Talk:Bundt cake

Etymology
I removed the translation of "bund" as "a gathering of people" as that meaning of the word is not commonly used in German-speaking countries and certainly doesn't have anything to do with the origins of the word "Bundkuchen". It has more to do with the way the cake is wrapped around the center hole.

Also, "bundkuchen (sometimes called kugelhopf or Gugelhupf)" should probably be the other way around; that type of cake is called "Napfkuchen" or "Gugelhupf" in Germany and mostly "Gugelhupf" in other German-speaking countries, but note that the different names usually describe slightly different shapes. "Bundkuchen" is a regional term and is not widely used elsewhere. 85.124.36.244 11:26, 25 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Somebody picked up a dictionary and translated "Bund" as "federation" and "union". This is not wrong per se but the word has lots of meanings. The above translation just doesn't make sense in this case so I removed it. The name really has to do with the shape which is reminiscent of objects like trouser waistbands (one of the possible meanings of "Bund") or other things that are shaped like that. 85.127.112.24 22:48, 9 July 2007 (UTC)


 * I deleted the bit about "Bundt [coming] from the German word Bund meaning 'a gathering of people'" that User ChildofMidnight reinstated... again. Believe me folks, this (very obscure) meaning of the word doesn't have anything to do with the name of the cake (as somebody explained later in the article). --85.127.115.8 (talk) 10:13, 13 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Please use edit summaries. My ESP abilities are limited making it very hard to divine why a change is made when there's no explanation. ChildofMidnight (talk) 19:39, 13 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Sorry, you're right, I forgot to do it this time. I did, however, explain it in the edit summary the first time I removed it. 85.127.129.15 (talk) 09:35, 14 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Okay. No worries. Take care. ChildofMidnight (talk) 18:58, 14 July 2009 (UTC)

There is also a Persian word "bund" for an embankment/dike used to hold back water ("mainly in India?") - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Persian_origind, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunding. Could this have been borrowed into German before it was borrowed into English? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.76.32.78 (talk) 06:27, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BCrkischer_Bund The form of this Scout's Knot is supposed to be the origin of the name. --Stephanie Do (talk) 18:53, 11 November 2020 (UTC)

Difference between a bundt cake and a regular cake?
Can someone please tell me what the difference is? Is it the amount of oil used? the temperature for baking? Please help me! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.229.129.18 (talk) 03:30, 12 March 2007 (UTC).


 * Its is cooked in a ring shaped panChucks91 (talk) 19:09, 5 November 2009 (UTC)


 * It's the shape: the fact that it's got that big hole in the middle. I think the shape actually alters the chemistry. Michael Hardy 19:54, 9 July 2007 (UTC)


 * In a normal pan, the dough in the middle will take longer to cook than the dough on the edge. For particularly heavy doughs this can be a problem, and you have to cook them slowly to avoid soggy middles and burnt edges.  A bundt tin allows a more even distribution of the heat.  I have an orange cake recipe that works much better in a bundt tin.  Additionally, it's easier to cut a bundt cake into even portions! 82.68.30.106 (talk) 10:16, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

It's all about the translation! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.119.218.100 (talk) 13:31, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Lousy photograph
The photograph on this page is terrible. You're supposed to be able to see the shape. But the hole in the middle is inconspicuous. Someone who didn't know it's supposed to be there might fail to see it at all. Michael Hardy 19:55, 9 July 2007 (UTC)


 * I switched it for two images of a frosted and unfrosted Bundt cake, which more clearly show the shape. Jonathunder 00:33, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Definitely better than the first one. But more color contrast between the cake and the plate would be better still. Michael Hardy 01:26, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

I would like to clear up some misconceptions regarding this style of cake. It is important to know that after World War 2, Mr. Dalquist returned to the United States, from service in Europe, and started his own company called Nordic Ware, manufacturing pans. He was approched by a lady, who inherited a round ceramic pan from her mother, who immagrated to the United States from Europe. The lady did not know the history behind the pan or the cake baked in it. She asked Mr. Dalquist if he could manufacture something similar to be used. Perhaps Mr. Dalquist may have even seen the pan in Europe or in this lady's kitchen. He did not know the name of the pan so he used the word "bund", meaning gathering in German, added a "t" to the end of the word and patented the name for Nordic Ware. The Dictionary now refers to this name as a cake. Americans have been calling this item by this name ever since Pillsbury had the contest, after their not so popular bundt cake mixes hit the market. The marketing ploy was a success for both companies.

I first became interested in this tradition while in Germany in May 2001. I noticed several of these brightly painted, beautiful ceramic pans decorating the outside area above peoples doors. I saw many in Alsace, as well as Strasbourg, which is a town that has been passed between Germany and France many times in history, after major wars and treaties affected the rule of the area. I purchased a small version of the ceramic pan while there, came home and started looking for answers to my questions. Nordic Ware did not have the entire history. I found the name and recipe of the cake called a kugelhopf and the pan used to bake it. Naturally, over the years, the cake may have popped up every where in Europe as merchants traveled. I also found a short history of this cake which is baked on a particular day in villages in Alsace, to comemortate the 12th century victory over the invading Turks at that time, who just happened to wear turbans. The cake is huge and looks like a turban, on purpose. It would have fed an entire village for celebration. While in Solvang, I spoke with a Danish woman who remembers her immagrant mother had baked this cake in a double boiler method on top of the stove, which is a large pan of water placed under this type of ceramic cake pan, on top of a stove with a cover over both. The hole in the middle of the pan allows heat to rise so that the pan doesn't flip over into the water. It also allows the cake to cook entirely, without a raw middle. The woman I spoke to, didn't know the name, just the shape of the pan. I realized how twisted history can become, passed by word of mouth, or marketed under the wrong name for profit. Again, I don't know if this is complete, I am just reporting what I have found.

I really enjoy the study of these simple basic human items. I have quite a collection of these pans now, made in Alsace to Portugal or imported from Europe to Solvang, but I haven't purchased a bundt pan, yet. I'm glad that Wikipedia gives us the opportunity to pass this information on, as this may not be of enough interest to be recorded by a historian. Too bad. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.8.247.231 (talk) 20:41, 31 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Elsass belonged to the East-Frankish Empire (later the German or Holy Roman Empire) since 869, when Ludwig the German and Karl the Bald divided up the lands of their brother Lothar. Only in the 17th century Louis XIV. tried to grab land wherever he could, be it in Spain, the Netherlands or from the Holy Roman Empire in Elsass. Strassburg is the city were Gutenberg invented printing and has always been a German city. Even the French haven't got a name for it other than the German one (although they mispronounce it comically). Same for Mühlhausen etc.. 194.166.34.250 (talk) 01:48, 31 August 2022 (UTC)
 * Well, possession is 9/10 of the law. But maybe you get enough Prussians together and you could retake it. Jbening (talk) 01:05, 2 September 2022 (UTC)

In popular culture
The list of appearances of bundt cakes in popular culture contributes nothing to the article. Should every entry in Category:Cakes list each time it appears in a movie or TV show? And why stop there? Should we list every appearance of any food item in any popular media ever? Feezo (Talk) 20:05, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Capitalize the word "Bundt"?
Shouldn't the term "Bundt" be capitalized? While a Google search reveals that some people capitalize it and some don't, I've noticed that "serious" writers always capitalize it. For example, take a look at the articles linked in the footnotes on this page (from the Washington Post and Star-Tribune). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 153.39.210.222 (talk) 18:27, 11 April 2011 (UTC)

Country of origin?
The stated country of origin, USA, does not match the description of dishes history. The only thing that can be defined as originated in the US is the comercial brand("Bundt") of a cake mold with the same shape. — Preceding unsigned comment added by RealIgnisFatuus (talk • contribs) 20:52, 12 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Agree totally. I see nothing different from a Gugelhupf or Napfkuchen which can also be made of different doughs in Europe. This is nothing more than a US-American brand name for a Gugelhopf. 2001:8E0:398D:4C01:9DB2:6CB1:C648:49A0 (talk) 19:32, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Even the name is just one of the European names for Gugelhopf - see this paragraph in German Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gugelhupf#Bundkuchen 2001:8E0:398D:4C01:9DB2:6CB1:C648:49A0 (talk) 20:50, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Here's a link to a German dictionary from 1857 associating Gugelhopf with the label "bund". So even the association with the name "Bund" is much older than the brand name.
 * So this entire article is just hidden advertisement for a brand name.
 * On top of that - the brand name itself is just an existing name for an existing product. 2001:8E0:398D:4C01:9DB2:6CB1:C648:49A0 (talk) 20:57, 10 April 2024 (UTC)