Bringing Back Bundt Cake

For absolutely no reason, I have decided that the holidays were made for bundt cake. I can't imagine why the holidays make me crave it; I've replayed the memory reel of Christmases past through my head over and over, and I never catch a glimpse of my mother carrying a regal bundt cake to the table on a platter. There's French toast to be sure, and plentiful oranges yanked out from the toe of our stockings. And in later years, when my pancake-loving stepdad appears, there's always Swedish pancakes, the batter blitzed in a blender and poured onto a hot skillet to make thin little pancakes that we stuff with berries or douse with syrup. And for dessert, there's often cranberry-apple tart.

But there's never bundt at the breakfast table or on the dessert buffet either.

So now that I'm grown, I vow that it will have a place of prominence at my family's holiday table. It belongs there for reasons of both flavor and ease. Bundt cake at its best is dense and moist and, on account of its fluted edges, more elegant than a flat-top cake. It is exactly the sort of rustic elegant baked good I seek out this time of year and I just love that the pan takes the pressure of making a pretty presentation away; the pan's groves do that for you once you flip it to reveal its beguiling curves. Even better, it makes a perfect special occasion breakfast, preferably eaten in new Christmas pajamas, and a showy dessert to devour in party attire. (Likely, you'll find it can serve as both because bundt cakes are huge.)

In my opinion, a good bundt cake has a delicate crumb, a hint of warming spices and something of a surprise hidden inside. That surprise could be plump little raisins, chunks of apples strewn through the batter or even, I've learned, a ribbon of crunchy granola. Trust me, it works. 

This time of year though, my bet is on cranberries. I've adored them in bundts ever since this spiced cranberry bundt cake caught my eye last year. It seemed the perfect dessert to fork into on a night when the snow drifts rose higher than I'd seen in a decade, which is to say they reached my knees. I do live in the Northwest. And even though this particular bundt took more effort to make than usual (it required a few treks through the snow to gather the ingredients from local stores) I have to say, it tasted even better for all that extra work.

With no snow to slow my efforts, this year the cake come together easily, though a bit differently. Though I'm usually content to make good, easy recipes again and again, last night I found myself tweaking the original recipe to make it my own. Compare the two recipes and you'll see I changed quite a bit, making the cake a hint healthier with applesauce and whole wheat flour and changing the flavor base from almond to hazelnut by swapping in hazelnut meal for the almond flour. I replaced the dried berries with a few more fresh berries, simply because I prefer the juicy pop of the fresh ones to those wrinkly little bits in a batter. 

Then I crossed my fingers and hoped that I'd tinkered my way to creating the star of my holiday table. I like to think I did. 

Spiced Cranberry-Hazelnut Bundt Cake
I ate a wedge of this cake last night with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it was lovely. I also imagine it would benefit from a dusting of powdered sugar or, if you're really looking to impress, a sweet citrusy glaze dripping down the sides. 

Makes approximately 8 to10 servings

1 cup white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup hazelnut flour (also called hazelnut meal, I get mine here)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plain, reduced fat (2%) Greek-style yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw if you use frozen)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Whisk the flours, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger together in a small bowl. 

Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy, about two minutes. Add the applesauce and beat for one minute more. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds or so after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract, then the yogurt. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended.

Gently fold in the cranberries with a rubber spatula. Transfer batter to prepared bundt pan.

Bake cake until a tester stick or knife inserted near the center comes out clean, or about one hour. Cool the cake in the pan until the pan is cool enough to handle, then turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely. 

Serve plain or with vanilla bean ice cream, powdered sugar or icing. 

-Adapted from Dorie Greenspan