Vanilla Twinkie Bundt Cake with Raspberries - #BundtaMonth

Who doesn't love a good bundt?  There are so many different flavors and absolutely beautiful bundt pans to choose from, that it is always exciting to make one.  It would be very easy for me to start a bundt pan collection if only I had the room to store them all.  They can be classic or extremely intricate, but all produce beautiful cakes.

Over the past few months I noticed that Laura from The Spiced Life participates in a blogging event called #Bundt-a-Month, which is the of creation of Baker Street and Cake Duchess. Each month a theme or a particular ingredient(s) is chosen for the month, and then everyone gets to create a beautiful bundt.  I went to check out some of these cakes and I realized two things - I have been seriously missing out by not participating, and gosh some of these bloggers make beautiful cakes.

The theme for the month of May is berries which was perfect.  I have been on a real raspberry kick at the moment, having recently made some Razzleberry Crumbs Bars, and I still had some in the fridge ready for my next baking adventure.  Making a bundt seemed meant-to-be since I had recently borrowed Pure Vanilla from our local library and bookmarked the Vanilla Twinkie Bundt Cake as something I really wanted to try.  Pairing raspberries with it seemed the natural thing to do for this month's Bundt-a-Month theme.

A tunnel of marshmallow cream runs through the middle of the bundt - #BundtaMonth

Whilst I loved the tartness of the raspberries against the sweetness of the cake, I did have a few problems with this cake.  I thought that 2 cups of sugar was quite a lot considering the cake has a marshmallow filling, so I cut it back to 1½, but I honestly think that you could easily remove another ½ cup and it would still be sweet enough. Also, after I added the oil I had a lot of trouble getting the mixture to get to the stage of "light and fluffy".  I finally settled for incorporated and creamy, but this did not seem to have an adverse effect on the cake.  Finally I had problems with filling the cake, part of which was my fault for not waiting for it to fully cool.  I used a cupcake corer to make the holes, but maybe I should have used an apple corer to make smaller holes because there was no way that I had enough filling for the cake.  I quickly made up a second batch of marshmallow filling and this seemed to be perfect - note that I have doubled the quantity in the recipe below. The only other change I made was to use vanilla bean paste, rather than extract, because I really love vanilla and I like the little flecks it gives to baked goods. The first time I ever tried a Twinkie was when they were supposedly disappearing forever, and I thought it was now or never.  If you are a Twinkie fan then this is the bundt for you, as it perfectly mimics the flavor profile - well maybe it did a little better before I added the raspberries - but I really did like the addition of them in the cake.

The best part is that you could be part of the Bundt-a-Month fun too!  Please take a moment to visit The Spiced Life to check out Laura's amazing Lemon Mint Rhubarb Bundt and there you will find more details on how to become part of the group.  There is also a Facebook page that features all of these beautiful cakes, and as if that isn't enough there is also a Pinterest board to further inspire you - I had a quick peek and my first thought was I'll have a slice from of each one.

Vanilla Twinkie Bundt Cake with Raspberries - it is hot here so the filling started to puddle

Vanilla Twinkie Bundt Cake with Raspberries
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients 
Cake ~

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

Filling ~

• 2 (7.5 ounce) jars marshmallow creme
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean oaste
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preparation
Cake ~

1. Position rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 325°F. 
2. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust it lightly with flour.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth and creamy. 
5. Add sugar and beat until evenly mixed, about 1 minute. 
6. Slowly pour in oil. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 
7. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
8. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk in three alternating additions, ending with the buttermilk, and continue to mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain. 
9. Turn off mixer and fold batter several times by hand to ensure everything is well incorporated.
10. Add raspberries and gently fold until incorporated, and then add to prepared pan.
11. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the cake is golden, the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. 
12. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

Filling ~

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together marshmallow creme, vanilla, and butter until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
2. With the cake still in the pan, use a paring knife or apple corer to cut 6 or 7 deep holes into the bottom of the cake, each about 3/4 inch in diameter; be careful not to cut through top of cake. Discard (i.e., nibble) cake scraps. With your fingers, gently burrow a horizontal tunnel around the center of the cake, connecting the vertical holes.
3. Insert the tip of the pastry bag into each hold and squeeze in filling, tilting pastry bag back and forth as you work to encourage filling into the horizontal tunnel through the cake. When cake is filled, use a spatula to scrape away excess filling from the bottom of the cake. Quickly and carefully invert cake onto serving platter. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and serve.

Recipe adapted from Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever.