I’m Back! Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake and Orange Carrot Bundt Cake!!

I can hardly believe it’s been over two years since my last post!! It would be an understatement to say that a lot has happened in my life in that time. But one thing has remained – I LOVE TO COOK AND BAKE! And, I love to share my favourite recipes with my friends. So, without further ado, here are two super yummy recipes for Bundt cake I recently discovered and have already made several times just this past week. You’ll want to make these for your family and friends this weekend!

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

This is adapted from the Williams-Sonoma recipe, “Orange-Spice Pumpkin Bread”, which you can find on their website. It is my favourite of the two recipes I am posting today. The first time I made it I baked it in a glass loaf dish, but the centre didn’t / couldn’t bake fully. The next day I made it again but used my Bundt pan instead – it turned out perfectly!

Also, instead of using the 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1 tsp cinnamon as is listed in the Williams-Sonoma version, I used 2 tsp SURAJ brand “garam masala” (an Indian spice blend consisting of various other spices in addition to the four above-mentioned spices). It is definitely worth purchasing (I got mine from No Frills) and using in this recipe. And I promise to post more recipes that call for this incredible spice blend in the very near future!

Finally, the original recipe calls for 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks of butter), which I did use the first time around but substituted with 150 ml of oil thereafter (I have used canola, olive oil, and walnut oil on separate occasions and they all turned out beautifully).

Dry Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 – 4 tsp garam masala (the amount depends on how “spicy” you want the cake to be)

Wet Ingredients
150 ml oil (canola, olive, or walnut)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granular sugar (this is reduced from the Williams-Sonoma’s 1 cup)
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
3 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk all wet ingredients for 2 – 3 minutes on medium-high. Blend in dry ingredients on low speed, scraping bowl. Pour batter into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes. Using a wooden toothpick, check for doneness. Let cool in Bundt pan for at least 15 minutes before gently prying out of pan. Carefully use a knife and spatula to loosen cake around the edges, then invert onto cooling rack. Let stand for at least 15 additional minutes before cutting. Then watch as the cake disappears before you can count to ten!

Orange Carrot Bundt Cake

Here is another Bundt cake recipe with orange zest (in fact, it is only the orange zest and not the carrots that you see after this cake is baked!). After listening to my husband explain to me that my usual carrot cake is not really a carrot cake because it’s too healthy, I decided to search for a less healthy carrot cake – voila. This recipe comes from my Canadian Living “Sunday Suppers” Special Issue Winter 2014/2015 on page 86. I made only two changes, which are noted below in the Ingredients listing. When my children first tried this cake, their response was, “Make this ALL THE TIME!” (as in, don’t bother making that other carrot cake – which, by the way, I still LOVE!)

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp grated orange zest
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour (of course, I used half white, half whole wheat!)
1 1/2 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream (I only had Greek Yogurt on hand, which I prefer over yogurt, so used that instead)
1 cup grated peeled carrots (next time I make this cake I am going to try adding 1 cup finely grated zucchini in addition to the carrots)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in orange zest and vanilla.
In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into butter mixture, alternating with sour cream (or Greek yogurt), making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of sour cream. Fold in carrots. (The batter will be very thick.) Scrape into greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan, smoothing top.
Bake in centre of oven until wooden toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer directly to rack to cool completely. Compared to the Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake from above, this cake looks like it will be dry. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that this is not at all the case after you take your first bite!

******

Both these recipes come with directions for making a special glaze. I have omitted these in order to comply with my blog’s purpose of eating healthier!! And to be honest, both these cakes taste DELICIOUS without the extra sugar!

It’s good to be back! Let me know which of these you like best. Or share YOUR favourite Bundt cake recipe!