Tribute to “Sunflowers” Birthday Cake

Makes One (10-Cup) Bundt

Cake:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 Tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 whole eggs and 1 additional yolk

• ¾ cup vegetable oil

• 2 Tbsp honey

• 1 cup buttermilk

• ½ cup whole milk

• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger root

• 2 tsp vanilla paste

• 2 cups mixed chopped fruit, small dice (I use a mix of fresh apricots, nectarines, dark cherries and canned mandarin oranges. Save the syrup from the mandarin oranges for the syrup and icing.)

Syrup:

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 3 Tbsp of the syrup from the mandarin orange tin

Icing:

• 2 ½ cups confectionary’s sugar

• 2 Tbsp whole milk

• 2 Tbsp of the syrup from the mandarin orange tin

• 1 tsp vanilla paste

1)     Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

2)     Prep the bundt pan by brushing the interior with 2 Tbsp of melted butter and dusting with all-purpose flour

3)     Cut and stir together all your mixed fruit – remember to dice it all small, or the large pieces will eventually sink to the bottom of the cake

4)     In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger and sugar. Set aside.

5)     In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together in this order: the 2 eggs and the additional yolk, the vegetable oil, the honey, the buttermilk, the whole milk, the grated ginger root and the vanilla paste.  Switch to the paddle and add the dry mix and mix until smooth.  Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in the prepared fruit.

6)     Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for roughly 40-45 minutes.  Start checking the cake with a wooden skewer at 40 minutes.  Do not overbake or the cake will be dry.

7)     Remove the cake from the oven, let sit for 10 minutes, and then invert the cake onto a wire rack.

8)     While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup.  Bring to a simmer the water, sugar and mandarin syrup. Let simmer for three minutes and then pour into a glass container to cool.

9)     While the cake is still warm, brush the syrup over the cake until it will not absorb any more.

10)  Prepare the icing by whisking together the confectionary’s sugar, the milk, the mandarin syrup and the vanilla.  When the cake is completely cool, spoon the icing over the cake and let it drip down the sides.