Buttermilk Bundt Cake

Simply delicious buttermilk bundt cake

I'm so glad I decided to make this cake today, Christmas Eve day, 2016. I wanted a simple and delicious dessert for our chili baked potato dinner, and I think this will be perfect. It's a tender, light, just-sweet-enough basic cake--kind of like a light pound cake really. The buttermilk gives it just the right amount of tang, like there's lemon in it, but there's no lemon flavor. Mmm. Just right.

It was super easy to make. Although mine didn't turn out quite as perfect looking as Eileen's at Baking-Sense.com, I'm pretty proud of it. Enough said.

Merry Christmas!

Buttermilk Bundt Cake
    --adapted from Baking-Sense.com

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs plus two yolks, room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature and cut into 1 tablespoon chunks

Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan and set aside.
Measure out one cup buttermilk in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Pour a little over half of the buttermilk into another container. To the remaining buttermilk add the eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Toss butter chunks in the dry ingredients. Add the 1/2 cup plus buttermilk you set aside earlier. Mix on low to incorporate butter and buttermilk.
Beat on medium to medium high for 2 minutes.
Scrape down sides of bowl. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture, and beat to incorporate. Scrape down sides, add another third, beat, scrape; and then add the last third of the eggs, beat, scrape, beat.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and use a silicone/rubber spatula to evenly spread the batter in the pan.
Place pan in oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40-47 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove pan from oven and set on a cooling rack to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack over a rimmed sheet pan. This sheet pan will collect the glaze drippings.
Allow cake to cool for about 15 minutes. When cake is still warm, whisk together the glaze ingredients and pour over the warm cake. Scoop up drippings and continue to pour over the cake to fill in the naked spots.
Allow cake to cool completely and then move to a serving plate.

Makes 1 bundt cake, about 12 servings

Ready to go into the oven

Buttering and flouring the pan really works.

The glazing process got a little messy.

Such a nice delicate crumb in this cake.

Cinnamony Iced Chex

Cinnamony Iced Chex

We all know that Chex cereals are so much more than breakfast cereal. Just do a Pinterest search on "Chex" and you'll find dozens of delicious ideas for both sweet and savory versions of Chex mix, bars, and more.
I was craving a cinnamony version of the Happy Chex that I've made before (based on a white chocolate trash snack mix), so I just melted some vanilla chips, added cinnamon and rice Chex and voila! Crunchy, creamy, cinnamony satisfaction. It's like a very sweet and creamy (vs. sandy) take on Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
It's super easy, super fast, and just plain tasty.
There you go.


Cinnamony Iced Chex

Ingredients:

• 5 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 1 cup white baking chips
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and set aside.
Create a double boiler by filling a medium or large pot about halfway with water.  Place over medium heat and bring water to a simmer.
Place a large metal or glass bowl on top of the simmering water. Place the white baking chips in the bowl over the simmering water. When chips are about 2/3 melted,  carefully remove from the pot and stir the chips with a silicone spatula until they are completely melted and smooth. 
Add the cinnamon to the melted chips and stir to incorporate.
Add Rice Chex and gently fold until cereal is evenly coated with the cinnamon icing.
Pour coated cereal onto the parchment lined pan and use the silicone spatula and/or a toothpick to separate as many of the Chex as possible. If some stick together, it's not that big of a deal, but try to separate them as much as possible.
Set pan in a cool place until icing has firmed up. Move the cinnamony iced Chex into a gallon size zip top bag, seal, shake a bit to break them up a little more. 
Enjoy.
Makes about 5 cups