Maple Bundt Cake

Not that you actually made the pumpkin maple bread pudding, but let's pretend for a moment you did, and so then let's pretend you had loads and loads of maple syrup left and then let's pretend your husband doesn't like real maple syrup, he's very loyal to the overly sweet, processed taste of some Aunt Jemima.

Good.

What are you going to do with all of that maple syrup, Kendra? Are you going to eat hundreds of pancakes? Well, that's an option, sure. But make this instead. I know you liked that fig cake, so I'm guessing you'll like this, too. This is one of my favorite cakes ever, and it's so good for when the weather gets a bit colder.
Maple Bundt Cake


Cake:

2 ¾ cups cake flour
1 ¾ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ cup milk
¾ cup maple syrup
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 sticks of unsalted butter (16 tbsp)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Glaze:

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
4 tsp bourbon

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325. Grease and flour your cake pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside. (I have a feeling I am not the only person who just stirs this stuff up instead of sifting. Does anyone enjoy SIFTING? No.)

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Set aside.

(It says to do this part with a flat beater, just in case you have one – I do not and a regular old beater works just lovely, thank you very much) Beat butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add both sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile (back at the ranch), make the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir the ingredients and simmer until the mixture has reduced slightly and is a bit tacky, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Tap the cake gently on a work surface to loosen the cake. Remove from pan and using a pastry brush, brush the cake with the glaze. Let the cake cook completely, at least 2 hours, before serving (this part is bullshit – eat it while it’s warm).
 
(This recipe is from Williams-Sonoma, and came with their autumn leaf bundt pan, should anyone like to know. I think it was last year's collection. It's a gorgeous pan, but I prefer just a regular old bundt pan, because the leaves have never come out crisp or clear for me, especially after the glaze.)
 
Oh, here is the pan: