Cynthia L. Herzog 
Part of the brilliance of the fluted tube mold is its shape. The hole in the center helps conduct the heat to the middle of the dough, which is why it is particularly adept at baking the dense, moist cakes that are often made there.
Two developments helped propel the Bundt into the stratosphere. In 1966, a Texas baker named Ella Helfrich placed second in the Pillsbury Bake-Off with her Tunnel of Fudge Cake. Around the same time, Dalquist figured out how to make a lightweight aluminum version.
Today, Nordic Ware estimates that more than 75 million households worldwide own one of its iconic saucepans, which now comes in a wide variety of designs, from classic fluted to much more elaborate shapes, including braids, flowers, hearts and even a haunted house.
Recipes that call for a Bundt pan can also be made in 9-inch or 10-inch tube pans, Goldman says. Many Bundt recipes can be cut in half and baked in an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Here is a selection of delicious and amazing Bundt cake recipes from our archives featuring nuts, fruits, chocolate and other interesting ingredients.
Pecan Bundt Cake, above. Don’t be fooled by the unassuming exterior of this cake from cookbook author Vallery Lomas. Once you slice it, you’ll be wowed by the tender interior (thanks, brown sugar!) filled with pecans, golden raisins, and crushed pineapple.
Jewish apple cake. Here’s another one from my family cookbook, and it features two layers of cinnamon apples.
Granny Pound Cake. In one of the recipes featured in her Baking Basics newsletter for Voraciously, Joy “The Baker” Wilson looks for inspiration in the kind of cake many of us may have enjoyed a slice at our grandparents’. Yes, the recipe calls for vegetable shortening (trans-fat free is the norm these days), which Wilson says is key to unlocking signature texture and height, in part because shortening, unlike butter, is made from 100% fat.
Chocolate Bundt Cake. My recipe was inspired by a recipe inspired by the famous Fudge Tunnel, and this is a cake for true chocolate lovers. Just be sure to get one of the Dutch cocoa powders recommended in the recipe so you have the right amount of fat for the best texture.
Gulab Jamun Cake. I love gulab jamun, the Indian dessert made with fried dough saturated with a sweet floral syrup. This cake from cookbook author Hetal Vasavada hits all those same flavor and texture notes — the cake is soaked in cinnamon, saffron, rose water, and cardamom syrup — with a gorgeous frosting to boot. .
Buttermilk Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake. Even if you’re not making lemon curd from scratch (although the microwave makes it a snap), you can still enjoy this bright, lemony cake. It also offers a wonderful method for greasing the pan, which involves making a batter of equal amounts of flour and shortening. You can use it any other time to ensure a clean release from a Bundt pan.
Shirley’s Coffee Cake. With cinnamon-sweetened streusel rings, this is the kind of cake you serve with, you guessed it, a pot of coffee or tea.
