"Allen Cohn" <allen@cohnzone.com> wrote:
>I had thought that bundt pans were particularly-well suited for very wet
>batters (such as the one below), because the shape allows heat to rapidly
>get to the center of the cake.
>
>But then this article about Shirley Corriher and the accompanying recipes
>for tunnel of fudge cake and pound cake (both of which are thick batters
>baked in bundt pans), leads me to question my original hypothesis...
Bundt or tube type pans are ideal for most cakes exactly because of what
you said about heat conduction. In regular layer cake pans the center is
always the last part to bake. This problem is increased as the cakes get
larger. Most Bundt type pans are 10 cups in capacity so this enables you to
make a large cake in one pan without having problems of humped or fallen
centers. It also gives you a beautiful cake with no need to decorate it.
When it comes to bread, however, the firmness of the dough will not allow
it to mold to the flutings of the pans and take a deep impression. That is
why I chose to make the Kugelhopf in my book in the rose Bundt pan. Being a
softer yeast dough I knew it would conform beautifully to the complex shape
of the pan.
Hope this helps!
I'm sure many of you know that the father of the Bundt pan, Dave Dalquist,
just passed away this week. There was an interesting obituary in the New
York Times (January 6th). I just got to visit the factory in Minn. this
past November to see how the Bundt pans are made. It was a very meaningful
experience after years of having used these pans to pleasing effect!
Happy New Year,
Rose (Levy Beranbaum)