Some call it a bundt pan, a fluted pan, or even an angel food cake pan. Do you have one? Do you use it?
A tube pan is slightly different than a bundt pan. A bundt pan (pictured below) has indentations that make bumps on the finished cake. A tube pan has a flat bottom and sides. They are otherwise the same, and all of the following suggestions will work in either kind of pan.
At the opening dinner of the Savvy Blogging Summit years ago, Debba confided that she'd thrown her bundt pan away. Another person at our table, Taya, said the only reason she still has her bundt pan was that it had been a wedding gift, and she felt guilty about tossing it. I was surprised because my bundt pan is indispensable!
When I started rattling off things to do with a bundt pan, Amy asked me to post it on my blog.
How could I say no?
The conversation got me thinking; I wondered how many of my Dear Readers also believe their bundt pans to be useless.
You may notice that angel food cake isn't even on my list.
10 Things to Cook in a Bundt Pan
- Any cake. I hope this isn't a cop out, but any cake (especially a boxed cake mix) will come out beautifully in a bundt pan. The sections make portion control easy, and the cake will be gorgeous if you microwave some frosting (to make it pourable) and pour it over the top of the cake.
- Meatloaf. If you want to put A1 or ketchup on top of the meatloaf, that needs to go into the pan first. Remember, when you serve a bundt, you turn it upside down. To make it fancy, you can fill the center with mashed potatoes when you serve it.
- Roast a chicken. Use a 3-4 pound whole roasting chicken. Rinse it well inside and out, then stand it up (legs down) over the center of the pan. Rub the chicken with olive oil and the spices of your choice, add veggies in the well of the pan, and bake at 350, 20 minutes per pound.
- Monkey bread or garlic bread. This couldn't be easier. Start with a can of premade biscuits (we like Grands' but use whatever you like). Cut each biscuit in quarters with a knife or scissors. Melt a half stick of butter and mix it with 6-7 cloves of garlic or a few tablespoons of cinnamon and sugar. Toss the biscuit quarters with the butter mixture, and bake according to the package directions. Because the biscuits are stacked up, they'll probably take 10 to 15 minutes longer than the package instructions claim. Check them frequently.
- Bread. Why not make a ring of bread instead of a loaf?
- Baked potatoes. After greasing the pan, stand the potatoes upright in it, and space them evenly around the ring.
- Sweet potato casserole. Again, make sure that your topping is on the bottom of the pan so that it is on the top when you turn it out onto a serving dish.
- Jello. Okay, it's cliche, but a bundt pan makes a great Jello mold. Mix up the Jello, pour it in, add some fruit, and chill.
- Antipasto bread. Chop 1 jar of artichoke hearts, 2-3 ounces of pepperoni, and ½ of a red pepper. In a mixing bowl, combine chopped ingredients with 1 can of sliced black olives and 2 cloves of garlic, pressed. Cut 2 packages of pre-made biscuits (see my note above in the monkey bread tip) into quarters. Dip 16 pieces of biscuit in melted butter, roll in freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and arrange in the bundt pan. Top with ½ cup of the artichoke mixture, then 16 more biscuits that have been dipped in butter and rolled in cheese. Continue repeating the layers until you've used all of the ingredients. Bake about 30 minutes at 375.
- Apple pull aparts. Melt ⅓ cup butter and whisk together with ½ cup brown sugar. Pour into the bottom of the bundt pan. Sprinkle a handful of chopped pecans over the butter mixture. Slice the dinner rolls in 2 packages in half (so that they make thinner biscuits not half circles). Roll half of the biscuit pieces in a mixture of ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Layer over pecans in the bundt pan. Sprinkle another ¼ cup of chopped pecans over the rolls. Sprinkle 1 large apple, chopped, over the pecans, and layer the rest of the dinner rolls (rolled in the cinnamon and sugar mixture) over the top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375.
No matter what you're making in the bundt pan, be sure to spritz it generously with cooking spray or grease well to prevent sticking.
Also, allow the bundt pan to cool for just 5 minutes before inverting it onto a platter or cooling rack.
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Karen McLaughlin says
Thanks for all the fantastic suggestions - my tube pan has been one of the few pieces of equipment in my kitchen that doesn't get a heavy workout 🙂 I really love the baked potato suggestion - I would never have thought of that one! I bake tons of bread so I'm not sure why I've never done it the tube pan, either. I'm going to have lots of fun experimenting!!
GettingFreedom says
Just thought you should know that I think you're a genius! Meatloaf?? A Whole Chicken?? Brilliant.
Natalie says
Wow, love this! I just used mine last night for a Lemon Pound Cake... but now that I think of it I rarely use it for anything but pound cake or coffee cake. This must change! 🙂
Rachel says
I just came across another use for a bundt pan. I've written about it here:
http://trialanderrorhomeec.blogspot.com/2010/08/ktt-new-way-to-serve-ice-cream.html
Anonymous says
I found a new use for a bundt pan - making a fruit ring for a punch bowl. I put frozen fruit into the bottom of the pan with a little water (but you could use juice) and froze it. With a little water, I thawed it just enough to loosen and it popped out. Perfect size for a standard punch bowl.
Anonymous says
Awesome idea! Thanks for stopping by to share it. 🙂
VoucherCodes says
I love the Apple pull aparts idea for the bundt pan!
Marnie says
Great ideas- especially the one about baking potatoes! That falls into my 'why didn't I think of that?' file. Brilliant way to save oven space. Thanks for sharing this one. 🙂
Aunt LoLo says
I love my bundt pan! I make alot of cakes for church dinners in it and I often use it to make quick breads out of muffin mixes.
Donya says
I love this post! Great ideas!
Mary says
The sweet potato casserole sounds delish, but how do you take it out of the bundt pan and how does it keep its shape without falling apart?
Tara Ziegmont says
I would serve it from the bundt pan, turning it over on the plate, or do a test run, turning it over onto a serving plate (and hoping for the best). It has a lot of butter in it, so it probably wouldn't stick. I'll try it and let you know how it goes.
Jordan says
I love these ideas. The chicken and meatloaf one really intrigue me! I've made this in another pan but think it will work well in the bundt. Slice all vegetables very thin zucchini, tomato, potato, yellow squash. Saute minced garlic and diced onion. Put in bottom of bundt, put sliced veggies vertically in pan alternating pattern. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Bake at 400 for 30 min covered. Remove foil and sprinkle with parmesan and bake an additional 15-20 mins.
Cindy says
You can put a filling in the middle of cakes, bread or even with your meatloaf easily in in bundt pan. Just fill the bottom half, spread a thin row around the middle with your filling not touching the sides, cream cheese, coconut pudding, etc... then add more batter on top. (I love coconut filling in a chocolate cake!)
Saida says
Hi, Thanks for the article.
Do you know if we can steam a cake in a bundt pan?
Tara Ziegmont says
I have never tried to steam a cake. How would you do that?