Bundt pans make it better

Truth: bundt pans make everything better.  At the very least, baking in a bundt pan will make everything you bake look and taste better too.  The combination of the soft peaked ridges and elegant edges  have the capacity to turn ordinary cakes and breads into something equally whimsical and rustic.  The perfect combination of lady-like charm and hunting-lodge tea snacks.

 Ok, use your imagination on this one. Pretend, like me, you know anything about hunting-lodges and then pretend it is a magically rustic yet well kept place that would indeed serve tea snacks.  The excitement of my latest baking endeavor has transported me into a make-believe world in which I wear a lot of lace, eat tea snacks, and go pheasant hunting. Role with it.  While that particular day dream is pretty unlikely, the possibility that I will now start baking everything in my new bundt pans is a certainty.  I am obsessed.  


Obsessed. 


So, after purchasing said mini-bundt pans at GoodWill last week, it seemed only fitting I find something to fill them with.  You will undoubtably start to notice that I am also in love with lemons. Everything about them. Color, zest, juice, smell, all of it, I love.  Hence, I decided to whip up a batch of lemon yogurt cake and because I also wanted to give them a rustic east-coast vibe, I used Maple Cream Yogurt in place of plain whole milk yogurt.  Very New England. Very Yum.

I used a base recipe from Smitten Kitchen, however I believe the recipe originated with Ina Garten.  I made some adjustments: omitting blueberries, substituting maple yogurt, using a bundt pan over a loaf pan, and doubling the amount of lemon zest. I really like lemony things. Really.

These cakes are moist. I mean really moist, as in sponge like, could (and should) be used to sop up any remaining lemon glaze and powdered sugar.

Lemon-Maple Yogurt Cakes
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Ina Garten 
( 350 50 min)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 cups maple whole milk yogurt 
                                                                 1 cup sugar 
                                                                 3 eggs 
                                                                 3-4 teaspoons grated lemon zest approx. 3 lemons 
                                                                1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
                                                                1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 


Voila! Whimsy meets country living.

You may recognize this picture. If you don't look up....
I am really that into these pans I changed the blog tittle to fit this picture, so get used to seeing these. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon!

While the cakes cooled I brought honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a boil on the stove top. After using a bbq skewer to puncture small holes in the cakes, I poured and brushed them with the glaze, giving them that much more lemony flavor and moisture.  Finally, I dusted them with powered sugar.   Both batches were completely cooked, however, I personally prefer the look of the slightly darker ones.  They look a bit more gobble worthy.

Plus. I can't stop taking pictures of them...