YOU CAN HAVE THIS SOUR CREAM DONUT CAKE ON THE TABLE IN JUST OVER AN HOUR!
What’s the secret to its success? Oat Flour! It’s added to the batter to give this Sour Cream Donut Cake what donut lovers crave: the taste and texture of a great old-fashioned donut. Andrew made this cake over the holidays and it was a big hit. But sharing is the whole idea behind a wonderful baking book called “Let’s Bake”. Its author, Gail Sweeney, tells us she has been baking and tweaking her recipes for over 25 years. She’s sold her baked goods to specialty markets, restaurants and local food boutiques. Astonishingly, baking is not her full-time job. She is a Child and Adolescent Psychologist, mother of three and grandmother of one. “Let’s Bake” is truly a family affair. Gail’s husband Michael did all the photography. Gail’s Canadian which, as Andrew will tell you, makes her someone special. (I’m Canadian too!). She’s put all her baking wisdom together in a book called “Let’s Bake” which you can buy right here: https://amzn.to/4jGyDZ2 or click on the cover at left.
THE PREMISE OF “LET’S BAKE”, HOME TO THE SOUR CREAM DONUT CAKE RECIPE, WILL RING TRUE TO BAKERS EVERYWHERE.
It’s right there on the cover: “Over 100 Dessert Recipes for Gifting and Giving”, This hits home because Andrew hardly ever bakes anything without sharing it with our friends, his co-workers, and our neighbors…in fact, his entire baking career was launched when he baked something called an “Almond Sharing Cookie” You’ll find the story and that recipe for the cookie here: https://chewingthefat.us.com/2011/06/andrews-jillion-dollar-sharing-cookie.html (I renamed it that because that was the eventual expenditure that his new hobby cost when we re-did our kitchen to accommodate his new obsession). Gail Sweeney describes the premise of giving and gifting in the opening of her book. For Gail, baking has been more than a passion, it’s been a way to connect with people, from seeing how a simple sweet can bring people together. A coffee break turns a casual moment into a lively gathering. During COVID 19, her baking was so abundant, she left desserts on a park bench for anyone to take. Total strangers not only availed themselves of these treats, they left small gifts in return making it clear that giving only leads to more giving. Gail hopes that her book will inspire its readers to spread joy through baking and sharing, making the world sweeter one treat at a time. Here’s her wonderful recipe:
Sour Cream Donut Cake
An Old Fashioned Sour Cream and Donut Cake that's a donut lover's delight
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon (generous)
- freshly ground nutmeg or powdered nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon or powdered cinnamon
- FOR THE GLAZE: 1/2 cup milk
- 3 cups icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a large piece of parchment paper, whisk together the two flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
- Step 2 In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
- Step 3 Add the vanilla. With the mixer on low, tip in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
- Step 4 Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan making sure that the top is level, and the batter is smoothed to the edges. Give the pan a tap on the counter to release any air bubbles.
- Step 5 Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Step 6 Let the cake cool in the Bundt pan for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, release the cake and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
- Step 7 TO MAKE THE GLAZE: In a small saucepan, warm the milk and vanilla and add the icing sugar until you have a paste-like consistency
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Step 8
ASSEMBLY:
While the cake is still warm, liberally apply the glaze to the top of the cake. Note: The top of the cake will be the top of the cake while baking, not the inverted top of the cake. You want the rougher side so that the cake mimics a doughnut. You can poke holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick if you want the glaze to really permeate the cake. Keep applying the glaze until the top of the cake is uniformly coated and the glaze is dripping down the sides.
