemon Curd Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze from I Love Bundt Cakes
- Lemon Honey Bundt Cake from Brunch with Joy
- Lemon Marble Bundt Cake from Jenny and Sweets
- Lemon Meringue Chiffon Cake from Baking in Pyjamas
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake from Liv for Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seeds Bundt Cake from La Cocina de Aisha
- Lemon Poppyseed Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Lemon Rhubarb Bundt Cake from From Gate to Plate
- Lemon Ricotta and Poppyseed Bundt Cake from Spice Roots
- Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
- Lemon-Cranberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Mini Limoncello Bundts from Living the Gourmet
- Pink Lemon Pound Cake from Making Miracles
- Pink Lemonade Bundt from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Rhubarb Pound Cake Bundt with Lemon Glaze from Brooklyn Homemaker
- Soft Lemon Rosemary Bread from Passion Kneaded
- Spring Strawberry Lemon Bundt Cake from Adventures in All Things Food
- Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake from Baking and Creating with Avril
- Sweet Lemon Bundt with Blackberry Glaze from From My Sweet Heart
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#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving Bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board right here.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient.
Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our homepage.
Brooklyn Homemaker 