Today we bring to the table a beautiful and delicious savory bundt cake with zucchini, ham, and cheese. One of my go-to recipes has always been the savory cake/bundt cake that I make every time I want to impress someone at the table!
The savory bundt cake is a very simple preparation with guaranteed success, at least if you follow my recipe 😉 It doesn’t require long rising times since instant yeast for savory cakes is used.
The great thing about this soft savory bundt cake is that you can stuff it in a thousand ways and customize it to your taste, and it’s really easy to prepare; you don’t even need an electric mixer.
Moreover, we can give this bundt cake any shape we want using pans that we have available. So, if you don’t have a bundt pan, don’t worry, you can use a classic cake pan 😉
The savory bundt cake or rustic cake is perfect to enjoy on any occasion. We can serve it for dinner and eat it as a main course with a good salad. Or in a picnic basket if we’re going on a day trip, but also to enjoy at the beach!
It’s also great for those who eat out, to serve during buffets and aperitifs or for holidays and special occasions. For example, at Christmas I like to make a star-shaped savory cake to impress all my guests!
Savory pies can be prepared all year round by using seasonal ingredients and making them different and more appetizing each time.
If you don’t like one of the ingredients used for the filling, at the end of this article you’ll find possible substitutions so you can customize this recipe as you like!
But now let’s see together how to make the Savory Bundt Cake with Zucchini, Ham, and Cheese.
Make sure to read until the end, you will find useful tips for executing this recipe and a small gift for you ❤️
Other tasty recipes I recommend you try:
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: about 10-12 people
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 eggs (medium whole)
- 150 g vegetable oil (or light olive oil)
- 200 g milk (or water)
- 300 g flour (0, or 00 if unavailable)
- 1 packet instant yeast for savory preparations (no brewer's yeast)
- Half teaspoon salt
- 150 g cheese (to taste, no mozzarella)
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (cut into thin slices)
- 200 g cooked ham (diced)
- 100 g speck slices
- 1 zucchini (medium)
- Half onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (to cook the zucchini)
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- Bowl
- Pan
- Bundt pan
- Hand whisk
- Sifter
- Spatula
- Cutting board
Steps
The savory bundt cake can be filled in a thousand ways using both raw ingredients that do not require pre-cooking and ingredients cooked separately.
In this case, I enriched the bundt cake with zucchini cut into cubes and half a thinly sliced onion.
I added a couple of tablespoons in a pan and cooked everything, uncovered, over high heat for about ten minutes, just enough time to soften them.
Season the zucchini with a pinch of salt, without overdoing it, as the other filling ingredients are already flavorful.
Once ready, drain the oil or cooking water released.
At this point, the steps will be few and quick!
Dice the cheese (choose the one you like best such as provolone, fontina, galbanino, emmental, provolone, but not mozzarella which releases liquids during cooking).
To save time, you can buy the cooked ham already diced and speck in strips; otherwise, you will have to cut these as well.
Now take a large bowl and break the whole eggs inside. Beat them for just a minute with a hand whisk, and if you want, season with a sprinkle of chives.
Then first pour in the vegetable oil (or olive oil) and then the milk or water if you prefer. Stir constantly with the hand whisk.
Finally, incorporate the flour and instant yeast for savory cakes (not brewer’s yeast, it’s different).
Use a sifter to avoid lumps and mix well with the whisk.
We’re almost done!
I usually don’t add salt to the savory cake batter because I stuff it with already salty ingredients, but if you prefer, you can add half a teaspoon of salt, not more.
Pour all the filling ingredients inside, cheese, cooked ham, speck, and cooked zucchini.
In the fridge, I had some Parmesan cubes, and I decided to cut them into thin slices and add them to the batter.
If you want, you can also create coarse shavings using a larger piece of Parmesan.
Mix everything well with a spatula and then take a 24 cm bundt pan which you should grease well with oil or butter.
Now, in a small bowl, put some grated Parmesan and some breadcrumbs, just a couple of tablespoons for each ingredient.
Mix well and then coat the entire pan with this mixture. It will help release the bundt cake perfectly and make it crispy and delicious.
If you have put too much, don’t worry, shake the pan over a plate to eliminate the excess and don’t throw it away because we will put it on the surface of the bundt cake as well.
All you need to do is pour all the batter into the pan and then sprinkle all the surface with breadcrumbs and Parmesan using a teaspoon.
You’ll see, once cooked, a crispy crust will form on the surface that will conquer everyone!
Bake the bundt cake in a preheated static oven at 340°F (170°C) for about 50 minutes.
Baking time varies from oven to oven, so after 50 minutes, check with a toothpick, and if it’s dry, take the savory cake out of the oven otherwise continue for another 5-10 minutes.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 30-40 minutes.
Then gently remove the pan and place the savory bundt cake on a rack.
This operation should be done every time you take baked goods (both sweet and savory) out of the oven that absorb moisture to facilitate its release and make the product drier.
If you want to enjoy the savory bundt cake while it’s still warm and melty, be careful when removing it from the pan, and if you have a springform pan, use it, it’s safer!
I hope you liked this recipe and that you will try it. Let me know in the comments and come back to visit me soon!
Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All Rights Reserved
To see the video recipe of this savory bundt cake, see you ➡️ here
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
I don’t have yeast for savory cakes, can I use brewer’s yeast?
No, to make this savory bundt cake, an instant yeast is required. Brewer’s yeast requires rising times that are not typical of this preparation. At most, you can use a packet of baking powder, but it shouldn’t be vanilla-flavored.
How long does the savory bundt cake last?
The savory bundt cake stays soft and fluffy for days, as long as it’s covered with a cake dome or placed in a food bag. Better to avoid aluminum foil.
If it is particularly hot, I recommend putting it in the fridge and maybe reheating it in the microwave for just ten seconds to enjoy it warm and not cold from the fridge.
We can also freeze it to enjoy a controlled consumption and avoid unnecessary waste.
In this case, I recommend cutting the savory bundt into slices and placing them in an airtight container.
To prevent the slices from sticking to each other, separate them with pieces of parchment paper. This way, you will be able to defrost only the ones you intend to consume. Just leave them at room temperature, and after about an hour, they are ready to be enjoyed!
As always specified, once you defrost an item, you cannot freeze it again. Likewise, if you used ingredients from the freezer for this bundt cake, you cannot refreeze it, but it should be consumed within a few days.How can I fill the savory bundt cake in a vegetarian version?
The vegetarian savory bundt cake can be filled using the vegetables we like the most.
Mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, eggplants, broccoli, asparagus, peas, spinach.
The important thing is that before proceeding with preparing the batter, we must cook the vegetables just as we did in this case with the zucchinis.
You can use both fresh and frozen vegetables.
In the first case, you need to wash, cut, and cook them (in a pan with oil, garlic or onion, and spices to taste, or boil them). Frozen ones should be cooked without defrosting.
In both cases, once cooked, the vegetables should be well-drained and chopped if too large.Instead of speck/cooked ham, what can I use?
You can choose mortadella, salami, turkey breast, prosciutto, loin, etc.
