Winning Recipes: Ho Ho Holiday Rum and Eggnog Bundt Cake - Tampa Bay Times

Nordic Ware founder H. David Dalquist made the first Bundt pan in 1949 especially for pound cakes. Bundt comes from the word bund, which means “a gathering of people.”

This is a perfect name for these fancy pans. They display beautiful cakes for special occasions when friends and families gather, like during this time of year.

As this distinctively shaped aluminum Bundt pan grew in popularity, so did the many shapes and sizes now produced. The iconic original is still available, but new nonstick designs are introduced each year, retiring many of the old designs.

I was a finalist for the Bundt’s Across America contest in 2008, which included a trip to compete at the San Francisco Baking Institute. Over the years, I’ve added new Bundt and mini Bundt designs to my collection, including my favorite, now retired, Chrysanthemum Bundt pan.

Here is a recipe I submitted to the Nordic Ware Bundt’s Across America recipe contest in 2010. This big beautiful cake will delight a crowd at your holiday party. You can also make mini Bundt cakes for gift giving or individual servings.

The spiced rum and freshly grated nutmeg highlight the taste of eggnog. For extra crunch and flavor, I sprinkle the cake with finely ground pecan pralines immediately after icing so the nuts stick to the top of the cake.

A couple of baking tips for this recipe. Have your butter, eggs and eggnog at room temperature. This will ensure all the ingredients mix together smoothly. Fill the Bundt pan 3/4 full of batter, as your cake will surely rise to the top. Bake your cake just until a tester comes out clean. Do not over bake. Then let it cool in the pan for just 10 to 15 minutes.

My technique for an easy cake release is to gently shake the pan back and forth and up and down while holding the pan upside down, until you hear a “plop” that the cake has released from the sides of the pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake, then invert onto a cooling rack.

Contact Lorraine Fina Stevenski at [email protected]

Ho Ho Holiday Rum and Eggnog Bundt Cake

For the rum syrup:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup spiced rum

All-purpose flour

2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

For the cake batter:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

5 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup spiced rum

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups eggnog

For the icing:

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1/4 cup eggnog, more as needed

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Finely ground pecans

Green and red colored sugars

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly coat a decorative 12 to 15 cup Bundt pan with shortening. Use a brush to get in all the groves of the pan. Dust lightly with flour and then tap lightly over the sink to remove any excess flour. Set the Bundt pan on a half sheet pan.

Make the rum syrup: Add all the rum syrup ingredients to a medium saucepan. On medium high heat, whisk to melt the sugar. Let simmer for 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Set aside off the heat.

Make the cake: With a stand mixer on medium high speed, beat the butter, sugar, nutmeg and salt until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, spiced rum and vanilla, almond and rum extracts. With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly pour the egg mixture into the mixer bowl. It will be curdled at first. That’s okay. On medium high speed, beat until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. On low speed, add the flour mixture and eggnog to the batter in five increments, starting and ending with the flour, beating just until smooth after each addition.

Take the bowl off the stand and give the batter a vigorous stir with a large rubber spatula. The batter will be very thick. Spread the batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any excess air in the batter.

Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until light golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Every oven temperature varies so test the cake after 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a tray lined with parchment. Gently wiggle the cake back and forth to free the edges of the cake from the pan. While the cake is still warm, brush the top of the cake with the reserved rum syrup.

Make the icing: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth and pourable and just starting to bubble. Immediately drizzle over the cooled cake on the parchment paper. Sprinkle with the ground pecans and then sprinkle with green and red colored sugars.

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