snickerdoodle bundt for national bundt day

For the second year in a row, Mary the Food Librarian made 30 bundts in 30 days. She likes big bundts, and she can not lie, y'all. In the same busy month, she also managed to turn out an amazing dessert buffet for her good friends' wedding with no fewer than 8 million types of sweets.

Myself, I managed to make one bundt in one day, but I picked a good one: not only is November 15th my awesome brother-in-law's birthday, it's also National Bundt Day! I chose one of Mary's very delicious-looking cakes, the Snickerdoodle Bundt, figuring Josh's office would want to help me celebrate such an important holiday. The original recipe was from Dozen Flours.

It's a little hard to tell, but what you're seeing is a delicious vanilla cake with a cinnamon-sugar swirl in the middle, encrusted with cinnamon-sugar! By dusting the pan with cinnamon-sugar and sprinkling a liberal dose over the top of the batter (which becomes the bottom of the cake), the whole outside caramelizes into an amazing sugary crunch. A great bonus for the person cutting the cake who gets to munch of some of the crunchy crumbs that break off. You can see the crust a little bit at the bottom right of the cake.

The inside is soft and makes a perfect contrast to the crusty exterior. Plus, what's not to love about a cinnamon-sugar swirl?

Best of all, it's a super-easy recipe. The only ingredient I had to go out of my way for was sour cream, which is easy enough to arrange. This would be great for a dinner party, a tea, or just to have around the house as a snack.

Snickerdoodle Bundt
Cinnamon Sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar

Cake
2 1/2 cups (10 5/8 ounces) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1 cup (7 ounces) brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream (the original recipe called for full-fat, but I used Daisy lowfat with no problems)

Stir together the cinnamon and sugar and set aside. You'll use this for dusting the pan, for the center swirl, and for sprinkling over the batter before baking.

I just noticed that the directions say to preheat the oven to 325F, but I actually baked mine at 350F. Oops. (A good reason to check the cake early: if the oven is hotter, it's going to cook faster, but it doesn't necessarily mean all is lost. The cake is done when it's done; not when the timer says it is!)

Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

Beat the butter on medium speed for one minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat for three minutes. It will be very light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, add the brown sugar, and beat for two more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour alternately with the sour cream. Scrape down the bowl once more, and give it a final few seconds to fully combine.

Now, prep the bundt pan. The recipe calls for a 9-cup bundt pan. I only have one pan - I'm pretty sure it's more than 9 cups - but it worked just fine. You can grease the pan with butter or shortening, but my favorite trick is cooking spray with flour. Spray the pan thoroughly, including the center tube, so the cinnamon-sugar will stick and the cake won't. Gently dust the inside of the pan with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, using about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. I sprinkled a few tablespoons around the bottom, then gently turned the pan, shaking the sugar around to coat it. I added more as needed, and I had to use the spoon to sprinkle the sugar mixture over the center tube. Shake out any extra into the bowl; you're going to use the rest of the cinnamon-sugar in a minute.

Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. I dolloped it in in a few scoops and then gently evened it out with a rubber spatula. I didn't want the batter to rub the cinnamon-sugar off the sides of the pan. Sprinkle 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the remaining cinnamon-sugar evenly onto the batter. Top with the remaining batter and smooth it out. Finish by sprinkling on any remaining cinnamon-sugar. If you've run out, mix up 1/4 sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Mine took just 55 minutes, but then, my oven was set 25 degrees higher! Cool for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake and invert a rimmed cookie sheet on top of it. You're going to invert the pan to take the cake out, but if you don't use the cookie sheet, you'll end up with cinnamon-sugar all over the floor and counter. You could try doing it over the sink, but I wouldn't want the cake to end up in the sink. The cookie sheet is a little unwieldy, but it ultimately caught all the loose sugar. Cool completely. Serve with coffee, tea, or milk!

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