This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
How to Ice a Bundt Cake - an Easy and Beautiful Technique! Make your Bundt cakes look as pretty as they taste - with minimal effort!
Happy Saturday! Just popping in with a quick post today demonstrating How to Ice a Bundt Cake. I thought it might be helpful with all the spring celebrations coming up. Because all celebrations call for cake, right?
Bundt cakes are, by far, the easiest cakes to make - and the older I get, the more I love them (not sure if it's laziness or wisdom). They're moist, flavorful, easy to transport and super simple to throw together. You can serve these delicious cakes unadorned, dust them with a bit of powdered sugar, brush them with a simple syrup glaze or dress them up with icing.
I have to admit though, "dressing them up with icing" has been a bit of a conundrum for me for years. I tried lots of different techniques and, although the cakes generally tasted very good, they never looked as pretty as I hoped. Actually, to be honest, lots of cakes that were gorgeous when they emerged from the oven, were transformed into ugly ducklings right before my eyes, the minute I added the icing.
"There has to be an easy and pretty way to do this.", I kept telling myself. I was bound and determined to figure it out. I guess it's the curious-cat in me or maybe the I-can't-stand-to-not-know gene. Whichever the case, there is one thing that I'm extremely happy about. To be living in the 21st "Google" century! Just about anything I want to figure out, Google has the answer for.
Once upon a time (in my foolish past) I made this statement: "Google? What in the world is Google? That has to be the dumbest word I've ever heard!" It was back in the early 2000's when our son Nick, first came home talking about "Google". I've had to eat my words a zillion times - and these days, I'd find it hard to live without the big G. Actually, I could definitely live without it, but Google certainly makes it easy to figure a lot of things out.
So naturally, I checked out Google for my cake questions. How to ice a Bundt cake? Hmmm, not much help. Definitely some pretty cakes, but no directions on how to get them that way. Lots of ugly cakes (that I'm sure tasted quite delicious).
So... back to the drawing board. Lots of practice and lots of different techniques later, I'm happy to announce I can now bake a beautiful pound cake AND "dress it up with icing". Almost as quick as you can say "how to ice a Bundt cake"! Instead of trying to explain the technique, Scott and I put together a little video to show you how remarkably simple it is. Check it out!
Cafe Tips on How to Ice a Bundt Cake
- Make sure your icing is thick, yet pourable. You might want to practice the technique on the Bundt pan. That's what I did to make sure I had things down pat.
- This is how you do the practice run: place a clean, dry Bundt pan upside down on a cake plate or cake stand and proceed with steps 1-4 in the recipe below. Don't let the icing actually dry on the cake pan. You can scrape the icing off and keep practicing if you want. You may need to re-warm it or add a bit more liquid to get the right consistency for the next run. When you're happy with the technique, proceed to the real deal - and make the prettiest Bundt cake ever!
- You can use a Lazy Susan (rotating turntable), or just turn the plate or cake stand by hand.
One last thing - you might be wondering about the beautiful cake in the pictures and video. It's a fabulous Banana Bundt Cake with Salted Toffee Icing. Now I've got your attention! Stay tuned, we'll be sharing the recipe in our next post.
P.S. Just wanted to give our son Nick, a huge hand. Not only did he teach us about Google (and lots of other things), but he's also taken over editing our videos. What would take us forever to do, this smart, young whippersnapper completes in a fraction of the time - and with such excellence. Thanks, Nick!
- 1 baked cooled, Bundt cake (baked in a traditional Bundt pan)
- 2 cups thick but pourable icing any flavor
- sprinkles nonpareils, sea salt, or other decorative touches, if desired
-
Transfer icing to a small bowl or pitcher. If it's an icing you make on the stovetop, you can leave it right in the pan, if desired.
-
Place completely cooled cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Set plate or cake stand on a small turntable (Lazy Susan) if desired.
-
Hold bowl (or pitcher or pan) with icing over the center of one side of the cake. Begin pouring with one hand while slowly turning the plate or cake stand with the other hand. Anytime you want the icing to cascade down the sides of the cake, just slow down a bit, then continue going around the cake (see video above).
-
When you get back to where you started, you can stop or, if you like more icing (like we do), continue around the cake again.
-
While icing is still "wet" shower with sprinkles, sea salt, etc.
-
Allow icing to "set" for at least one hour.
Leave a Reply