bundt's the word!

I love, love, love vintage bundt pans and in the past month my collection has grown. To honor my darling little collection I've decided to bake up a storm of deliciously moist bundt cakes!

The first recipe I begin this journey is with a Cardamom Vanilla Bean bundt cake recipe (eeek, two ingredients I simply adore, cardamom and vanilla beans!). I suggest you try as it is perfectly divine in every way, and your house will smell so good!

Ooooh, this cake not only keeps well but also becomes tastier over the first day or so. It's delicious toasted or served with ice cream!

• ingredients:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar(use less sugar is you don't want it as sweet)
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup whole milk or butttermilk (I used regular milk as i already had it)
• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream (optional, for whipped cream)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons confectioners sugar(optional, for whipped cream)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract(same...optional, for whipped cream!)

preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and granulated sugar in mixer at medium speed, scraping side of bowl occasionally, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a paring knife into butter mixture, reserving pods for another use, and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon juice until combined well. At low speed, add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top. Gently tap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan 1 hour, then invert onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour more.

Beat cream with confectioners sugar and vanilla extract using whisk attachment of mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve cake with whipped vanilla cream.