Date Orange Pecan Bundt Cake

My fall baking agenda includes this Date Orange Pecan Bundt Cake. It’s the perfect dessert to herald in the season. Although I rarely allow the calendar to determine my taste buds, this Bundt Cake is chock full of dates, orange zest, and pecans and is definitely suited for fall. The recipe is from the Southern Living Annual 1994.  It was in the mid-’80s when I began collecting their cookbooks. It’s a hoot looking back at the styling and presentation of the sweets and savories. Everything was so heavy and ornate back then but the recipes are still fantastic.  Tips for Baking the Date Orange Pecan Bundt Cake  Low and slow is the method for this cake. With so many yum-yums added to the batter, it’s imperative to leave the cake in the oven for the recommended time. Please don’t skip tossing the chopped dates and pecans in flour before adding them to the batter. If you don’t, they may sink to the bottom of the pan. As an extra layer of precaution consider greasing/flouring the pan and also give it a few spritzes with Bakers Joy or one of its alternatives to make sure it releases easily. Be sure and use all the orange glaze. It creates a delightful coating on the cake and even seeps into it a bit, creating an ultra-moist interior. I took it a step further and made an additional glaze made with ½ cup sifted powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of orange juice. For good measure, I also sprinkled butterscotch chips on top. The dates, orange zest, pecans and the butterscotch chips used as garnish can be swapped for other add ins. Instead of dates use: dried figs, blueberries, apples or pears.  Rather than use orange zest how about lemon, lime or grapefruit. In place of pecans try, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts. Leave the chips out altogether or add in any chocolate variety. My Date Orange and Pecan Bundt Cake was a sure fired winner at my house and I hope you get to try it. Date Orange Pecan Bundt Cake   Save Print Prep time Cook time Total time   Kick off the fall baking season with this Date Orange Pecan Bundt Cake. Eating just one slice is the only hard part. Author: Sandra Lee Garth Recipe type: Dessert Cuisine: American Serves: 16 Ingredients 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 tablespoon grated orange rind 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1⅓ cups buttermilk 1 cup chopped dates 1 cup chopped pecans ½ cup orange juice 1 cup of sugar Additional Glaze (optional) ½ cup sifted powdered sugar 1 tablespoon orange juice ¼ cup butterscotch chips Instructions Preheat oven to 325° and prepare a 10-12 cup Bundt pan for no-stick baking. Beat butter at medium speed in electric mixer about 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add 2 cups of sugar beating at medium speed 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating just until yellow disappears. Next, combine 3 ¾ cups of flour, soda, and salt and add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk. Begin and end with flour mixture and mix at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in the grated orange rind. Combine pecans, dates and remaining ¼ cup of flour then stir into batter. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 1½ hours or until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean In a small saucepan mix 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of orange juice and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Pour glaze over warm cake and cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Then remove from pan let cool completely on wire rack. If using the optional glaze, once the cake is completely cooled, mix the sifted powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Spoon or drizzle the glaze over the top and garnish with butterscotch chips. Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe 3.5.3251   Stay in touch with Sweet Sensations on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+,and Instagram for all of the latest updates.