Peace and Love in the Kitchen

Serves 8-10

Unlike its glamorous cousin, the iced layer cake, the bundt cake doesn’t have to look beautiful to be appreciated; it only has to taste good.  It is made in a mold.  There is no layering; there is no icing. There is just the cake with a sweet glaze drizzled over the top. It is foolproof.

This particular bundt cake pays homage to the praline.  It’s all about brown sugar, butter, and pecans, yet it remains a simple bundt cake. The cake itself is rich and flavorful but not overly sweet. It is the perfect background for the coating of praline sauce that envelopes it on all sides.  If you like pralines, you will love this cake.

“Mommy, this is the best thing you have ever made.” Serve that child a piece for breakfast.

Note:  If you have any leftovers, cut the cake into individual pieces and freeze.  Microwave at will.

For the cake:

Butter for greasing the 9 x 3 inch bundt pan

3 cups flour, plus extra for dusting the pan

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp dark rum

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

FOR THE GLAZE: adapted from realcajunrecipes.com

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted and chopped

2 1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1.  MAKE THE CAKE BATTER AND BAKE IT:  Preheat oven to 350 and position the rack in the lower third of the oven.  Prep the bundt pan by greasing it with butter and then dusting it with a little flour.  Shake out the extra flour.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugars on MEDIUM HIGH speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  One at a time, add the eggs, mixing well after each one.  Alternate adding a bit of flour and then a bit of buttermilk mixing well after each addition.  Add vanilla and rum and then mix until combined.  Stir in pecans.  Pour batter into the mold.  Bake until cake pulls away from the pan and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cake cool in the pan.

praline glaze

2.  MAKE THE GLAZE:  When the cake is cool, but before you invert it onto a plate, make this quick glaze. Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan.  Add brown sugar, flour, and eggs and cook over MEDIUM LOW heat for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla and nuts.

Glaze is poured onto what will be the bottom of the cake when before the cake is inverted

3.  COAT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAKE WITH THE GLAZE:  At this point, the cake is still in the bundt pan.  Use a chop stick or other long pointed object to poke several holes all over the cake.  Pour enough hot glaze over the exposed cake to cover it.  (The sauce will seep down into the holes.)  When it is time to invert it, this will be the bottom of the cake.  Let the sauce cool completely.

Glaze is spooned over the top of the inverted bundt cake

4.  INVERT AND COAT THE REST OF THE CAKE:  Invert the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand. Reheat the remaining glaze until warm.  Slowly spoon glaze over the top of the cake until sufficiently covered (you will have sauce leftover).  The warm sauce will run down the sides.  Let glaze cool completely.

When the glaze cools, the cake is enveloped with a layer of praline

5.  SERVE:  When you cut the cake into serving pieces, the cake will be encrusted with the hardened praline sauce. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and another spoonful of the praline sauce.

Peace and love from my kitchen to yours,

Waverly

Tags:

• CAKE

5 comments

http://www.peaceandloveinthekitchen.com/2010/10/for-praline-lovers-praline-cake-with-praline-glaze

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