bundt cake

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Hummingbird Bundt Cake by Wood and Spoon blog. Learn how to make this yummy textured Southern bundt cake filled with banana, coconut, pecans, and crushed pineapple! This recipe is a Southern classic and is great for th spring and easter holidays. Learn how to make it on thewoodandspoon.com

With Easter just a hot minute away, I want to share a recipe that is perfect for the upcoming celebrations: hummingbird bundt cake. If you don’t know what a hummingbird cake is (I’m looking at you, Northerners!), no worries; just a few short years ago, I was completely in the dark too. We’ll get all up in it today.

Hummingbird Bundt Cake by Wood and Spoon blog. Learn how to make this yummy textured Southern bundt cake filled with banana, coconut, pecans, and crushed pineapple! This recipe is a Southern classic and is great for th spring and easter holidays. Learn how to make it on thewoodandspoon.com

At the end of this month, on April 27th, Brett and I will celebrate our 10-year anniversary. The whole idea of 10 years spent with someone not only makes me feel super old, but also kind of amazes me. Somehow, in just a matter of years, our little town of Selma, AL has come to feel a lot like home. Despite having lived most of my life in parts of the US that are decidedly NOT southern, I’ve grown to love small town southern life. It feels like home.

Hummingbird Bundt Cake by Wood and Spoon blog. Learn how to make this yummy textured Southern bundt cake filled with banana, coconut, pecans, and crushed pineapple! This recipe is a Southern classic and is great for th spring and easter holidays. Learn how to make it on thewoodandspoon.com

One of the earliest things I noticed about living in the South is that the food here is entirely different. It took no time for me to be introduced to sweet tea, fried pork chops, and smokey greens, but what I really came to love was the desserts. Where would I be without chess pies and banana pudding? Where would this website be without the influence of bourbon and old-fashioned cakes like today’s hummingbird bundt cake? Selma, AL has given me a whole lot more than a few new recipes, but I’m happy to celebrate at least a small slice of that goodness here today.

Hummingbird Bundt Cake by Wood and Spoon blog. Learn how to make this yummy textured Southern bundt cake filled with banana, coconut, pecans, and crushed pineapple! This recipe is a Southern classic and is great for th spring and easter holidays. Learn how to make it on thewoodandspoon.com

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

So, you may be asking: “What even is hummingbird cake?” Hummingbird cakes are simple spice cakes that originated in the Caribbean. They have been a fixture in the South ever since coming to America. Sweetened with banana, pineapple, and coconut, the cakes are incredibly moist and flavorful too. I love the added texture from the coconut and chopped pecans, although the sweet cream cheese glaze doesn’t hurt either. If you’re reading all of this thinking it sounds like some kind of weird spring-y fruit cake, don’t worry- while the fruit adds underlying flavor and loads of moisture, it’s more of a background flavor.

Hummingbird Bundt Cake by Wood and Spoon blog. Learn how to make this yummy textured Southern bundt cake filled with banana, coconut, pecans, and crushed pineapple! This recipe is a Southern classic and is great for th spring and easter holidays. Learn how to make it on thewoodandspoon.com

f you’re looking for more of a traditional stacked cake, be sure to check out this hummingbird layer cake. The bundt makes a terrific Easter dessert and can even serve a crowd. Can’t you see it decked out with little speckled egg candies? Plus, it can be made in a single bowl. What a win-win!

If you plan to entertain this Easter, give this hummingbird bundt cake a try! Happy Easter, y’all!

If you like this hummingbird bundt cake, you should try:

Bourbon Bundt Cake
Brown Sugar Apple Bundt Cake
Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
Carro Bundt Cake
Blood Orange Bundt Cake

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Hummingbird Bundt Cake

This hummingbird bundt cake is a spring southern classic filled with pecans and coconut and sweetened with pineapple and banana.

  • Author: Kate wood, Adapted from Southern Living
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 130
  • Yield: 12 Servings
  • Category: Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
  • 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

For the glaze:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 11/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 12 tablespoons milk

Instructions

To make the cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a bundt pan with at least a 10-cup capacity.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat oil, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together banana, pineapple, pecans, and coconut. Add to egg mixture; stir until well combined. Add flour mixture; blend well.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 25 minute and then invert onto a cooling rack to completely cool.
  6. To frost the cake, prepare the glaze. Combine the cream cheese and unsalted butter in a large bowl, stirring with a hand mixer to combine. Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of millk, stirring on low to combine. Add additional milk as needed to get the desired consistency. Be careful not to add too much or the glaze won’t stay on your cake! Spoon the icing over the cake and serve once set.

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Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

With so much going on in the world, it seems a silly time to talk about this chocolate chip bundt cake. My heart is heavy for the people whose lives have been upturned these past few weeks due to natural disasters. Some days, it feels like it’s one thing after another, like there’s a never-ending churn of brokenness and unrest all around us.

What Do We Do?

How do we continue life in the midst of crisis? When political and social injustices pool up in our cities and seep into our lives, threatening to wash out any sense of peace and joy we thought we had, how do we respond? What do we say to the people who have lost bits of their homes and selves to a hurricane or poverty or drugs or infertility or cancer? How do we take care of the hurting people around us, the broken ones that feel just beyond our reach?

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

I stumble over my words to the friend fresh out of a divorce or to the family whose home was ravaged by a flood. My arms don’t feel big enough to hold all of the children living without mothers or enough food to fill their swollen bellies. What can I do for the humans who feel ostracized and alone in their communities because of their race or religion or sexuality? Can one person really scratch the surface in the million needs that scream for help in this world? Can one person make a difference?

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

Everything Feels Uncertain

The honest to God truth is that I don’t have a clue.  Most days I feel unfit to play the role of advocate. I buy into the lie that my voice won’t make a difference or that I’ll say the wrong thing.  My hands feel inadequate to piece together the rubble and wounds that exist even in the streets of my own small town, much less the huge hurting world  far beyond my backyard. It all feels too big.

But what would happen if we all just did what we could? Or what if we loved harder and gave selflessly? What if we spoke up and just said something, anything, to acknowledge the hurt in front of us, even if it felt foreign or uncomfortable forming on our lips? What if we opened our eyes to the needs and pain within our reach and were willing to say, “I can do that. I can help. I’ll be there.”

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

What We Can Do

The thing is, we won’t always say or do the right thing. We won’t change the world overnight, but we can do something. We can pick up a shovel, hold a hand, or sit and just listen. Make someone feel heard and known. We can saddle up to the desperation of our neighbors and coworkers and make their cries our own. We can pray and love and give until it becomes enough to change one person’s story. Wouldn’t loving one lonely person well make a difference? Wouldn’t that be a victory in and of itself?

Humans have a deep yearning to belong, to make a difference, and to matter. I say we make our lives count for something. Let’s spend them on on our causes and for the people around us who need love. Take your humanity- your passion and tears and words and talent- and pour them out on a world that is desperate for someone to just give a damn. Admittedly, I have a longer way to go than most, but I am determined to not get in the way of myself here; I’m determined to do better.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This chocolate chip bundt cake is like a hug in a pan. It’s a one bowl recipe that bakes into a moist, fine-crumb cake, speckled with chocolate chips and dripping with a rich glaze. This is the kind of cake that almost anyone can make and everyone can enjoy. It’s a sure thing.

Making the Cake

To make this chocolate chip bundt cake, we start by whipping up the batter. Butter and sugar are creamed together before eggs and a handful of dry ingredients are mixed in. Full-fat Greek yogurt is the next addition, which promises to keep the cake moist and tangy for days. You can substitute full-fat buttermilk or sour cream if you’d prefer. Mini chocolate chips are added to the mix before the cake is baked in a small bundt pan.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

The trickiest part about this cake is knowing when it is done. Admittedly, I screw this up all the time. Underbaked or overbaked, most bundt cakes I make rarely come out perfect. I recommend doing the toothpick test on this chocolate chip bundt cake, but I would also say just use your best judgement. If you wait for the cake to have a dark brown crust over the top, it will already be way overdone, so be sure to remove the cake from the oven when the center finally seems set and the toothpick inserted comes out without any liquid batter on it.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

The Glaze

Once finished, this chocolate chip bundt cake is adorned with a shiny chocolate glaze that is lip-licking and irresistible. Of course, it’s totally optional, but honestly, why not? The more chocolate, the merrier, okay? This chocolate chip bundt cake is one for the books and is a surefire hit for the breakfast, brunch, and dessert nearest you.

Let’s do our part these coming weeks. A little love and help and dignity to the hurting souls around us will make more than enough difference. Let’s be the hands and feet for a world in need. Happy Wednesday, y’all. All my love.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a moist and fluffy cake prepared in a bundt cake. Greek yogurt keep the cake moist, although you could use buttermilk or sour cream as well. It's a vanilla cake dotted with chocolate chips and topped with a glossy, shiny, chocolate icing glaze. Find the recipe and the how to on thewoodandspoon.com

If you like this chocolate chip bundt cake, you should check out:

Blood Orange Bundt Cake

Ginger Molasses Bundt Cakes

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

White Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Caramel Crumble Cake

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Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This chocolate chip bundt cake is a moist and dense cake filled with chocolate morsels and topped with a rich and shiny glaze.

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 3/4 cup (170 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (150 gm) brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup (150 gm) sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 21/2 cups (325 gm) all-purpose flour
  • 11/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (285 gm) full-fat plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
  • 11/4 cups (210 gm) mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the topping:

  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine. 
  3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and beat on low until combined. Add the Greek yogurt and beat to combine. Add the remaining half of dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix.
  4. Spray a a small, 10-cup bundt pan with a baking spray with flour or use a light spray of baking spray and dust the inside of the pan with flour. Spoon the batter evenly into the pan and smooth the top of the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until the top is set, is beginning to golden, and is no longer jiggly. A toothpick inserted may continue to come out with thick clumps even after it is done cooking so just use your best judgment. 
  5. Allow to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes and then invert the cake onto a cooling rack or serving platter until completely cool.
  6. When ready to ice, add the chocolate to a small bowl and heat the cream until almost bubbling. Add the warmed cream to the chocolate, cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap, and allow to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir to combine and add in the corn syrup, if desired. Pour over the top of the cake. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Be sure to bake the cake until the center is no longer jiggly looking! Bake time will alter depending on your oven and material of your pan, so stick a toothpick in if you’re wondering whether it’s done or not! 🙂

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Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze by The Wood and Spoon Blog. This moist cinnamon and carrot flavored cake is topped with a browned butter frosting and toasted chopped pecans. This recipe is one bowl, easy, and can be modified to make a layer cake as well. Perfect for parties and upcoming Easter brunch, breakfast, or dessert. thewoodandspoon.com

This past week, my great grandmother (I called her Grandma Grape) passed away. She was 97 and lived a beautiful life- one marked by kindness and joy, wisdom and love. Since her passing, I’ve found myself quietly inspired, desperately wanting a similar kind of grace on my life. Somehow, knowing that it’s possible to live and die as beautifully as she did fills me with so much hope.

I’m sure you know people like this- the ones that make it count. People who use up their lives and time and every last bit of air in their lungs to make the world around them a better place. People that love their families fiercely and spur on their neighbors towards goodness. People that change the atmosphere. These are the ones who leave a legacy worth remembering.

A few photos of Grandma Great from when I was a baby. Check out my babe of a mom and Nana. And of course sweet Grandpa Great too. 🙂

My Sweet Grandma

My sweet Grandma Grape was one of them. Though I won’t see her earthy body any longer, I know I will catch glimpses of her life in the lives of the women who came after her. I see her warmth and benevolence in my beautiful Nana. Her faith and grace in the peacefulness of my Mother. I see her spunk and playfulness in the laughter of my own daughter. The lasting effect of the beauty she created on this earth will continue to make waves throughout generations to come, and it’s a concept so lovely and full of possibility that my heart can’t help but be encouraged.

5 generations of women, beginning with Grandma and ending with my sweet Aimee girl.

If you know somebody who is making this kind of a difference, I would challenge you to rise to the occassion and tell them. Give them a call, a hug, or even use this free letter template to write it out with pen. Don’t let the opportunity to be intentional with the people you love pass you by.

I, for one, have a renewed resolve to make it count. I want to be a human worth remembering and to be a person that spends their life on the cause in their heart for the people around them. The glimmer of hope from great grandmother’s legacy tells me that it’s possible… So that’s the new goal.

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze by The Wood and Spoon Blog. This moist cinnamon and carrot flavored cake is topped with a browned butter frosting and toasted chopped pecans. This recipe is one bowl, easy, and can be modified to make a layer cake as well. Perfect for parties and upcoming Easter brunch, breakfast, or dessert. thewoodandspoon.com

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze by Kate Wood of The Wood and Spoon Blog. This moist cinnamon and carrot flavored cake is topped with a browned butter frosting and toasted chopped pecans. This recipe is one bowl, easy, and can be modified to make a layer cake as well. Perfect for parties and upcoming Easter brunch, breakfast, or dessert. thewoodandspoon.com

Carrot Bundt Cake

This carrot bundt cake is right for the times. It feels comforting and familiar- like a cake my grandmother and the women who came before her might have made. And with Easter just around the corner, a cake like this needs no excuse for making.

The recipe for this carrot bundt cake was adapted from Paula Deen, the queen of Southern heirloom recipes herself. This cake has a dense but tender crumb, kept extra moist from the addition of several eggs, oil, and finely grated carrots. Though the warmly flavored cake ordinarily steals the show in similar recipes, here, the brown butter glaze is the star. Nutty, buttery, and just barely sweet enough to make the carrot bundt cake worthy of the title “dessert”, this brown butter glaze is delicious and dangerously tempting to eat straight from a bowl with a spoon. (Update: for help on browning butter, see my post here!)

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze by The Wood and Spoon Blog. This moist cinnamon and carrot flavored cake is topped with a browned butter frosting and toasted chopped pecans. This recipe is one bowl, easy, and can be modified to make a layer cake as well. Perfect for parties and upcoming Easter brunch, breakfast, or dessert. thewoodandspoon.com

Making the Cake

The preparation for this bundt cake is rather simple. You’ll need some muscle to peel and grate the carrots, but from there, it’s a one bowl situation that requires nothing more than a mixer and a finger to lick the bowl with. This recipe will prepare enough batter to fill a 10-cup bundt pan, but you can use a larger 15-cup pan like I did with no problem. If you lack a bundt pan large enough, just fill the pans you have no more than 3/4 of the way full and pour remaining batter into additional pans. This recipe will produce enough batter to fill approximately 3-8″ round cake pans, so if you’d prefer to make the cake that way, you certainly can, however, keep in mind that baking time will change.

Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze by The Wood and Spoon Blog. This moist cinnamon and carrot flavored cake is topped with a browned butter frosting and toasted chopped pecans. This recipe is one bowl, easy, and can be modified to make a layer cake as well. Perfect for parties and upcoming Easter brunch, breakfast, or dessert. thewoodandspoon.com

If you need a soul-comforting recipe to share with people you love, this carrot bundt cake is just the thing. There’s a number of other Easter-worthy recipes in the blog archives, so be sure to check out a few that I’ve bookmarked below. I hope your week is filled with lots of joy, and if you need encouragement to make it through, please contact me via the comments section below or by email on the “About Me” page of this blog. This Sunday is the most hopeful day of my year and I’d love to share it with you. Happy baking and cheers to you!

If you like this carrot bundt cake, you may also like:

Easter Cake

Blood Orange Bundt Cake

White Chocolate Cake

Hummingbird Muffins

Strawberry Pretzel Tart

Lemon Almond Poppyseed Cake

Ginger Molasses Bunt Cake

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Carrot Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

This carrot bundt cake is a moist and tender cake topped with brown butter glaze and toasted pecans. Serves a crowd and perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 10
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 cups sugar (400 gm)
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup oil (240 mL)
  • 11/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 gm)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 3 cups finely grated carrots (340 gm, about 1 pound unpeeled)

For the brown butter frosting

  • 6 tablespoons (80 gm) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 11/2 cups (190 gm) powdered sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 14 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Instructions

To prepare the cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan with at least 10 cup capacity.
  2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed (I use number 4 setting on my stand mixer) for 2 minutes. Add the flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir just until barely combined. Fold in the carrots. Pour the mixture into the bundt pan. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then invert on to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely if you want the frosting to drizzle evenly.

To prepare the brown butter frosting

  1. Add the cubed butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted to ensure that it melts evenly. Once the butter has melted, it will begin to bubble.Continue to stir regularly. Small golden flecks will begin to form on the bottom of the pan. Stir or whisk gently continuously at this point as the butter is beginning to brown. The bubbling should subside at this point and you should notice the butter takes on a golden tint and begins to smell nutty. Do not let it burn, but stir until golden brown and then whisk the mixture into a medium sized bowl to cool slightly.
  2. Once slightly cooled, about 5 minutes, add the sugar and salt, whisking to slightly combine. Add a tablespoon of milk, and continue to add small amounts until the mixture is the right consistency. I like my glaze a bit thicker so that it drizzles nicely on the sides of the cake. To test for this viscosity, drag your whisk through the mixture- the line in the mixture should come back together almost completely in about ten seconds. Pour the glaze over the cake.

Notes

  • I like to use a finely grated carrot so that it evenly disperses in the cake and stays extra moist. Do not use store-bought pre-shredded carrots.
  • You can also bake this cake in round cake pans (3). Baking time will differ.
  • If your brown butter frosting sets out for too long it will start to crust over. Heat for 5-10 seconds in the microwave and whisk to prepare it for the cake again.
  • If you burn your butter, pour out and start again! There are great videos on Youtube on browning butter.
  • For help on browning butter, see my post here: http://thewoodandspoon.com/you-need-to-know-how-to-brown-butter/

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Recipe Adapted From: Paula Deen

Blood Orange Bundt Cake

Blood Orange Bundt Cake Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. A vanilla and citrus scented cake made with blood orange zest and juice, this bundt cake is fluffy, moist, and an easy one bowl recipe what to make with blood oranges. The glaze is a simple blood orange juice icing that is pink and so fun to make! This makes a large bundt cake but you can adapt it to make it in round pans or even muffin tins. You could try this recipe in a tube pan with removable bottom as well. Find this winter citrus, festive cake on thewoodandspoon.com

There’s nothing like a few blood oranges and a shot of liquor to spruce up an otherwise ordinary bowl of flour and eggs- am I right? Ingredients like these take cakes from average to amazing, so I’m thrilled the share a treat like this blood orange bundt cake with you today!

Living in a fairly rural area of lower Alabama, I often have a hard time finding exotic ingredients at my grocery store. Just to be clear: I’m using the term ‘exotic” loosely here. I’m not talking ostrich eggs or black truffles or even something as basic as a tub of mascarpone cheese. In these parts, it’s a stretch some days to even get my hands on a gallon of organic milk or a bag pine nuts, okay? We’re a one grocery store town (two if you count Wal-Mart, three if you count that guy who sells watermelons and sweet potatoes out of the tailgate of his truck), so while I am a far cry from being a pioneer woman, I still have to get kinda creative with my ingredients sometimes. 

Blood Orange Bundt CakeBlood Orange Bundt Cake

Last fall, our grocery store randomly got in a shipment of leeks and I remember feeling like it was Christmas morning. Holding back tears of joy, I called a few girlfriends exclaiming, “They (sniff, sob)… have (gasp for air, more sobs)… LEEKS!” I’m pretty sure I bought three bunches of those little beauties, and Brett and I ate potato leek soup for like two weeks. Unfortunately, our plumbing hasn’t been the same since the leak incident of 2016. RIP.

Then there was the day they started carrying my favorite brand of kettle corn. When I spotted that beautiful lavender colored bag on the bottom shelf, you would’ve thought Charlie had found Mr.Wonka’s golden ticket. I dropped whatever off-brand bag of potato chips I had been considering and raced to the popcorn shelf for a closer inspection. I can’t remember, but I think I cried real tears and then bought up the shelf of popcorn like I was stocking a bomb shelter. Don’t you dare judge me for it.

Our little grocery store is small and humble, and to be honest, it can be really frustrating to not have immediate access to a lot of the ingredients that bigger stores probably carry (#firstworldproblems). But let me say this: the ladies at the checkout line know my children by name. My daughter is so obsessed with our store’s butcher that sometimes she will request a trip to the store just so “Aimee go see Willie, please mama?” I can walk to my grocery store in less than 15 minutes, drive there in less than 3, and even though it’s not much, I’d take my little hometown store situation over just about anything.

Blood Orange Bundt Cake

Recently while shopping, I spied some blood oranges in the produce department. I sang the “Hallelujah Chorus” and promptly tossed a bag in my cart. I must have kept those oranges in my fridge for nearly a week before I decided what was worthy of its fancy juice and zest, and I’m happy to say that this blood orange bundt cake is the product of those efforts in the kitchen.

A fluffy butter and egg filled batter, scented with vanilla bean and citrusy zest, this blood orange bundt cake is the best case scenario for any bit of prized produce hanging out in your fridge. This cake takes the juice and zest of quite a few blood oranges, so it is perfect for using up all of that wintertime citrus. To make the blood orange bundt cake, we start by combining a number of basic dry ingredients- flour, sugar, baking soda… you know the drill. Once well combined, we toss in a few chunks of butter and allow that to incorporate until it’s pea-sized crumbles. The blood orange juice, eggs, and zest are combined with a bit of orange liquor, and that wet mixture is added to the cake. Once whipped to a smooth and fluffy finish, the batter is poured into a large bundt cake pan and baked in the oven until golden and fragrant. 

Blood Orange Bundt CakeBlood Orange Bundt Cake

I decided to top this blood orange bundt cake with a simple glaze made of blood orange juice and powdered sugar. The blood oranges lend a rosy hue to the glaze, and while a bright pink frosted cake is rarely an elegant treat, I can promise that this cake is one all the grown-ups will write home about. It has a tender and moist crumb, an understated citrus kick, and just the right amount of sugar to make this cake perfect for breakfast or dessert. BONUS: If you, like me, live in a slightly rural area with limited access to special fruits like this, take heart! I have tried this cake with navel and mandarin oranges and I can vouch for both as substitutes. 

This blood orange bundt cake is a seasonal way to spruce up your baking game and I hope you’ll give it a try. Experimenting with new flavors, even ones that maybe aren’t so “exotic” like the citrus in this cake is an incredibly fun way to spend time in the kitchen. If you happen to spot a bag of blood oranges at the store this week, you should grab one and give this cake a try. Oh, and if you happen to be shopping at my local grocery store, you better get there quick before I buy up their stock of blood oranges. 

 

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Blood Orange Bundt Cake

This blood orange bundt cake is a sweet and citrus cake that is perfect to share with a crowd! Serve for breakfast or dessert.

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 80
  • Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
  • Category: Cakes

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 21/2 tablespoons blood orange zest
  • 1 cup blood orange juice (about 5 blood oranges, but will vary)
  • 21/2 teaspoons orange liquor
  • 5 eggs, room temperature
  • 11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 3 cups flour
  • 21/2 cups sugar
  • 11/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 11/4 teaspoons salt
  • 23/4 sticks of butter (11 ounces/22 tablespoons), room temperature

For the glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons blood orange juice (more, if desired)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

To prepare the cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and liberally grease and flour a large 15 cup bundt cake pan.
  2. Stir together the eggs, vanilla, blood orange juice, zest, and liquor in a bowl or measuring cup and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir on low until combined, about 30 seconds. Keeping the mixer on low, add the butter one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until the mixture is uniform and in peas-sized crumbles.
  4. Increase the speed to medium (about 4 on a stand mixer) and slowly pour in the egg and juice mixture. Continue to beat until the batter is uniformly moistened, smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about an hour and then carefully invert on the rack to continue cooling completely.

To prepare the glaze

  1. Combine all three ingredients until no lumps of sugar remain. Add more sugar to thicken glaze slightly and add small amounts of juice, milk, or water, to thin the glaze out. I prefer to keep mine rather thick so that it will thickly coat the sides of my cake. Once the cake is cooled completely, pour the glaze over top and allow it to drizzle down the sides. Store at room temperature for up to three days.

Notes

  • This recipe is intended to be prepared in a large, 15 cup bundt cake pan. Do not fill the pan more than 3/4 of the way full or it will overflow! Pour extra batter in a cupcake pan and bake little blood orange muffins.
  • Test the viscosity of your glaze this way: run a spatula or your whisk through the glaze. It should be just thick enough that the line you dragged through the glaze nearly disappears after about 10 counted seconds. Add more powdered sugar to thicken, or more juice to thin.

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Recipe Adapted From: Jeff Mauro

Ginger Molasses Bundt Cakes

Ginger Molasses Bundt Cakes Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. Simple, one bowl recipe of flavorful and warmly scented cakes sweetened with molasses and spices including cinnamon and ginger. There is a simple white chocolate frosting glaze icing on top. you can modify these mini bundt cakes to be larger bundt cakes or even use a loaf pan, a round cake pan, or a square baking dish. Find the recipe and other fall / winter/ holiday recipes on thewoodandspoon.com

Guys, I gotta tell you, I’m feeling so merry that I could burst. All the gift wrapping and carols and tinsel and Charlie Brown Christmas has got me feeling more festive than Mrs. Claus herself. I’ve eaten more peppermint bark and cookies than I can admit without a small amount of shame, but honestly, who cares? IT’S CHRISTMAS! If you haven’t gotten in the holiday spirit yet, just hang in there, because everyone is bound to catch the fever at some point. And if you’ve hit a mental block or dead end in your Christmas shopping already, keep reading because I have got some terrific tips for you!

These past few weeks I’ve gotten a lot of questions from friends and followers about what type of tools an aspiring baker might need. There’s so much available in stores that sometimes it’s hard to pick out which items are necessary and reliable. So I have compiled a Christmas list for you, or for the aspiring home bakers in your life, of tools and kitchen supplies that you can count on to get the job done. These are items and brands that I have in my home and rely on every week, and while not all are essential, they’re all super fun and useful. You can check out the links for these items at the bottom of this post!Christmas List Gift Guide for Baker

And if you haven’t maxed out your tolerable intake level of gingerbread and other holiday spiced foods, I have these little ginger molasses bundt cakes for you too! I had been looking for a ginger cake recipe for some time and finally found one from David Lebovitz that I was quite fond of.  I wanted these cakes to have a more mild ginger flavor and not be so heavily spiced that people who weren’t as fond of ginger could enjoy them as well. I think these are spot on.

Ginger Molasses Bundt CakesGinger Molasses Bundt Cakes

These ginger molasses bundt cakes are fluffy and moist, with warm flavors of molasses and brown sugar throughout. I used jarred ginger to help keep the prep time for this recipe under 10 minutes, but fresh ginger would be a home run here too. If you prefer a more strongly ginger flavored cake, you can add up to two more tablespoons of ginger to give them an extra zesty boost. The cakes are topped with a white chocolate glaze that sweetens them up a bit and make them look like little snow topped mountains. (Insert heart eyes).Ginger Molasses Bundt Cakes

Because most people don’t have a mini bundt pan laying around, you can also make mini muffins or an 8″ cake out of this recipe. I personally prefer the mini muffins to a large cake, but who I am to tell you what to do? 

Stay tuned for more Christmas cheer from this gal over the next few weeks, and please give these ginger molasses cakes a shot! If you have any questions about the Christmas wish list, drop me a line below in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them. Cheers to all and to all a good night!

Ginger Molasses Bundt Cakes

 

Christmas List Gift Guide for Baker

  1. Cake Pans
  2. Double Oven Mitt
  3. Parchment Paper and Rounds
  4. Cookie Scoops
  5. Stand Mixer
  6. Measuring Cups and Spoons
  7. Cake Turntable
  8. Dorie’s Cookies and Baking Bible
  9. Wooden Spoons
  10. Apron
  11. Cake Stand
  12. Offset Spatula
  13. Sheet Pan

 

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Ginger Molasses Bundt cakes

These ginger molasses bundt cakes and moist and fluffy cakes, fragrant from spicy ginger and cinnamon, and sweetened up by a white chocolate glaze.

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6

Ingredients

For the cakes

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons fresh minced ginger (See Notes)
  • 1/2 cup mild molasses
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 11/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves

For the glaze

  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Instructions

To prepare the cakes

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine the vanilla, ginger, molasses, sugars, and oil in a large bowl, stirring together until evenly mixed.
  3. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Once boiling, carefully add the baking soda and stir to mix in.
  4. Add the baking soda and water mixture to the bowl with the sugars and stir to combine. Add in the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
  5. Grease (I use baking spray with flour) a 6 cake mini bundt pan and evenly disperse the batter in each cake pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes and then invert the cakes on to a cooling rack to continue cooling.

To prepare the frosting

  1. Once the cakes are cooled, prepare the frosting.
  2. Over a double boiler set on low heat, melt the chocolate chips with the heavy cream. Do no let the water get too hot as this will cause the chocolate to seize up. Instead, allow the chocolate to begin melting and move on and off the heat as needed in order for the chips to just barely melt. Do not increase the heat above low or allow the bowl to get too hot. Once melted, allow the chocolate to cool slightly and then whisk in the sifted confectioner’s sugar. Stir until combined and the drizzle over the cooled cakes. If the frosting is too stiff, you can heat slightly in the microwave about 15 seconds or add additional heavy cream, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Notes

  • Notes: I used minced ginger from a jar, but if you have fresh ginger on hand that would be lovely as well.
  • This recipe can also be prepared in mini muffin tins. Adjust bake time to about 15 minutes. Recipe makes about 30 mini muffins or 1- 8″ cake.

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Recipe Adapted From: David Lebovitz

Lemon Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Lemon Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake Recipe Recipe by the wood and spoon blog by kate wood. This is a simple, fluffy, golden and white almond cake speckled with poppyseed and lemon zest and juice. The cake is spongy and perfect for breakfast or dessert. The whole thing is topped with a simple sugar glaze icing and slivered almonds. Find this springtime bundt cake recipe on thewoodandspoon.com.

We have officially survived one whole week at home with two children under two. I’m thrilled to announce that last Saturday, after a very long feeling 10 days, we were able to bring baby George home from the NICU. Pulling into the driveway with our little guy in the backseat felt surreal, and I was relieved to have my baby home, healthy, and unplugged from all the machines and wires he was connected to during his stay in the hospital.

Once home, our first order of business was to introduce George to his big sister, Aimee. I’ll be sure to share photos of that exchange later because it was really just so sweet. Aimee has been a dream with George, and while she sometimes has the tendency to love him a little too hard (read: squish/ smother/ trample him in every way possible), her affection for him is an answer to prayer and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Lemon Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake Recipe
Can I tell you one of my favorite parts about bringing a baby home… and please don’t judge me?
I really like the food. Yes, the food.
I’m not sure if bringing a meal is a thing people do everywhere or if it’s just another one of the awesome ways that Southerners dominate in the field of hospitality, but where we live, if you have a baby people will bring you meals. It’s an excellent deal for us, if you ask me.
Let me be clear: I would not survive without the carbs and generosity from our friends here in Selma. What’s that saying about, “Man cannot live on bread alone?” Well, we probably wouldn’t even have bread in the house by now if it weren’t for all the croissants and Sister Shubert rolls that people have been dropping by our house. It’s magical.
Since this is our second go-around with the having a baby thing, I’m starting to develop a mental list of recipes I’d like to keep in my arsenal to potentially share with friends when they have babies. The recipe for this lemon almond poppyseed bundt cake is definitely one that I am mentally bookmarking. Bundt cakes, in my opinion, are terrific because they easily pass as a dessert, but also make a convincing argument in the breakfast department too. This lemon almond poppyseed bundt is no exception. It’s sweet, light, and fluffy like you would expect of any respectable cake, but its fragrant lemon and almond aromas and the little speckles of poppyseeds somehow remind me of a breakfast loaf that you might enjoy with a strong cup of coffee early in the morning. And because we all know that new parents operate on adrenaline and caffeine, this cake is a shoo-in gift for new parents.
Lemon Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake Recipe
A while back, my friend Lauren asked me to work on a lemon poppyseed cake recipe and after several tries and errors, this cake was the ultimate product. I have baked this batter in round cake pans and I’m pleased to announce that it works just as splendidly. While I haven’t tried this recipe in a 9″x13″ pan, I feel confident that it would bake up well and would be terrific  with the almondy glaze poured right over top of the warm cake.
If you don’t know any new parents that you can share this lemon almond poppyseed bundt cake with, let me recommend weekend brunch, housewarming parties, bridal luncheons, church picnics, and whatever other events your social calendar has to boast as the perfect opportunity to test out this recipe. Bundt cakes are versatile and almost always appropriate to bring as a special treat for sharing.
Lemon Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake Recipe
So give this lemon almond poppyseed bundt cake a try and bless someone this week with the gift of food. Everyone loves a thoughtful friend, and friends who bring food are always invited back. And to all of our friends and family who have dropped by to share a meal: YOU ARE ANGELS. My thighs won’t thank you later, but our family is grateful for your love and generosity.

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Lemon Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake

A light, sweet, and fluffy bundt cake scented with almonds, lemon, and little speckles of poppyseeds. This is the perfect cake to share or gift your friends and family!

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 21/4 cups cake flour
  • 13/4 cups sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, but not warm
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons lemon extract
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 3 egg whites, room temperature
  • 2 whole eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
  • 2 tablespoons poppyseeds

For the glaze

  • Juice and zest of two lemons
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 tablespoons of milk milk

Instructions

To prepare cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray or grease lightly.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed for one minute until thoroughly mixed. While stirring on low speed, add small cubes of butter, one at a time, until all 1-1/2 sticks have been added. Continue to mix on low speed for another 1-2 minutes until butter is uniformly dispersed in the dry ingredients.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the buttermilk, extracts, and lemon juice in a measuring cup and pour this into the stand mixer bowl, reserving 1/3 cup of the mixture. Beat on medium speed for two minutes until smooth and uniform. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the remaining milk mixture while mixing on low speed. Slowly pour in the egg whites and eggs, increasing the speed back to medium. Beat for another two minutes, scraping the bowl as needed to ensure that all of the batter is uniform. Add the lemon zest and poppyseeds and mix on low until combined, about thirty seconds.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the center of the cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan on a cooling rack.

To prepare the glaze

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk. If the consistency is too thin, allow to set out briefly or add additional powdered sugar. Add additional milk if the glaze is too thick. Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake.

Did you make this recipe?

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