Bundt cakes are an American phenomenon inspired by the traditional European cake Gugelhupf. Bundt cakes. There are infinite variations of bundt cakes, but here is the absolutely best bundt cake recipe.

I follow an Instagrammer and baker called Maurizio Leo. He’s an amazing sourdough baker, but one day he posted a picture of a cake that had the most wonderful design. A sort of three-dimensional shape that I had never seen before in a cake.

He wrote in the comments that it was made by a company called Nordicware, so I went into research mode and I found their site and they had so many different options. I just wanted them all.

Fast forward to today. I think I have 7 different bundt pans now. One more beautiful than the other. They are also of amazing build quality. They’re made from cast aluminum and feel really good to the touch. As long as you remember to butter and flour the pan, the cake just slips right out.

Orange and poppy seed best bundt cake recipe

This cake is baked in this incredibly beautiful pan. The cake in the video is baked in this other but still beautiful pan. These links are ad links, so if you follow the link and buy it, I will get a commission.

I brought the cake to work and it was a giant hit.

Brown butter glaze is simply not used enough. It’s the first time I’ve used it in a recipe, but the taste sits somewhere between magical and addictive.

I am a huge fan of poppy seeds. Both in bread and rolls, but also in baked goods. This is simply the best bundt cake recipe.

I’ve kinda made it my mission to make poppy seeds big in cakes. It has this wonderful taste somewhere in the middle of sweet and savory. I will definitely make more recipes with it in the future. In the meantime, you can try my favorite seeded sourdough bread with sunflower and poppy seeds.

I hope you’ll try this cake. If you bake it and post a picture on Instagram, please tag me as @foodgeek.dk. That would make me very happy.

Orange and poppy seed bundt cake with brown butter glaze

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown butter, bundt, cake, orange, poppy seeds

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown butter, bundt, cake, orange, poppy seeds

Servings: slices

Calories: 445kcal

Author: Sune Trudslev

Nutrition Facts

Orange and poppy seed bundt cake with brown butter glaze

Amount Per Serving (1 piece of cake)

Calories 445 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Sodium 315mg14%

Carbohydrates 53g18%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 33g37%

Protein 6g12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This bundt can is no less than fantastic. Delicious moist crumb, a filling made from graham crackers and poppy seeds, and a magical glaze made with brown butter.

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Equipment

bundt pan

Metric – US Customary

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Ingredients

Poppy seed filling

50 g sugar

80 g milk
15 g butter
70 g dark poppy seeds

60 g graham crackers about 4 crackers

The batter

350 g cake flour
1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp table salt
¼ tsp baking soda
225 g cream cheese

225 gram butter
210 gram sugar
70 gram brown sugar

4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoon orange zest about 2 oranges

Brown butter glaze

1 tablespoon dark poppy seeds
55 g butter
1 tablespoon milk

180 g confectioner's sugar
1 tsp orange zest about ½ orange
1 tablespoon orange juice

Instructions

Make the filling

Whisk sugar and milk together in a small saucepan and bring to the boil
Take off the heat and add the butter, and stir.
Crush the poppy seeds to a moist powder in a mortar or spice grinder. Stir into the milk.

Crush the graham crackers and add to the mixture, and stir. Leave until needed.

Make the cake

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 (no fan assist).
Spray your bundt pan with a baking spray or butter it with softened butter.

Sift flour into the pan, and make sure you get every nook and cranny. Turn the pan upside down and tap it lightly against the counter to remove excess flour.
Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and mix it with a whisk.
Beat cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, and butter in your stand mixer until light and fluffy.

Scrape the sides and add the eggs one at a time; mix well after adding each egg.
Scrape the sides, add vanilla extract and orange zest and mix until combined.
Add the flour to the cream cheese mixture in batches of two. Mix about 10 seconds after each addition. In the end, scrape the sides and mix 5 seconds more.

Pour half the batter into the pan. Use a wetted spatula to even the top of the dough.
Add the poppy seed filling on top of the dough. Leave about ¾ inch room to the edge.
Pour the rest of the dough on top and tap the pan against the counter to remove air bubbles.

Bake for an hour or until a toothpick comes out cleanly when inserted into the middle of the cake.
When done, take out of the oven to cool on a wire rack for fifteen minutes in the pan. Then invert the pan onto the wire rack. Leave to cool completely.

Make the glaze

Put a small saucepan onto medium heat and let it get warm.

Add poppy seeds to the pan and let them toast for about a minute with constant agitation. Pour the toasted sesame seeds into a small bowl.
Put the pan back on the heat and melt the butter. Let it brown for about 8-10 minutes. Swirl it around so that it doesn't burn. Pour the butter into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer to avoid the sediment.
Add confectioner's sugar, orange zest, juice, and milk to the butter. Mix until you have a homogeneous mixture, then stir the toasted poppy seeds.

Working quickly, pour the glaze over the cake and let it slide down the sides.
Let the glaze get hard before you serve the cake. It can stay nice and moist for a few days if wrapped in foil or plastic wrap.