What Was The German Christmas Cake Nigella Made?

Asked by pammyinfrance. Answered on 10th November 2012

Full question

Last year I saw Nigella make a cake using a tin which was a round shape with peaks. It looked possibly of German origin. It is a Christmas stlye recipe and she dusted it with icing sugar. I would like to buy one but have searched high and low for the mould and can't find it. Can you help?

Our answer

We suspect that the recipe you saw Nigella making was the Spruced Up Vanilla Cake recipe from Nigella's Christmas book (and see related recipe link). The cake is made in a type of tin called a bundt tin, or bundt pan, which is a round cake tin with a hole in the centre. The term originally comes from the German "bundkuchen" which is a ring-shaped cake, but the bundt tin itself is more commonly associated with American baking.

Bundt tins come in many designs but the Christmas tree shape is the Nordic Ware Holiday Tree tin. It is now widely available in the UK in cookware shops and department stores such as John Lewis, and is also available on-line. In the US the pans can be bought on-line directly fron Nordic Ware.

As bundt tins contain many edges it is essential to grease the pans thoroughly and dust the insides with a little flour (or cocoa powder if it is a chocolate cake) so that the cake turns out cleanly. You can also use one of the special baking sprays which can help to release cakes easily from tins.

nordicware.com