Lemon & Pistachio Mini-Bundt Cake with a “little of this and that”

It is not often that I have all the ingredients in my kitchen to make such an eclectic dessert such as “Lemon & Pistachio Mini-Bundt Cake.” However, I had a few shelled pistachios left over from holiday baking and a bit of buttermilk left from another recipe. And, lemons are on my kitchen counter. Self-rising flour — which I store in my freezer — comes in handy for muffins and other “quick bread” recipes. When I noticed a recipe for “Lemon-Pistachio Loaf” in a recent issue of Southern Living magazine, things clicked. Perfect. I had the ingredients. Except, the quantities weren’t enough for an entire 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. That didn’t stop me. I scaled down the ingredients to fit in a mini-Bundt cake mold. Plus, I had enough batter left for one cupcake (which I baked in my air fryer). I’m glad I adapted and tried the recipe — this lemony cake is tender, sweet and moist – plus it has a hint of nutty flavor. Delicious.

Bundt Cake pans sizes

The first task in making this loaf cake was to figure out what baking pan to use. I didn’t have enough ingredients for the 9″ x 5″ loaf pan specified in the recipe. I decided to scale down my recipe and use a small Bundt cake mold. However, have you ever turned a Bundt cake pan over to the bottom to look for the size of the cake pan? Most likely, you won’t find measurements on the metal surface of the bundt cake pan. That can be frustrating. Unlike Pyrex-type casserole dishes, loaf pans and cake pans whose measurements (length, width and depth) are usually specified in the recipe; Bundt pans aren’t categorized by their diameter or height. I guess this is because Bundt cake pans come in all types of shapes. Instead, Bundt pans are listed in recipes by the volume capacity (or number of cups). For example, the Bundt cake pan shown below was advertised as having a 7″- diameter. However, that measurement includes the cake pan’s large rim. The capacity was only 3 cups in volume (filled to the brim). Clearly, it was much smaller in capacity than other 7″ – diameter Bundt cake pans.

The best way find the capacity of a Bundt cake pan is to measure it by pouring water into the pan up to the top edge. With this system, both Bundt cake pans on the left side have a 3-cup volume. The smaller cake pan has a 1-cup volume.

Although the two larger Bundt cake pans have a 3-cup capacity, it is not advisable to fill the pans completely to the top. Let’s avoid spilling the batter over the top edge. A Bundt cake pan with a 3-cup capacity realistically accommodates 2-cups of batter.

In general, larger commercial Bundt cake pans have an 8-cup capacity and smaller ones have a 6-cup capacity.

I used scaled-down proportions which were approximately half the original recipe. I had about 2-1/4 cups batter. It conveniently fit in my newest Bundt cake pan. Plus, I made one cupcake and baked it in my air fryer (which quickly got eaten).

Simple “Quick Bread” Recipe

“Lemon & Pistachio Loaf’ is considered to be a “quick bread,” according to the Southern Living magazine. The leavening comes from baking powder and baking soda. In this quick bread recipe, the dry ingredients (self-rising flour, sugar) are mixed together. The wet ingredients (egg, oil, buttermilk, lemon juice) are blended together separately. Then everything is combined in a large bowl and given just a few stirs with a cook’s spoon (or wooden spoon). Pour into a loaf pan, muffin tins or a cake pan and bake. No need to use an electric mixer for this recipe. This cake is very easy to mix up.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients for my Lemon & Pistachio Mini-Bundt Cake.

Self-rising flour. I used self-rising flour in this recipe rather than all-purpose flour and leavening agents of baking powder and soda and salt. This saves measuring out ingredients. Plus, I always have good luck when using self-rising flour — especially this brand. Self-rising flour makes the most tender cake with lots of lift.

Sugar. Lots of granulated sugar makes this a cake sweet — I don’t mind in this recipe — it balances the lemon.

Buttermilk. The buttermilk gives a “steroid boost” to both the leavening agents and tenderness of the cake — this cake really rises. Don’t skip commercial buttermilk.

Lemons. Fresh lemon juice and zest is the best. However, in a pinch — lemon juice concentrate can be substituted. I used the zest of two fresh lemons for the cake and decoration. I had extra fresh lemon juice left over after juicing the lemons, and made some lemonade for myself! This cake had a great, lemony flavor.

Pistachios. The shelled and dry roasted, unsalted pistachios were left from holiday baking. I had just enough left for this cake. If I make the cake again this summer, and I will most likely substitute finely chopped pecans, almonds or walnuts.

Egg and Oil. My recipe uses one whole egg and vegetable oil — not butter which is creamed with the sugar and egg in an electric mixer. After all, this is a “quick bread” and not a traditional cake.

Glaze for cake.

After baking the cake it was ready to ice the cake. I made a simple glaze by mixing together powdered sugar and just a little lemon juice.

You don’t need much lemon juice, it is easy to add to much liquid. Stir and stir until the mixture is blended. It should be very thick. Pour on the glaze and decorate with extra lemon zest and a few pistachios.

This little Bundt cake was absolutely delicious. It made 4 servings. It was a good way to use up my “bits of this and that” — meaning random ingredients in my kitchen cabinet. Scaling down the ingredients to make a small cake was successful. I will be making this cake again!