Speculaas Glazed Bundt Cake

Its amazing how a bit of random internet browsing, whilst making something else has led to me making repeatedly the Soured Cream Bundt cake that I blogged back in July from BBC Good Food. It really has become one of my favourite bakes, in fact it must be at least the sixth one now, including baking one on holiday at my Auntie's house in her very pretty tin (note to self: smuggle in suitcase next visit!): 

Anyway as much as we all love the original version, I am rather fond of a new spice in my larder in the form of Speculaas as proclaimed back in August and wondered if the two should meet... I am one for indecision at the best of times but it turned out to be a most wonderful meeting and they are now best of friends. Just call me Mrs Matchmaker!

To facilitate their meet, I decided to add a little of the Speculaas mix to both the cake batter and the glaze, which worked a treat. It came out a glorious colour - this is before the glaze has fully set, then it becomes a bit more crystallized and even more delicious! Patience is a virtue!

Also though I do love the original glaze, it makes lots, so with this version I scaled it back slightly and it was just perfect. Sweet, fragrant crackle encasing a heavenly soft, sweet scented sponge. Really it doesn’t get much better than this.

Ingredients:

125g softened butter

180g caster sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

180g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g sour cream

½ tsp Speculaas spice mix

Pinch salt

Glaze:

80g caster sugar

40g butter

3tbsp water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp speculaas spice mix

Optional – sprinkles of choice to decorate

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Your mixer will do the hard work for you if not its time to flex those biceps!

Add a little of the egg at a time until its all combined along with the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, speculaas and mix half of it into the cake batter, along with half the sour cream until combined. Add the remaining flour mix and sour cream and beat well until all nicely combined. 

Spoon into your prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden, risen and a skewer comes away cleanly. Cool for at least 5 minutes before carefully upturning onto a cooling rack and allowing to cool fully before glazing.

Place the glaze ingredients into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 3-4 minutes until it is starting to reduce and thicken. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before painting or spooning over the cake. Allow the first layer to set slightly before repeating with the remaining mixture. I quite enjoy this stage, its a proper test of my patience - be calm, take your time and enjoy the gentleness.

Allow your glazed cake to set for a good few hours - overnight is best if you can resist its lure that long.

Soured Cream Bundt cake with Butter Glaze

Oh oh oh sweet dreams are made of these.. and who am I to disagree!! Not meeeee! I didn't find anyone either who disagreed! This is not my own original bake - apart from adding the sugar confetti its entirely borrowed from a BBC Good Food recipe. 

This cake was one of those that you make purely out of using up things, in this case a tub of sour cream but are not really sure if you would like it – I must admit the whole soured cream cake thing didn’t exactly get me salivating but I am a changed woman – this cake is so gorgeously vanilla laced with a sweet glaze heaven and it was that good despite making it on Wednesday I just had to make another one on the Saturday to satisfy our cravings! Its like floating on a sweet scented vanilla cloud and one you will want to repeat.

My neighbour and friend C was a gem and I must give her thanks here – my oven, is well temperamental, and she let me use hers even though it was 9.40pm on a weeknight! I did chance it and made the second one in my oven – with the assistance of the oven thermometer – our oven only seems to reach a magical figure of 170o at the most – even if it says you have put in on 210o and my housing landlord think the oven works the engineer said ‘because the elements come on’ and not even bribery with cake will budge them. Sad days. Anyhow it did fortunately work so it’s a well tested cake – both for fast fan assisted and slow ancient think about it later ovens!

The recipe calls for a 6 cup bundt pan. I have no idea what size my bundt tin is, just remember than it came from Ikea years ago and converts between a bundt and large cake tin, I think it’s a little bigger than theirs but it still fortunately worked!

I must admit that in the past I have been a little put off using the bundt tin, purely as trying to remove the cooked product has resulted in breakages and tears however I have a trick up my flour coated sleeves – Dr Oetker’s Cake Release spray I was sent to try. Okay I did break the first batch very slightly as it came out with so much ease it took me by surprise but the 2^nd batch I was more cautious and it worked a treat!

Ingredients:

125g softened butter

180g caster sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

180g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g sour cream

Pinch salt

Glaze:

100g caster sugar

50g butter

4tbsp water

¼ tsp vanilla extract

Optional – sprinkles of choice. I adore these sugar confetti and used in both of my bakes!

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Your mixer will do the hard work for you.

Add a little of the egg at a time until its all combined along with the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and mix half of it into the cake batter, along with half the sour cream until combined. Add the remaining flour mix and sour cream and beat well until all nicely combined. 

Spoon into your prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden, risen and a skewer comes away cleanly. Cool for at least 5 minutes before carefully upturning onto a cooling rack and allowing to cool fully before glazing.

Place the glaze ingredients into a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 3-4 minutes until it is starting to reduce and thicken. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before paining or spooning over the cake. Allow the first layer to set slightly before repeating with the remaining mixture.

Allow your glazed cake to set for a good few hours - overnight is best if you can resist its lure that long.

 Many thanks to Lucy at Citizen & Dr Oetker for the Cake Release sample!