The homemade bundt cake is a simple dessert from the Bolognese tradition, a humble cake made with a few readily available ingredients. The recipe I propose today is by Gino Fabbri, one of the best pastry chefs from Bologna, and it is truly exquisite.
I find it very similar to my version of the “brazadela” or “hard ring cake” as this cake is not soft but more compact and crumbly, perfect to enjoy on its own or “dipped” in milk or red wine. It is often also used for preparing the zuppa inglese instead of sponge cake or ladyfingers.
The brazadela gets its name from the type of baking practiced in the countryside last century, after baking bread in the oven or stove, the remaining embers would be gathered around the cake pan for baking.
With a very similar dough, we also prepare raviole and the pinza bolognese, sweets from my tradition that are always present on the Sunday lunch menu.
Try also the other Bolognese traditional recipes:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 281.90 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 49.42 (g) of which sugars 21.14 (g)
- Proteins 5.78 (g)
- Fat 8.00 (g) of which saturated 4.87 (g)of which unsaturated 2.86 (g)
- Fibers 0.90 (g)
- Sodium 12.92 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg (medium, about 2 oz)
- 1.7 oz milk
- 3.5 tbsp butter (softened)
- 1 tsp baking powder (vanilla flavored)
- lemon zest (grated zest of half a lemon)
- as needed milk (to brush the top of the cake)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar (for dusting)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Worktop
- 1 Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Procedure
Its preparation is very simple, you can knead it on the worktop or in a bowl.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, pour it onto the worktop creating a well.
In a bowl, mix the egg with the sugar, add the milk and the grated lemon zest, and the softened butter. The mixture does not need to be homogeneous, do not worry if the butter doesn’t fully incorporate.
Pour the liquids into the well and start incorporating the flour with a fork or your hand. Work the dough until you get a homogeneous mass similar to a soft shortcrust pastry.
The dough is ready.
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough, make a 12-inch cylinder, place it on the baking sheet, and shape it into a ring.
Brush the surface with some milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar which will form a delicious crispy crust when baked.
Bake the cake in a preheated fan oven at 350°F for 20 minutes. If you have a static oven, extend the baking time by 5 minutes or until lightly golden.
The homemade bundt cake is ready, let it cool down and serve.
Tips
Storage
The homemade bundt cake is a pantry cake that keeps at room temperature for 3 days.
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