Bready or Not: Easy Pear Bundt Cake
Some bundt cakes are super complicated with long lists of ingredients. This Pear Bundt Cake is not. It takes about 10 minutes to throw together, and only has four ingredients plus optional confectioners’ sugar to sprinkle on top.
This is a cheap cake to make, too. I bought Aldi’s classic white cake mix and found pears for under a buck (originating in South Africa, which was a first for me) with the discount foods at Menards. Then the eggs–well, those prices seem to fluctuate all over these days. But hey, maybe save the egg yolks from this recipe to make a Big Batch of Chocolate Chip Shortbread?
I must note something important about this recipe, too–the cake is lovely and soft. So soft that you should use a sharp knife to cut it, and also, the cake should be eaten within the day. The pear juice, I think, just keeps breaking down the interior crumb as the cake sits around. So, serve this for a crowd. I didn’t test freezing this cake, as I do many cakes, but because it is so moist, I don’t think it would be a good candidate for that.
Modified from Centennial Kitchen Fall Baking 2021.
Bready or Not: Easy Pear Bundt Cake
Equipment
- bundt pan
- nonstick spray with flour
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned pear halves in light syrup
- 15.25 ounce white cake mix box
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg whites
- confectioners' sugar to sprinkle on top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Use nonstick spray with flour on the interior of a bundt pan.
- Drain the pears, reserving the syrup. Mash the pears with a fork to break into small chunks.
- In a large bowl, reunite the mashed pears with the syrup. Add the cake mix, egg, and two egg whites. Beat for several minutes to fully incorporate and create a light batter.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes; the middle of the cake should pass the toothpick test. Cool for 20 minutes, then invert cake onto cooling rack to completely cool.
- If desired, sprinkle on confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Cut into slices with a sharp knife (seriously, the cake is very soft) and enjoy! Cake is best if eaten within a day.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Apple Butter-Pecan Roll
This Apple Butter-Pecan Roll is something special, a gorgeous and small round of braided bread jeweled with pecans. It’s perfect for a few people to share as a treat.
Honestly, I’d rather have this than most cakes. It is as delicious as it looks, but it does take time to make and dirties a lot of dishes in the process. Definitely a special occasion kind of thing.
I modified this immensely from a recipe called Sweet Potato-Pecan Sweet Roll in Bake from Scratch’s September/October 2023 issue. Obviously, I replaced the sweet potato, but I also extensively rewrote the recipe to try to clarify what should be used and when. I find it very confusing when, in an already complicated recipe, I need to divide things within the ingredient list.
I hope that some of you take on the challenge of this recipe and find my new version doable even if it is still daunting!
Bready or Not Original: Apple Butter-Pecan Roll
Equipment
- instant read thermometer
- nonstick spray
- cake pan
- Rolling Pin
- kitchen shears or knife
Ingredients
Dry dough ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet ingredients for dough
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or soured milk [see note]
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
Filling
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup toasted pecan pieces
Topping
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk or half & half
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter melted (5 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons pecan pieces
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry dough ingredients: flour, brown sugar, salt, yeast and nutmeg. Dig a well in the center.
- In a small saucepan, gently bring to medium heat the wet dough ingredients: buttermilk/soured milk, apple butter, and butter. Stir until the butter is melted and an instant-read thermometer is over 100-degrees. (Don’t go over 120 or the heat may kill the yeast.)
- Pour the saucepan contents into the well in the flour. Use a big spoon to stir until combined.
- Heavily flour a clean surface. Turn out the dough onto it and knead until the mixture is elastic and only mildly tacky, about 8 to 10 minutes. Flour hands and surface more if necessary.
- Apply nonstick spray inside a medium bowl. Place dough inside, turning to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put nonstick spray in a round cake pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together the first three filling ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, and brown sugar.
- Punch down the dough and let it rest about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface again and roll into a 14×8-inch rectangle. Spread the 2 Tablespoon softened butter over the dough, leaving a bare 1/2-inch frame around the edge. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the butter, forming a thick layer. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of pecan pieces on top.
- Roll up the dough, long-ways, and pinch the seam to seal it. Rock and roll the dough tube, stretching it out, evenly extending the length to 15 inches. Arrange it so the seam is on the side facing you.
- Use kitchen shears or a knife to cut the log in half lengthwise, but leave it connected by an inch at one end. Turn the cut sides to face upward. Carefully twine them together in a simple braid, bringing the uncut end around to tuck underneath, forming a braided circlet. Place inside cake pan with the cut sides facing up. Cover again to rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
- Place bread in hot oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes; an instant-read thermometer plunged into the middle should be over 190 degrees. If it’s looking very brown near the end, cover it with foil for the rest of the bake.
- Cool for about 20 minutes as the glaze is made.
- Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, butter and salt. Dribble over warm bread so that the glaze cascades along the ridges. Sprinkle pecan pieces over the top.
- Serve immediately. Any leftovers are best if warmed briefly in the microwave or oven.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Bready or Not Original: Big Batch Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Do you need a whole lot of cookies? This Big Batch Chocolate Chip Shortbread recipe has got you covered.
This recipe doubles my Pride O’ Scotland Shortbread Recipe (one of the first cookie recipes I ever called ‘mine’ back in my teens) and adds chocolate chips. I’ve reworked my basic shortbread recipe many ways over the years; check out versions with Cookie Butter, Lemon, and Chocolate Chip Espresso.
A few important things to mention here. Before the shortbread is baked, be sure to use a fork to poke holes over the top and then cut into the dough to form the shapes of the future cookies. Then, as soon as the pan is out of the oven, cut again along those lines. A lot of classic shortbread recipes produce cookies that are firm and soft, and if they are cut after being cooled, they may just fall apart.
Bready or Not Original: Big Batch Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Equipment
- jelly roll pan (15x10x1)
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks) softened
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Line jelly roll pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, egg yolks, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. If using something like a KitchenAid, by the end, the thick dough will likely require setting the beater aside and using both hands. Distribute the chocolate chips throughout.
- Press dough into prepared pan. Flatten evenly with palms. Prick surface all over with floured fork. Use a knife or bench knife to score the dough into finger-sized wedges.
- Bake for at least 20 minutes; the tops should just be turning golden, with the middle set and dry. Remove from oven. Immediately cut again following slash marks.
- Let shortbread cool. Cut again along slash marks. Use the foil to carefully lift the shortbread onto a cutting board to pull apart the pieces. Shortbread will keep in a sealed container for several days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Cider Pound Cake
This luscious Cider Pound Cake, made in a tube pan, is great by itself or eaten alongside fruit and/or ice cream.
There are no apples in this cake. That means it’s fast and easy to make, too. No peeling, or dicing or grating. Instead, the recipe relies on sparkling apple cider for sweetness and gentle flavor.
“Sparkling cider” means nonalcoholic. That doesn’t mean you should use any old apple juice, though. Apple cider has more flavor and heft (i.e. not so watery). I used a seasonal version from Aldi that is all Honeycrisp, but any basic sparkling cider will do!
Modified from Centennial Kitchen Fall Baking Magazine 2021.
Bready or Not: Cider Pound Cake
Equipment
- large tube pan
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks) softened
- 2 cups white sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sparkling apple cider
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon sparkling apple cider
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a tune pan with nonstick spray.
- In a big bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy. Add the eggs in sequence, beating well after each addition.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Gradually add it to the large bowl along with the apple cider, going back and forth in increments. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, until a toothpick plunged into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to completely cool.
- Once the cake is cool, in a small bowl, combine the three glaze ingredients to make a thick but moveable glaze. Dribble over cake so that it oozes over sides.
- Let set at least 30 minutes before cutting. Store under a cake dome or cut into individual slices to encase in plastic wrap.
