Bundt Day

Bundt cake. Luiz Carlos Santi / Unsplash / 2021 / CC0 1.0

The 15th of November is Bundt Day (aka Bundt Cake Day).

The day celebrates the famous Bundt® cake pans that let home bakers turn out cakes that look like pieces of sculpture, as well as of course the delicious Bundt cakes that are made with the pans!

Bundt Day comes just shortly before the start of the month-long madness of Thanksgiving and Christmas happens in the U.S., so it gives people a reason to dust off their Bundt pans and recipes and get them ready to go.

Bundt pans are made by Minnesota’s Nordic Ware company, which began making Bundt pans at the start of the 1950s. All the pans are actually made in Minnesota (though some of their other accessory products may be made in China.)

The Nordic Ware company helps to promote Bundt Day, typically with a different theme each year.

Some bakeries may give away personal mini-size Bundt cakes today, free or with the purchase of something else. In fact, in recent years, much of the press for the day has been generated by the bakery chain, “Nothing Bundt Cakes”, piggy-backing on the day and offering give-aways of its mini Bundt cakes.

One of the most famous baking contest cakes of all time, the Tunnel of Fudge Cake, was made with a Bundt pan.

#AllAboutBundts #Bundt #BundtDay #NationalBundtDay

Activities for today

Look for deals being offered at the nordicware.com site;
if you live near a Nordic Ware brick-and-mortar store, look for deals in-store;
when it gets cold enough, make ice sculptures in Bundt pans to display outside with a candle in the middle for the holiday season;
share photos of your Bundt creations on social media;
try making Bundt pan chicken, roasting a chicken over the cone of Bundt pan;
if you don’t already have a Bundt pan, have a look online and see if any of the shapes tempt you!

History

The first print mention that CooksInfo is aware of for a “Bundt Day” dates from May 2006, in Oklahoma, when the day was announced in advance for later that year:

“Nov. 15 [2006] will be the first National Bundt Day, kicking off the holiday baking season.” — Bundt Contest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The Daily Oklahoman. Wednesday, 17th May 2006. Page 2E, col. 1.

In 2006, it was the 60th anniversary of the Nordic Ware company (founded in 1946). The day was held to mark that occasion.

Later, in October 2006, an update was provided on the contest:

“Earlier this year, we shared information about Nordic Ware’s 60th anniversary Bundts Across America contest to find the best Bundt cake recipes from each state. Susie McGuire of Oklahoma City won that honor and a $100 gift certificate with her recipe for Oklahoma Sweet Surprise, a recipe that included lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract and dried cherries baked into the buttery cake. It was topped with a lemony glaze. Recipes were to represent the state in terms of ingredients used and the name of the cake. The Minnesota-based company has also selected the top 10 recipes among the entries. A winner will be announced on the Martha Stewart show Nov. 15, designated National Bundt Day, and the winner will receive $1,00 worth of Nordic Ware products and a family reunion for 50.

The 10 states with finalists and their cakes are: Arkansas, Honey Bee Good Cheesecake; California, Flavors Di ‘vine’ (chocolate cabernet sauvignon wine cake); Idaho, Huckleberry Beary Honey Nut Bundt Cake; Iowa, Iowa Sweet Corn and Fresh Basil Bundt Cake With Maple Cream; Massachusetts, Cape Cod Bundt made with cranberry sauce; Minnesota, Two Moons Wild Rice Bundt Cake made with buttermilk, wild rice and blueberries; Ohio, Buckeye Bundt Cake with peanut butter and chocolate chips; Utah, Utah’s Deseret Baby Bundt Brownies With Honeyed Cream Cheese; Virginia, Powhatan Cake made with cornmeal; and Washington, Triple Grande Vanilla Caffe Latte Cake with Biscotti Glaze, prepared with espresso, coffee liqueur and almond biscotti. To view all the recipes, go online to nordicware.com.” — Dowell, Sharon. Contest announces best Bundt cake recipes. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The Daily Oklahoman. Wednesday, 25 October 2006. Page 3E, col. 1.

Past yearly themes for the day have included:

Show us Your Bundt Collection
Most Beautiful Bundt Cakes
Alternative Uses for Bundt Pans

Sources

Amick Brian. Nothing Bundt Cakes to celebrate National Bundt Day with nationwide bash. Bake Magazine. 7 November 2019. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.bakemag.com/articles/12714-nothing-bundt-cakes-to-celebrate-national-bundt-day-with-nationwide-bash

Get a free cake on National Bundt Day. Shreveport, Louisiana: KSLA-TV. 15 November 2019. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.ksla.com/2019/11/15/national-bundt-day/

Laurent, Kambrie. Nothing Bundt Cakes Celebrates National Bundt Day With First Nationwide ‘Bundt Bash’. Dallas, Texas: PRNewswire. 7 November 2019. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nothing-bundt-cakes-celebrates-national-bundt-day-with-first-nationwide-bundt-bash-300953782.html

March, Stephanie. Get Ready for National Bundt Day: November 15 will kick bundt. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Mpls. St.Paul Magazine. 12 November 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/national-bundt-day/

Minnesota Bundt Day is Thursday. Minneapolis, Minnesota: The Minnesota Egoist. 14 November 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.themplsegotist.com/news/minnesota-bundt-day-is-thursday/

Nelson, Rick. The baking legacy Minnesota gave the world — the Bundt — is being celebrated Thursday. Minneapolis, Minnesota: The Star Tribune. 14 November 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-s-claim-to-baking-immortality-the-bundt-is-being-celebrated-on-thursday/500420892/

Salvemini, Chris. Nothing Bundt Cakes giving away free mini-cakes for National Bundt Day, Nov. 15. Knoxville, Tennessee: WBIR-TV. 7 November 2019. Accessed October 2021 at
https://www.wbir.com/article/entertainment/events/nothing-bundt-cakes-giving-away-free-mini-cakes-for-national-bundt-day-nov-15/51-7743d9ef-b6f1-4a92-9424-ff2731d340dc