Be forewarned though... You NEED crisco for this! Crisco and flour. Not butter, not cooking spray. Crisco. Just. Use. Crisco. It's under $3 a tub and will last for forever. Just do it... My first two attempts at this beautiful cake were utterly stuck to the pan with no hope for any aesthetic pleasure. The first time wasn't so bad because the taste was incredible. The second time, not gonna lie, I threw myself a tantrum which lead to me throwing my oven mitts which then landed straight into a pot full of oil from the mister frying chicken the night before. An oven mitt soaked in oil is basically useless, and my mother (who happened to be in town that same week) gave me that "what the hell?" look only a mother can give when she saw these atrocities sitting next to my sink. We went to THREE stores and couldn't find any dang normal replacements! I had to settle for a holiday bundle adorned with pictures of pinecones and ribbons that came with a few hand towels sporting the same gaudy images. The lesson? JUST USE CRISCO. (I already told you that, pay attention!)
Now that I've instilled the great need for a properly greased pan.. Let's begin! I'm going to give you the recipe for the vanilla version of this cake, followed by the alterations to make it chocolate if you prefer.
Here's What You'll Need:
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) softened butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3/4 c buttermilk (or 3/4 c of 2% or higher milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice set aside for 10 minutes)
If you are using milk and lemon juice in place of buttermilk, start by combining those in a small bowl and set aside while you do the rest of your prep work. Begin by preheating your oven to 350F, and grease/flour your bundt pan. (Again, DO NOT just spray your pan and expect a cake to come out, because believe you me it won't!)
In a large mixing bowl whisk your flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix until very well combined. (If you happen to have actual cake flour, then by all means use 1 3/4 cups of that and omit the corn starch.) Set your dry ingredients aside.
In another mixing bowl cream together your softened (room temperature, not microwaved and half melted!) butter and sugar until light and fluffy. You may use a stand mixer or hand beater for this step, but I recommend hand mixing for the rest.
Next, you will be adding your eggs to the sugar and butter mixture one at a time. (I would suggest trying for your separate yolk first if you're not very good at doing so, that way you have three chances to get it right! And always separate your eggs over a different bowl so you have somewhere for the remaining egg white to fall. Save it! Egg whites are great for bread baking! We'll tackle those recipes next.) Anyway, beat your eggs and egg yolk in one at a time.
Now you will add the vanilla, coconut oil, and buttermilk to your butter/sugar/egg mixture. Gently combine. You don't have to use coconut oil, I just find the subtle flavor it brings really adds to this cake, but any oil will do. If you made your own buttermilk (especially if this is the first time you've tried it and weren't expecting this) be sure to use all of it, curd chunks and all! They'll mix right in smooth as the rest, I promise.
Finally, slowly add your wet ingredients to your large mixing bowl with the dry stuff. Whisk well for about 1 minute. Pour batter into your prepared bundt pan, and bake for approximately 45 minutes (look for the edges of the cake just barely starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick that comes out clean.) Cool your cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes before you actually flip it out of there.
Confidence will abound if you used crisco and flour like I said, otherwise prepare yourself for this soul crushing defeat! This was the first of the two sad sad stuck cakes I baked before I learned my lesson.
Now if you're wanting a cake of the chocolate variety, the switch is simple. You will replace a 1/2 cup of flour and 1 Tbsp cornstarch for a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. Meaning your recipe now calls for only 1 c flour, 3 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1/2 c cocoa powder. You will also be using instant chocolate pudding instead of vanilla, but you already guessed that, right?
Personally, I don't think this cake needs any frosting. If you can't stand a naked cake though, try a light dusting of powdered sugar on top.
Before I go.. Let's talk a little science. The corn starch, as briefly mentioned, is being added in lieu of using cake flour. In the most basic of explanations the difference between cake flour, all purpose flour, and bread flour is a matter of protein. Cake flour is lighter, bread flour heavier, and all purpose is hanging out somewhere in between. Adding corn starch in place of some of the flour is the closest you'll come to turning your all purpose flour into cake flour if, like me, you can't justify dedicating the pantry space to a flour just for cakes and other such confections! The buttermilk or milk and lemon juice has just the right amount of acid in it to react with your leavening agents to keep this cake lighter in texture as the added pudding can easily make a cake too dense. And that half an egg? It's there to make your cake extra moist. Eggs add moisture (yolk) and structure (white). And that's as in depth as I'm going to with that. I'm not Alton Brown after all.
I'm sorry this isn't an easy breezy recipe. I assure you though, it will all be worth it in the end. Next up I'll be sharing two of my favorite bread recipes so you can make use of that remaining egg white!
