High Country Baking: One-Bowl Lemon Curd Baby Bundts

I’m celebrating the arrival of spring with these lemon cuties. Their looks and flavor seem to capture the season. I picture them on an Easter brunch buffet, at bridal showers, or as a fine finale to any evening meal.

One-Bowl Lemon Curd Baby Bundts

Make in a non-stick mini-Bundt pan with ½-cup capacity cups

Adjusted for altitudes of 7,000 feet and above

Yields 8 baby cakes

Active time: 35 minutes Total time: 2 hours

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The recipe yields a distinctive, but not strong lemon flavor. If you want more, stir in additional zest or lemon oil. No need to create your own lemon curd, I find the commercial ones made by Tiptree and Trader Joe’s work very well in this recipe. Your eggs and milk need to be at room temperature, so the melted butter doesn’t solidify when they’re added to it.

8 (eight) tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ (one fourth) cup plus 3 (three) tablespoons granulated sugar, preferably superfine

2 (two) large eggs, room temperature

¾ (three fourths) cup whole milk or light cream, room temperature

2 (two) teaspoons vanilla paste or extract

2 ½ (two and a half) teaspoons lemon zest or scant ½ (one half) teaspoon lemon oil

1 ¾ (one and three fourths) cup plus 3 (three) tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour, spoon and level

½ (one half) teaspoon baking powder

½ (one half) teaspoon salt

2 (two) tablespoons poppy seeds, optional

¼ (one fourth) cup lemon curd, room temperature

Glaze, optional

1 (one) cup confectioners’ sugar, more as needed

1 (one) tablespoon lemon juice, more as needed

1 (one) tablespoon light cream, more as needed

1 (one) drop yellow gel food coloring, optional

Get ready: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center position. Generously grease your pan with a baking spray that contains flour.

Make batter, step #1: Cut up the butter, place the pieces in a microwave-safe mixing bowl and heat at a low temperature in a microwave oven until melted. Remove from the oven, stir/whisk in the sugar until blended. If the mixture is hot, let it cool enough so that it won’t cook the eggs. Whisk/stir in the eggs, milk, vanilla, and lemon zest/oil until smooth.

Make batter, step #2: In 3 additions, gently stir in the flour, then blend in the baking powder, salt and poppy seeds (if using). Mix only until the ingredients are combined.

Transfer batter to pan: Spoon the batter into the pan’s greased cups, filling them about 1/3 of the way to the top. Drizzle in a generous teaspoon of lemon curd and use a small spoon or toothpick to stir/swirl it into the batter. Top this with more batter, so the cups are about 2/3 full.

Bake and cool: Move the pan to the oven and bake until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out moist but clean, 15-22 minutes. Place the pan on a cooling rack, cool it for 10-15 minutes then invert the pan onto the rack, let the cakes fall out and cool them completely.

Add glaze, if using:  Whisk ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon cream until combined. Add more of each, a little at a time, until the mixture reaches a consistency that’s thick but still slides off a spoon. Stir in a drop of food coloring, if desired. Drizzle it over the tops of the cakes and set them aside or refrigerate them until the glaze sets.

Store and serve: Store the baby cakes, covered, for 1 day at room temperature or 3 days in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

Dr. Vera Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks (available at Garcia Street Books in Santa Fe). Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com