Saffron-Orange Bundt Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 19, 2021
Yield
Serves 12
Ingredients
Cake
1 tablespoon boiling water ½ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric ¾ cup buttermilk 4 teaspoons grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons juice1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 18 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces and softened2 cups (14 ounces/397 grams) granulated sugar 3 large eggs plus 1 large yolkGlaze
2 cups (8 ounces/227 grams) confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 2-4 tablespoons juiceBefore You Begin
You can bake this cake in a decorative 10-cup Bundt pan; place a baking sheet under the Bundt pan. The cake has a light, fluffy texture when eaten the day it is baked, but if well wrapped and held at room temperature overnight its texture becomes denser—like that of pound cake—the following day.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Combine boiling water, saffron, and turmeric in 2-cup liquid measuring cup and let steep for 15 minutes. Whisk in buttermilk, orange zest and juice, and vanilla until combined.
- Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with saffron mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until top is golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- Let cake cool in pan on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, remove pan, and let cool completely, at least 2 hours. (Unglazed cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)
- Whisk sugar, zest, and 2 tablespoons orange juice in bowl until smooth. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice as needed, teaspoon by teaspoon, until glaze is thick but still pourable. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and let set for 10 minute before serving.
for the cake
for the glaze
Yield
Serves 12Ingredients
Cake
Glaze
Ingredients
Cake
Glaze
Ingredients
Cake
Glaze
Why This Recipe Works
Saffron might not be the first ingredient you think about adding to a cake, but the prized spice's floral, earthy notes offer a unique and sophisticated twist to classic Bundt cake. Blooming the saffron in hot water before adding it to the batter released its flavor and aroma, but when we baked the cake we were disappointed to find the interior lacked the bright yellow-orange color that is a defining characteristic of saffron. Adding more saffron was overpowering, so we turned to turmeric; just ⅛ teaspoon dyed the cake a sunny yellow without adding any noticeable flavor. We thought the sweet-sour flavor of orange would pair well with the spice, and we used both zest and juice for an unmistakable orange presence. This grown-up Bundt needed a special finishing touch, so we dressed it up with glaze; a combination of orange juice and confectioner's sugar accentuated the cake's orange notes.
Before You Begin
You can bake this cake in a decorative 10-cup Bundt pan; place a baking sheet under the Bundt pan. The cake has a light, fluffy texture when eaten the day it is baked, but if well wrapped and held at room temperature overnight its texture becomes denser—like that of pound cake—the following day.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Combine boiling water, saffron, and turmeric in 2-cup liquid measuring cup and let steep for 15 minutes. Whisk in buttermilk, orange zest and juice, and vanilla until combined.
- Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with saffron mixture in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Bake until top is golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- Let cake cool in pan on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, remove pan, and let cool completely, at least 2 hours. (Unglazed cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)
- Whisk sugar, zest, and 2 tablespoons orange juice in bowl until smooth. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice as needed, teaspoon by teaspoon, until glaze is thick but still pourable. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake and let set for 10 minute before serving.
for the cake
for the glaze
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