Re-Inventing the Bundt Pan

Like many people, I have great memories of Bundt cakes at family meals: chocolate, apple, marble, and other varieties too. The Bundt pan is wonderfully elastic when it comes to cake.

History of the Bundt

While cake ideas and even recipes may come from the ‘old country,’ the Bundt pan is actually the product of our country. The pan was invented in 1950 by H. David Dalquist, owner of Minnesota’s Nordic Ware company. He created it for a Minneapolis-based Hadassah Society (a national society of American Jewish women, which had local chapters) that wanted to make a traditional kugelhopf—a dense, ring-shaped cake.

Dalquist first called his invention the bund pan—bund being German for bond or union—but may have added the‘t’ for trademarking or to avoid associations with the pro-Nazi German-American bund. Whatever the reason, by the 1960s, the Bundt pan had become a staple of the American condition.

Re-Inventing the Bundt Pan

One of the great features of contemporary food culture is its willingness to both preserve and reinvent traditional dishes and cuisines. The Bundt pan provides a great example of such creativity.

Bundt Frittata: Frittatas are a very easy egg dish, like quiche, but much less complicated. Like quiche, they are usually made in a pie pan or Pyrex dish. But you can also make this dish using a Bundt pan, and it comes out looking amazing. Just remember that you need to increase the ingredient quantities since Bundt pans are deeper.

Bundt Meatloaf: Although it includes loaf in its title, there is no requirement that meatloaf be baked in a loaf pan. Why not try a Bundt pan? Using a Bundt pan also offers some easy opportunities to insert additional features, like a tunnel of eggs.

Bundt Pasta Bake: A Bundt pasta bake is the same as spaghetti pie—a casserole of cooked pasta that bonds thanks to an egg and cheese combination. Suddenly, a dish associated with leftovers becomes something notable.

Bundt Ice Ring: This is a terrific idea for the holiday season or other occasions. Fill a Bundt pan with fresh, punch-ready fruit like pineapple and citrus, also including any spices or garnishes that you may want. Then add water and put it in the freezer. Once frozen, you have a festive and spectacular looking ice ring for the punch bowl.

Jerry’s Kitchen, offering full catering in Doylestown, Malvern, and other Philadelphia-area locales, would be thrilled to bring such creativity to your next event, private or corporate.

Source

Food and Wine
The Kitchn