Heritage Bundt Cake
Adapted from the Williams Sonoma Kitchen
~from Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Serves 16.
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar (I like to use Bakers Ultrafine Sugar)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon almond extract*
1 cup whole milk
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Advance Preparation – allow all ingredients to come to room temperature. Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325F. Grease and flour the bundt pan, tapping out the excess flour. (I like to use very soft butter and a silicone basting brush to get in all of the crevices to grease the pan.)
In a large measuring bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
With an electric mixer using the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth for approximately 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of he bowl occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour, then 1/2 of the milk, another 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the milk and then the final 1/3 of the flour, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl after mixing each addition.
Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, spreading the batter so the sides are slightly higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
Gently tap the pan on a counter or work surface to loosen the cake. Place a wire rack upside down over the top of the cake and turn the pan over onto the rack. Slowly lift the pan off of the cake and cool completely before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
*Note - the original recipe called for 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Since I love the taste of almond extract, I decided to add it and it tasted wonderful in this recipe.