Lemon Blueberry Van Halen Bundt #BundtBakers

This Lemon Blueberry Van Halen Bundt is a rich and buttery pound cake, filled with cream cheese and blueberries then drizzled with a lemon cream cheese glaze.

If you are a fan of Van Halen, you’ve probably discerned that my contribution for this month’s Bundt Bakers is a pound cake, so I'll elaborate further to say it's flavored with lemon and stuffed with blueberries. There’s also cream cheese and blueberry jam right up in there.

It’s not “an old time, long lost recipe” but one I adapted off of my friend Jenni’s blog, Pastry Chef Online, who in turn adapted it from an original recipe by a certain Miss Patsy. And while I don’t know Miss Patsy, I’m going to hazard a guess from her name that she is “home grown and down home, “ so the renaming of her pound cake is maybe appropriate, if you don’t think too hard about the rest of the Van Halen lyrics. As Jenni has proven myriad times, this recipe is easily adaptable and a great jumping off place for buttery rich pound cakes of various flavors.

This month our theme for Bundt Bakers is Hidden Surprises so, even after adding all the lemon, I couldn’t leave Miss Patsy’s recipe well enough alone; I had to try and put something inside. I chose blueberries and cream cheese, which sounded like a great idea, until the filling sunk. And that is when I added a glaze to the instructions because I had to hide it again. If you don’t mind the look of a blueberry upside down Bundt, leave off the glaze because it was delicious. Rather ugly actually, but definitely delicious. On the other hand, a lemony cream cheese glaze is never a bad thing. Your call.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups or 285g flour
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups or 450g sugar
1 1/8 cup or 255g unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup or 60ml whole milk
1/4 cup or 60ml cream
1/4 cup or 60ml fresh lemon juice

For the filling:
2 1/2 oz or 70g cream cheese, cold
1 3/4 oz or 50g fresh blueberries, plus a few extra for decorating, if desired
1/4 cup or 80g blueberry jam

Optional lemon glaze:
1/2 cup or 60g icing sugar
1 1/4 oz or 35g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons milk

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 10-cup Bundt pan by greasing and flouring it or using the non-stick spray that has flour already in it.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

Measure your milk, cream and lemon juice together in a measuring cup and stir well. It's going to kind of thicken and get all sour creamy/buttermilky and that's a good thing.

In the bowl of your stand mixer or with electric beaters, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add in the vanilla and then the first egg.

Beat well until combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and add the other two eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add in half your flour and beat well, followed by half your liquid mixture and beat until thoroughly combined.

Scrape the sides of the bowl well and continue beating, adding the balance of the flour and then the balance of the liquids, along with the lemon zest. Beat well.

Spoon two-thirds of your batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Use a spoon to make a very shallow channel in the batter.

For the filling, cut the cream cheese up into small chunks and mix lightly with the jam and fresh blueberries.

Spoon your filling into the channel.

Then top it with the balance of the batter and smooth it out.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until the top is nicely golden and the Bundt begins to just pull away from the sides.

Let the Bundt cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This is not a thing of beauty

The filling will probably sink to the bottom of the pan, which becomes the top of the cake, making an upside down blueberry cream cheese topping. Which, as I mentioned, while delicious, is not particularly attractive. At least in my opinion. If you’d like to hide it with a glaze, whisk all the glaze ingredients together, adding just enough milk to get it to the consistency you'd like, and then drizzle it (or use a piping bag) to decorate the top of the Bundt.

If you've added the glaze, top with a few blueberries, if desired.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our host this month, Anshie of Spice Roots for a great, if somewhat vexing, theme and for all the work it takes to host. Have a look at how the rest of our group handled the Hidden Surprises challenge:

• Almond Crunch Cake by Magnolia Days
• Balsamic Strawberry Filled Bundt Cake by Our Good Life
• Banana Maple Bundt Cake with Chocolate Star by Un Mordisco Un Pecado
• Black and White Surprise Bundt Cake by Patty's Cake
• Chocolate and Vanilla Polka Dot Bundt by Passion Kneaded
• Chocolate Bundt Cake with Oreo Cheesecake Filling by Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Chocolate Cheesecake Filled Peanut Butter Bundt Cake by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Citrus Raspberry Bundt by Noshing With The Nolands
• Confetti Zebra Cake by Eat, Drink, Be Mighty
• Cookie Dough Bundt Cake by Liv for Cake
• German Mozarthupf by A Kingdom for a Cake
• Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Key Lime Cheesecake Swirl by Brooklyn Homemaker
• KitKat Surprise Bundt Cake by Simply Veggies
• Lemon Blueberry Van Halen Bundt by Food Lust People Love
• Orange and Strawberry Jam Bundt Cake by Baking Yummies
• Pear and Blue Cheese Bundt by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Polka Dot Bundt Cake by Brunch with Joy
• Raspberry Filled Lemon Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Real Deal Nutella Bundt Cake by Baking in Pyjamas
• Savory Monkey Bread Stuffed Bundt by Adventures in All Things Food
• Sour Cream Boozy Hazelnut Bundt Cake by Sidewalk Shoes
• Spring Break S'mores Cake by Tea and Scones
• Strawberry Cheese Cake Bundt Cake by Basic N Delicious
• Strawberry Twinkie Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes
• Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake by Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies
• Surprise Bundt by Mummy & Cute
• Surprise Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake by Media Ración Doble, Por Favor
• Surprise Inside Carrot Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Triple Lemon Bundt Cake by Baking and Creating with Avril
• Tropical Surprise Bundt Cake by Spice Roots

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin this Lemon Blueberry Van Halen Bundt! 

Eggnog Pound Cake with Eggnog Glaze #FoodieExtravaganza

Homemade eggnog adds richness to the tender crumb of this sweet pound cake and eggnog glaze with extra freshly grated nutmeg is the perfect icing on the cake. If you only have the store-bought kind, that would certainly work just as nicely.

The best laid schemes
When I initially signed up to contribute a recipe to this month’s Foodie Extravaganza eggnog themed event, I did it with a certain amount of smugness because I knew I had one Tetra Pak of Borden’s eggnog, still in date, that was left over from last year. So even if the new ones didn’t make it to the Dubai supermarkets in time. I was GOOD to GO.

But to paraphrase the poet, Robert Burns, “the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." And I find myself, happily, willingly, extending my annual visit to Kuala Lumpur to help a dear friend and her family through a rough time. Except the Borden’s eggnog has not come in yet here. In fact, the store where I used to buy it when we lived here says they aren’t getting any this year. Say what, Ampang Mini Mart??

Needs Must
So here’s what I did. I made our family's favorite eggnog, my grandmother’s recipe, already posted here, but in a much smaller quantity, and I added in a little vanilla. (I’ll put the ingredient quantities below, for those who want to go all homemade too.) And THEN I baked eggnog pound cake and made eggnog glaze. It’s been a favorite at snack time all week and one piece has even been requested in a lunch box. Score!

Ingredients
For the eggnog:
Follow the general instructions here but use the following ingredient list if you are making your own eggnog, just for this cake. Then allow it to cool before starting the cake.
1 3/4 cups or 415ml whole milk
1 egg
1/3 cup or 75g sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The cake recipe has been adapted from this one From Chocolate, Chocolate and More. Joan's makes two loaf-shaped pound cakes.

For the cake batter:
1/2 cup or 115g butter, room temperature
1 cup or 200g sugar
2 eggs
2 cups or 250g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml eggnog

For the glaze:
1 cup or 125g powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1-2 tablespoons eggnog

Plus extra nutmeg for sprinkling on top of the glaze, if desired.

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 10-cup Bundt pan by spraying it liberally with non-stick baking spray (the kind with flour in) or by buttering and flouring it.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream your butter and sugar together until they are light yellow and fluffy.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

First egg going in. 

Add in the flour, baking powder, vanilla, salt and nutmeg.

Then pour in all the eggnog.

Beat until well combined. Once the batter is mixed well, turn the mixer up to medium high and beat for 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Remember, this is pound cake so it's going to be quite thick.

 Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and then turn the cake out onto the rack.

While it cools, you can make the glaze. Measure your first three glaze ingredients into a small bowl then add the eggnog a little at a time until you reach your desire consistency.

Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake.

Grate a little more nutmeg on top, if desired. (But I highly recommend it!) Let glaze set up before serving or storing.

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of eggnog? Then this is your season of joy as well as your Foodie Extravaganza month! Many thanks to our great host, Alexis from We Like to Learn As We Go.

• Banana Chocolate Chip Eggnog Coffee Cake - The Sweet {Tooth} Life
• Chewy Eggnog Cookies - We Like to Learn as We Go
• Eggnog Chocolate Chip Cake - Fearlessly Creative Mamas
• Eggnog Cookies - Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Eggnog Creme Brulee - The Freshman Cook
• Eggnog Cupcakes - Baking in Pyjamas
• Eggnog Fudge - Mrs. Penguin
• Eggnog Kringel - Passion Kneaded
• Eggnog Mexican Flan - Pantry Friendly Cooking
• Peppermint Eggnog Hot Chocolate - Trial and Eater
• Eggnog Pound Cake with Eggnog Glaze - Food Lust People Love 
• Eggnog Rice Pudding - The Joyful Foodie 
• Eggnog Waffles and Syrup - Making Miracles
• Fruity Eggnog Bread Pudding - Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Gingerbread Eggnog Cookies - A Day in the Life on the Farm
• No-Bake Eggnog Cookies - Rhubarb and Honey
• Nutty Nog Caramels - Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday. If you would like to participate in the next Foodie Extravaganza, just go to our Facebook page to join. We would love to have you!

London Porter Cake with Lemon Glaze #BundtBakers

Lovely, rich and fruity, made with porter beer, raisins and candied peel, then dressed up with lemon glaze, this Bundt cake is perfect for dessert or teatime. 

Baking with Booze
A couple of weeks back I was reviewing a beautiful cookbook called Food Truck Road Trip – A Cookbook. I mixed a morning pick-me-up cocktail made with porter beer, coffee and ginger that was absolutely delicious. Since this month’s Bundt Bakers’ theme is boozy cakes I decided to use porter in a cake as well. It has such a wonderful rich flavor that I knew it make a great cake. An internet search revealed that porter is commonly used in cakes in Ireland so what I thought was a great idea was hardly novel. Sometimes it’s best to leave some things to the experts so this recipe comes from Rachel Allen, queen of Irish cooking and baking and is slighted adapted for a Bundt pan. I’ve also added a lemon glaze because I was taking this as my dessert contribution to a champagne tasting dinner and, while the plain cake was tasty, I felt it needed a shiny glaze for such a nice evening affair. I am pleased to say that the cake was well received and enjoyed by all.

If you like baking with liquor, you are going to love this month’s Bundt Bakers round up of cakes, hosted by Lauren from From Gate to Plate. Scroll down to see the whole fabulous list of boozy Bundts.

Ingredients
For the cake batter:
3 1/2 cups or 450g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 225g butter, chilled
1 cup packed or 225g light brown sugar
1 pound or 450g golden or black raisins or a mixture of both
3 ounces or 75g chopped candied peel, store-bought or homemade
2 eggs
12 oz or 330ml porter or stout

For the lemon glaze:
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1/4 cup or 60ml warm water
1/4 cup or 60ml lemon Juice
Pinch salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your Bundt pan by spraying it liberally with non-stick spray for baking.

Measure the flour, nutmeg, mixed spice, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk it well to aerate and combine.

Cut the butter in small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Use the end of the whisk or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until you get a sandy texture.

Stir in the brown sugar, raisins and candied peel.

Whisk the eggs in another bowl and add the porter.

Pour the egg/porter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 65-75 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean. If the cake is browned before it’s done, cover it with foil.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the Bundt pan for about 10 minutes.

Turn it out and set to cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the lemon glaze. Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar dissolves.

Brush over top and sides of cake a little at a time, allowing the glaze to soak in. Keep applying the glaze until you’ve used it all or until it’s time to take it off to the dinner party.

Enjoy!

Boozy Bundts are perfect for the holidays! Hope you find some inspiration here:

• Anisette and Orange Bundt Cake by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado 
• Apple Bundt Cake with Whiskey Salted Caramel by Lauren at From Gate to Plate 
• Baba au Rhum by Terri at Love and Confections 
• Banana Bourbon Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy 
• Champagne Soaked Cranberry Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook 
• Chestnut and Rum Kugelhopf by Jelena at A Kingdom for A Cake 
• Chocolate Baileys Bundt Cake by Bea and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes 
• Chocolate Chambord Mini Bundt Cakes by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands 
• Chocolate Guinness Bundt by Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen 
• Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake by Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook 
• Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake with Kahlua Glaze by Tanya at DessertStalking Blog 
• Coffee Baileys Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious 
• Frangelico and Fig Bundt Cake by Victoria at Just One Bite Baking
• Gin and Tonic Bundt by Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner 
• Gingerbread Rum Bundt Cake by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas 
• Grand Marnier and Chocolate Chips Bundt Cake with Seville Orange Sauce by Anna at Media racion doble, Por Favor 
• Grand Marnier and Tangerine Bundt Cake by Caro at En la Cocina de Caro 
• Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake by Patricia at Patty’s Cake 
• Irish Coffee Bundt Cake by Laura at The Spiced Life 
• Kentucky Bourbon Cake by Cassie at Cassie’s Kitchen 
• Lemon Rum Bundt by Catherine at Living the Gourmet 
• Limoncello Bundt Cake by Natalia at Principiando en la Cocina
• London Porter Bundt with Lemon Glaze by Stacy at Food Lust People Love 
• Peach Brandy Pound Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days 
• Pomegranate and Chocolate with Rum Glaze by Rocio at Kidsandchic 
• Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Rum Pudding Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles 
• Rum Raisin Apple Bundt by Maleka at La Luna en Dulce
• Southern Sweet Potato, Bourbon, and Pecan Bundt by Margaret at Tea and Scones 
• Spiced Apple Cider Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker 
• Tangerine Screwdriver Mini Bundts by Kelly at Passion Kneaded

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Biscoff Cookie Butter Bundt Cake #NationalBundtDay

Cookie butter plus actual butter means a sweet, tender Bundt cake with a subtle gingerbread flavor. 

Happy National Bundt Day! I couldn’t let this great day go unrecognized so I scoured the interwebs for an appropriate cake to make with the last of my jar of cookie butter, otherwise known as Speculoos or Biscoff.

I adapted this recipe from A Beautiful Bite and then halved the amounts to fit in a smaller Bundt pan.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190g all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 200g sugar
1/2 cup or 115g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup or 145g Speculoos Cookie Butter or Biscoff Butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup or 60ml buttermilk

To decorate: icing or confectioners’ sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.  Prepare a 6-cup Bundt pan (or larger) by spraying it liberally with the Baking Pam or greasing and flouring it. My Nordic Ware Bavaria Bundt pan is 10-cup so you can see that the batter only came part way up the side.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cream together the butter, the cookie butter, and sugar together in a mixer until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and beat well.

Spoon the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth the top and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Remove from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes.

Invert on a wire rack and cool completely.

To serve:  Sift powdered sugar on top.

Enjoy!

Heads up! This just in! To celebrate National Bundt Day, Nordic Ware is going to be giving away a new edition pan to one Bundt baking winner! As much as I'd like to keep this information to myself so I can win, Bundt baking is all about spreading the love, so here are the details:

Simply tag your prettiest Bundt Cake photos with the hashtag #NationalBundtDay on Instagram. Make sure you're following @nordicwareusa and show us your latest and greatest creations made with a Nordic Ware pan. Nordic Ware will choose a winner on Monday who will receive a brand new, not-yet-released 2015 Bundt shape before anyone else has access! So get baking and Instagramming, Bundt friends!

If anyone who saw it here first wins, please come back and let me know so I can do the happy dance with you! Meanwhile, I am going to be flooding my own Instagram feed (@foodlustpeoplelove) with Nordic Ware Bundt pan cakes! They are the best!

Click on the graphic to see a whole bunch of Bundt Baker links. 

Dark Chocolate Orange Bundt with Dark Chocolate Orange Glaze #BundtaMonth

Orange and chocolate are a classic combination. Using dark chocolate and whole Mandarin oranges pureed in the batter brings a sweet, yet bitter tartness to this tender crumbed cake Dark Chocolate Orange Bundt with Dark Chocolate Orange Glaze.

For the British, especially, chocolate and orange are a treasured Christmas flavor combination and many would say that a Christmas stocking without a chocolate orange is half empty.  Even if it’s full.  But I must admit that it is not something that I grew up with.  Like all great relationships, it has taken a while to grow and mature.  Rather like my love of marmalade.  And Brussels sprouts, eggplant and cooked cabbage.  And other grownup things.  Such is the British influence here that the stores in Dubai are full of all kinds of candies in chocolate and orange so it was a natural choice for this month’s theme of Holiday December!

Where do you fall on the continuum of Love it (10) and Hate it (0)?  If you are somewhere in the lower half, perhaps this delicious cake will slide your opinion up the scale.

Ingredients
For the cake:
2 mandarin oranges (about  5 1/2 oz or 155g)
1/3 cup or 75g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
3 large eggs
4 tablespoons milk
1 1/3 cups or 170g flour, plus extra for the coating the pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup or 75g dark cocoa powder

For the glaze:
5 1/4 oz or 150g dark chocolate
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
3 tablespoons canola oil

To decorate:  chocolate orange candies  and zest of one Mandarin orange

Method
Put the Mandarin oranges in a small pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil over a medium heat and then simmer for an hour.  Keep checking to make sure the oranges are always covered, adding more water if necessary, and turning them over occasionally.

Meanwhile, butter your Bundt pan and coat it well with flour.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine your flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.

When the hour is up, remove the pot from the heat and leave the oranges in it until they are cool enough to handle.

Remove the oranges to a cutting board and preheat your oven to 350°F or 180 °C.  Use a sharp pointy knife to cut the oranges in half and use the pointy end to dig out all of the seeds

Puree both oranges, peel and all, with a hand blender, add in the milk and set aside.

With electric beaters or in your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between.

Mix in half of the flour/cocoa and beat until combined.

Pour in half of the orange/milk and beat until combined.

Look at the gorgeous color of that orange puree! 

Repeat with the rest of the flour/cocoa and then the orange/milk.

Pour your batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then turn out on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the glaze, melt the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and add in the Grand Marnier and canola oil and stir well.  The liqueur makes the chocolate thicken up and the oil helps it become pourable again.  If you would prefer not to add alcohol to the chocolate, you can skip the oil as well and drizzle on straight melted chocolate.

Once the cake is completely cool, use a piping bag to drizzle the glaze all over the cake.  Or put it in a plastic baggie and cut a small corner off to do the same.   Add the chocolate orange slices and orange zest, if desired.

Enjoy!

I hope you have all enjoyed the past year of Bundts from our BundtaMonth group.  Our fearless leaders, Anuradha from Baker Street and Lora from Cake Duchess have decided to disband.  I’d like to thank them for their support and hard work.

Meanwhile, I’ve got one last BundtaMonth list of cakes to share!

• Candy Cane Bundt Cake from Felice at All That’s Left Are the Crumbs
• Cranberry Walnut and Ginger Holiday Bundt from Deepti at Baking Yummies
• Double Chocolate Glazed Peppermint Bundt Cake from Laura at A Spiced Life
• Gingerbread Spice Bundt Cake from Jill at  Made with Love
• Red and White Marbled Bundt from Holly A Baker’s House
• Peppermint Pound Cake from Kate at Food Babbles