Pumpkin Espresso Bundt Cake

The changing of the leaves from green to hues of red and orange marks the arrival of autumn flavors. When the weather grows cold and the coats come out of the closet, turning on the oven feels right. In partnership with King Arthur Flour, each month I will challenge you with a new recipe, filled with step-by-step explanations and techniques, to help you grow and develop as a baker. For October, I aspired to bring together my favorite fall flavors in a recipe that is meant to be shared.

This month is all about cake, as we undertake the respected Bundt cake. Bundt cakes are an American classic. Introduced in the 1950s by pan manufacturer NordicWare, the name Bundt refers to the architecture of the pan the cake is baked in, not the type of cake itself. Bundt cake pans are taller than the traditional cake pan, with a hole in the center. The hole has a dual purpose—it gives the cake a unique ring shape and allows heat to reach the center of the cake so it can bake more evenly. 

The Bundt pan used with this recipe is the NordicWare Party Bundt pan. The look is classic, but I love this particular shape because the portions are exceptionally easy to slice. 

Traditional whole wheat flour is ground from red wheat. This cake is made with white whole wheat flour, which is ground from white wheat—a slightly different type of wheat, lighter in color and milder in flavor. White whole wheat flour is 100% whole grain and mirrors the nutritional attributes found in traditional whole wheat flour. Its milder flavor makes it a great flour to substitute in many classic all-purpose recipes.

White whole wheat flour is a pantry staple in my kitchen. Adding a little extra nutrition to my baked goods, without compromising the flavor, feels like a superhero power.

The pumpkin cake starts with a mixture of pumpkin puree, eggs, and vegetable oil. The eggs act as a binder between the ingredients, but also add moisture to the final product. The main fat is vegetable oil instead of butter. This makes it dairy free(!), but the neutral flavor of the oil also allows the pumpkin and spice flavors to become more pronounced.

Both granulated and brown sugar is added, for sweetness and a greater depth of flavor, before the dry ingredients are folded in. In this recipe (and most traditional cake recipes), it is important to make sure that there are no lumps in the batter after the final beating. This is especially true for butter cake recipes. Small clumps of butter and sugar left in the batter, often hidden in beaters and the tops of spatulas, will melt in the oven and create holes in the finished cake. 

A well greased Bundt pan is necessary in order to remove the cake in one piece. I find it sufficient to use a heavy layer of cooking spray. When finished spraying, hold the pan up to the light and tilt it, making sure that every crevice is fully covered. Do any touch-ups with the cooking spray now, if necessary.

To create a swirled effect between the pumpkin cake and espresso filling, the ingredients are layered in the pan, alternating between cake batter and a thin layer of brown sugar mixed with cinnamon and espresso powder. Before putting the cake in the oven, tap the pan on the counter to release any bubbles that may have developed when layering.

Though it may be tempting, do not open the oven door while the cake is baking. The rush of cool air into the oven can cause the cake to collapse—this is especially true during the first 20 minutes, when the fragile cake is gaining the most height. When finished baking, cool the cake for fifteen minutes before unmolding.

Unmolding the cake may feel like the most difficult part of this recipe, but it just takes a bit of bravery. Avoid using an off-set spatula to release the cake from the edge of the pan. The spatula can scratch the pan (making it more difficult to remove cakes later) or slice directly into the cake if you slip. Because Bundt pans tend to have ornate designs and curved edges, off-set spatulas can cause more harm than good.

Instead, tap the pan firmly against your work surface to loosen the cake from the edges of the pan. Cover the top of the Bundt pan with a cooling rack, flip it over, and carefully lift the pan off the cake. 

While still warm, use a pastry brush to apply a coffee rum glaze to the cake. Using a pastry brush instead of pouring the glaze over the cake lets the glaze be applied evenly, allowing the cake to absorb it more effectively. The glaze not only adds another layer of flavor to the cake, but it helps to seal in the cake's moisture, keeping it fresher for a longer period of time. Once the glaze is set and the cake is no longer wet in appearance, it can be cut and served.

Pumpkin Espresso Bundt Cake is spiced with the classic flavors of autumn and layered with a sweet espresso filling. The cake is glazed with a mixture of strong coffee and rum to bring out the flavors in the filling and seal in the cake's moisture. When served alongside a cup of hot coffee, the cake truly shines. Share with family and friends.

One Year Ago: Vegan Caramel and Rustic Apple Tart
Two Years Ago: Apple Cinnamon Pancakes and Classic Apple Pie
Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Pumpkin Waffles, Spider Cupcakes, and Apple Scones
Four Years Ago: Red Wine Chocolate Cake, Pear Spice Cake, Pumpkin Latte Cheesecake, and Apple Cake
Five Years Ago: Butternut Squash Custard, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Banana Nut Bread, and Apple Tart

Pumpkin Espresso Bundt Cake

Yields 8-10 servings

Pumpkin Cake
1 1/2 cups (370 grams) pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
3/4 cup (177 mL) vegetable oil
1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (250 grams) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Espresso Filling
1/3 cup (66 grams) brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Coffee Rum Glaze
1/3 cup (78 mL) strong coffee
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Heavily grease a 10-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.

For the pumpkin cake, beat together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and uniform in appearance. Set aside.

For the espresso filling, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

In the prepared baking pan, spoon in 1/3 of the pumpkin cake batter evenly into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the espresso filling over the top. Spoon another 1/3 of the pumpkin cake batter into the pan and sprinkle with the remaining espresso filling. Layer the remaining cake batter on top and smooth with an off-set spatula.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

While the cake is baking, make the coffee rum glaze by whisking together the strong coffee, rum, and granulated sugar. Brush all of the glaze evenly over the cake with a pastry brush while it is still warm. Serve after the glaze has fully set. 

Bake with me! Show off your finished Pumpkin Bundt Cakes by tagging them with #kingarthurflour.

This post is sponsored through a partnership with King Arthur Flour. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Olive Oil Pound Cake

The first week after a move is the hardest. The stress of packing and unpacking the moving van (twice), the long hours finding space for belongings in unfamiliar cupboards and drawers, the uncertainty of where to buy everyday items, like groceries or end tables. It is both intimidating and exciting. Over the course of the summer, I went from a small town of 3,000 to a big city of over 3 million. The change hasn't sunk in for me yet. Besides a handful of necessary errands, I haven't had the chance to leave the apartment and explore the new neighborhood.

I am no stranger to moving—I have lived in eight cities in three different countries throughout my twenties—but every move brings unexpected changes and emotions. Time must pass before the foreign becomes familiar, and you feel ready to call it home. 

I have gone out to buy pantry essentials twice—the eggs were forgotten, and then the baking powder—but my cupboards still feel bare. After noticing the only item in overabundance was the fruit bowl, I set out to create a simple dessert that would accompany everything from the nectarines to the red and blue berries on the counter. 

Pound cakes are the clean slate of cakes, relying on the topping to create the excitement. 

Though pound cakes are traditionally made with butter, olive oil can create a cake with a comparable texture and flavor (especially if butter is another pantry staple unintentionally overlooked). Using a high quality olive oil will give you the best results. A light extra virgin olive oil gives a taste most similar to butter, but a herb infused oil or other distinctive flavor will create a unique final product. I suggest topping it with coconut whipped cream and fresh, seasonal fruit.

Though pound cakes are perfectly delicious sliced and served, they can also be grilled or coated with butter and fried like a grilled cheese before topping. The choice, as always, is yours.

Olive Oil Pound Cake is a great accompaniment to seasonal, ripe fruit. The cake is infused with lemon and orange zest, which gives the cake a subtle citrus note, but is not a primary flavor. The type of olive oil used will have the greatest influence on the taste of the final product. Choose a strong or neutral tasting oil based on your preference for the cake flavor; if uncertain, use the olive oil you already have in your home (you know you already enjoy it).

One Year Ago: Paris and Provence & the French Riviera
Two Years Ago: Cookie Dough Cake
Three Years Ago:Dark & Stormy, Blueberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes, and S'mores Pancakes
Four Years Ago: Banana Cake, S'mores Pie, and Grilled Apricots
Five Years Ago:Roasted Cherry Coconut Ice Cream

Olive Oil Pound Cake
Adapted from Alice Medrich's Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts

Yields 1 loaf

1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1/2 orange
1/2 cup (120 mL) high quality olive oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (170 grams) all-purpose flour
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90 mL) milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, rub the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest between your fingers until fragrant. Beat in olive oil. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating the mixture on high for 3-4 minutes to add aeration to the mixture. Beat in the vanilla, baking powder, salt, and lemon juice. Add 1/3 of the flour and beat at a low speed until blended. Add 1/2 of the milk and continue beating. Repeat additions by adding 1/3 of the flour, the remaining milk, and the remaining flour.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and, after 10 minutes, transfer cake to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Serve with fresh fruit and coconut whipped cream.

Strawberry Layer Cake

Pastry Affair turned five years old earlier this week—an unimaginable milestone when I started this blog so long ago. Originally a place to let out a little creative energy, it has grown and flourished into so much more. This space stayed a constant when my life was going through the many and tumultuous changes of growing up and finding a place in this world. I hope it continues to be one for plenty of years to come. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey, dear friend, and following along wherever it may lead.

I celebrated this anniversary earlier this spring by upgrading my camera from an entry level DSLR to a professional model. I am still learning how to use it (the purpose of many of the buttons remains a mystery), but it is my new summer project. During Pastry Affair's 4th anniversary, I shared that I had been struggling with blogging, losing the motivation to continue in light of my new career as a high school teacher. It took a few months of healing and letting go of my ideas of perfection, but Pastry Affair found its way back into my heart. It feels right.

The past week was not only a big week for Pastry Affair, but it was also the start of summer vacation (!) and my own 27th birthday (!!). Unlike my 25th birthday, when I despaired that my childhood was over, I felt ready to embrace this new age. I have never been more of an adult than I have in this past year, both in mannerisms and responsibilities, but I still feel as if I have a hold on youth. There is a quote that I adore from Leo Rosten that expresses this well:

O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales. 

With summer upon me (and three glorious months to call my own), perhaps this disguise will disappear for a moment while I take on a few new adventures of my own.

It is well documented that my personal favorite celebration cake is a Berry Topped Angel Food Cake. With this particular cake and culinary spirit in mind, I fashioned this strawberry layer cake for Pastry Affair's special day. A simple vanilla cake is surrounded by a strawberry infused swiss meringue buttercream, but the taste is something straight from heaven. The "naked" cake is one of my favorite trends because it is so easy to recreate. The frosting is not supposed to be perfect or fully cover the sides, which means that there are very few ways to get this wrong. If you are a bit inexperienced at cake decoration, this style is definitely for you. 

The recipe is designed to create a full-sized three layer cake, so save this for a memorable event when you have eager mouths to please.

Strawberry Layer Cake expands on the idea of strawberries and cream by turning it into a multi-layer masterpiece. My classic vanilla cake recipe has been rewritten for a tall three layer cake. The cake is surrounded with a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream interspersed with fresh strawberries. The recipe may appear extensive at first glance, but do not let this deter you. If you have made cake and frosting before, this cake will be no more difficult nor take you a greater length of time.

One Year Ago: Berry Topped Angel Food Cake
Two Years Ago: White Chocolate Espresso Cake, Pineapple Jam, and Vanilla Chia Pudding
Three Years Ago: Mocha Granola, Multigrain Bread, Blueberry Lemon Crumble, and Vanilla Cupcakes
Four Years Ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade, Citrus Roasted Rhubarb, and Roasted Cherry Brownies
Five Years Ago: Chocolate Coconut Granola, Sour Cream Sugar Cookies, and Lemon Tarts

Strawberry Layer Cake

Yields 3 layer 8 or 9-inch cake*

Vanilla Cake
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups (560 grams) granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup (240 grams) sour cream (or plain, non-fat yogurt)
2/3 cup (150 grams) olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
5 1/3 cups (600 grams) cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups (480 ml) milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease 8 or 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in three additions, alternating with the milk, stirring until batter is uniform and smooth.

Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Keep in mind that the cake layers will be relatively tall. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting. 

Vanilla Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Heavily adapted from Sweetapolita

5 large egg whites (150 g)
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) butter
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (225 grams) fresh strawberries, cored and sliced

Using a sharp knife, cube the butter and set aside. While making the frosting, the butter will warm up slightly, but should still be cool to the touch when using it. 

Wipe a large bowl with a paper towel soaked in a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar to remove traces of grease. Add egg whites and sugar and, over a double boiler, whisk constantly over hot water until the sugar dissolves. When rubbed between your fingers, the egg whites should feel hot and smooth (approximately a temperature of 140 degrees F/60 degrees C). This will generally take 3-5 minutes.

Using a mixer, whip the egg whites until thick, glossy peaks form. This may take anywhere from 8-10 minutes. The bottom of the bowl should feel neutral to the touch before moving on to the next step.

Place the mixer on low speed and add the cool butter cubes one at a time, mixing until smooth. The frosting should reach a silky texture. Beat in the vanilla bean seeds. If the butter is too warm and the frosting is too runny, place in the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes to firm up the butter before mixing again. If the mixture curdles, continue mixing until it comes back together.

To assemble, reserve approximately 1 1/2 cups of frosting to use later. Mix a majority of the sliced strawberries in the remaining frosting, reserving a handful for decoration. 

Place the bottom cake layer on a serving plate. Place approximately 2 cups of strawberry filled frosting on the cake and smooth evenly. Add the second layer of cake and repeat. Place the final layer on top and, using the reserved frosting, smooth frosting onto the top and sides of the cake to fill in any gaps. If there are bare areas showing between the cake layers, push reserved strawberry slices into the frosting and smooth out with an uneven spatula.

Top with halved strawberries and serve.

* A 3 layer 8-inch cake will not use all of the batter so you will have enough leftover batter to create a few cupcakes. If baking 9-inch cakes, you will likely use all of the batter in the creation of the cake.