Maple Pecan Bundt Cake

I've been waiting a long time to make this recipe. 

Three or four years ago, when I was first getting into baking, Mum and I split the cost of Nigella Lawson's new book 'Kitchen'. I would flick through the pages slowly and carefully, looking at flavour combinations and the mouthwatering photos. Every time I looked through the book, one thing stood out to me - a Maple Pecan Bundt Cake. 

However, two things barred my way: the fact that I didn't have a Bundt tin for a while, and the price of maple syrup. 

I did buy a bundt tin in Ikea a few years ago, but it sat in the cupboard, neglected... until one fine Saturday morning. I longed to make the cake that I had looked at for so long and I decided to go for it.  I even had the best excuse in that I had opened a bag of pecan nuts for my banana muffins and the nuts needed to be used up!

On reflection, maybe I should have bought a different tin - perhaps one with more angles and peaks. But I totally forgot about the appearance of the cake once I'd cut into it and tasted the gooey, nutty filling. It's absolutely divine with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk! 

Eat, and enjoy. 

Maple Pecan Bundt Cake 
For the filling:
75g plain flour
30g soft butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
150g pecans, roughly chopped
125ml maple syrup

For the cake:
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g soft unsalted butter
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
250ml sour cream

icing sugar, for decoration
flavourless oil, for greasing
One 23-cm Bundt tin

1. Heat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease the tin using the oil, then leave upside down on a piece of newspaper to let any excess oil drain out.

2. Make the filling by rubbing the butter into the flour, as if you were making a crumble. Stir in the nuts and add the maple syrup. Mix well until all combined. 

3. For the cake, measure the flour, bicarb and baking powder into a bowl.

4. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture and then add one egg. Mix well. Add another tablespoon of flour, beat again and then add the second egg. Mix well. 

5. Gently fold in the rest of the flour mixture. Add the sour cream and mix until combined. The batter will be fairly thick. 

6. Spread just over half of the cake mixture into the Bundt tin. Spread it a little up the sides of the tin so that there is a dip in the middle. Gently spoon the nutty mixture into the dip, the whole way around the cake. 

7. Cover the filling with the remaining batter. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until cooked all the way through. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes then loosen the edges with a knife, before turning the cake out onto a rack. Dust with icing sugar when cool.