Vanilla & Cake Party Bundt

• You'll need a 2,6 liter / 10-cup Bundt pan when making this Bundt Cake.
   
• Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Set the oven at 165C° 325F°.
   
• Brush the Bundt pan with softened butter. Make sure to distribute the butter well with a pastry brush to ensure an even layer of softened butter, with absolutely no gaps in coverage, This step takes about 2 minutes.
   
• Freeze the Bundt pan for 10 minutes to harden the butter. If you don't have a freezer, place the Bundt pan in the fridge for 15 minutes instead.
   
• Remove the cold bundt pan from the freezer, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar to the pan, and tap it around the inside of the bundt pan until all the buttered surface is covered, then turn the pan upside down over a sink or garbage can and tap out the excess sugar. Set aside for now.
   
• Baker note: working with semi-cold butter produces a better cake texture; if the butter is too soft, it essentially melts into the flour, which can result in a greasy cake. The butter needs to be pliable (slightly softened) but cool. Take it out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before you bake this cake. The right temperature is, about 18C°/64,4F. The best way to know for sure is by using a digital thermometer. 
   
• For the Bundt Cake; In a small bowl, combine 175-gram room temperature sour cream, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, and 175-gram room temperature heavy cream, whisk together and set aside for now.
   
• Sift 285-gram cake flour and 10-gram baking powder into a bowl of a stand mixer, add the 400-gram superfine sugar and a pinch of salt, and use the whisk or paddle attachment and mix on low speed for about 1 minute.
   
• Add the 180-gram unsalted butter one piece at a time, about every 10 seconds. This step takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Once all of the butter is added, the mixture should resemble almond flour, and when you run your hands through it, it feels kind of sandy, and there should be no large lumps of butter left.
   
• Baker Note; In this next step you need to add the sour cream & vanilla cream mixture, Make sure to do this slowly to create the perfect emulsion, if you add it too quickly, your cream will separate from the butter and sink to the bottom of the cake and give you a gummy layer and create a dense texture.
   
• With the mixer on low speed, very slowly pour in the 350-gram sour cream & vanilla cream mixture a little at a time, This step takes about one minute, then continue mixing on medium speed (speed four on KitchenAid) for two full minutes to develop the structure. Set a timer! 
   
• The batter should have gained volume at this point, and all the ingredients should be incorporated and look like a thick buttercream. If you don't mix it for two full minutes, your Bundt Cake could be under-mixed, collapse in the center, and won't be as tender and fluffy as mine.
   
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl, remove the whisk or paddle attachment, and shake out the excess batter collected inside. When you add the egg whites, it is crucial to mix lightly when you reach this step. This is because your cake batter will become tough if you work it to the point that the gluten in the flour starts to form.
   
• Attach your whisk or paddle attachment again, with your mixer at low speed (speed two on KitchenAid). Gradually add the 210-gram egg whites to the batter in three separate parts, beating on low speed for only 30 seconds each time ( not any longer!) after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Stop the mixer after each addition of egg whites, and scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl. Also, remove the whisk attachment and shake out the excess batter that is collected inside.
   
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the side and the bottom folds once or twice to ensure the batter is incorporated at the bottom of the mixing bowl. 
   
• Spoon the cake batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the batter with a spatula, firmly tap the pan on the counter to settle the cake batter.
   
• Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cover the Bundt cake loosely with parchment paper after 35 minutes if you see the top browning too quickly at the end of baking.
   
• Allow the Bundt Cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. 
   
• Unmold the cake onto a cooling rack. The reason you have to unmold the bundt cake witing 10 minutes is that if you let it sit in the pan the steam will have nowhere to go and will hit the side of the metal pan and turn into water, resulting in a wet bundt cake.
   
• Make sure to cover the cooled Bundt Cake in plastic wrap or in a large ziplock bag so it doesn't dry out, store it at room temperature.
   
• This Bundt Cake is delicious fresh but is even better the following days, as long as you wrap it in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag. I enjoy a slice after 3 days and it was still so soft and tender and tasted even better than the first day.

Vanilla Glaze

• If you plan to decorate this Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze, it is best to do this step while the Bundt Cake is on a wire rack.
   
• To make the vanilla glaze, in a medium bowl, combine 150 grams of powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, 1 tablespoon of glucose, or light corn syrup, and whisk in just enough milk, a little at a time, to form a smooth glaze. It should easily create a fluid ribbon when you lift the whisk without breaking. It's often just a matter of a few extra drops of milk to get the right consistency, so don't add too much milk at the start.
   
• Drizzle the vanilla glaze with a large spoon over the cooled Bundt Cake. Just before the glaze is set, decorate with confetti or sprinkles.
   
• Use a cake lifter to carefully transfer the glazed Bundt Cake to a cake stand. Slice with a serrated knife and serve.
   
• Store leftovers covered in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag or in an airtight container at room temperature (not in the fridge) for up to 5 days.