Maple Bundt Cake with Pancetta Streusel
Bundt Cakes. Those gorgeous, dense, buttery cakes made in the instantly recognizable molded pan. They’re easy to make and impressive to serve, usually topped with a drippy glaze or powdered sugar. We take it to the next level, stuffing and topping it with a maple-Pancetta streusel. We don’t know why no one ever thought of that before, either.
Directions
For the streusel
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place a rack in the middle position. Grease and lightly dust with flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay the Pancetta slices in a single layer onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the slices with tongs and bake about 5 minutes more until the fat has rendered and pancetta is very crisp. Remove from the baking sheet to a paper-towel-lined plate. When cool enough to handle, crumble the pancetta into small pieces. You should have about 3/4 cup of pancetta.
Turn the oven down to 350.
Combine the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Remove the lid to add the butter cubes and drizzle the maple syrup over. Pulse the mixture again until it comes together in coarse clumps. Remove from the processor bowl and stir in the pancetta and walnuts. Keep streusel cold in the fridge while making the cake batter.
For the cake
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the syrup, yogurt, and vanilla.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat together the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides once. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate between each addition. Alternate adding to the running mixer the dry ingredients and the wet in two parts each, scraping the bowl between additions. When everything has been added, continue to beat for a full minute.
Add half the streusel to the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer, lightly pressing to come about 2 inches up the sides and center tube. Top with half of the batter in an even layer. Add the rest of the streusel in an even layer, then the rest of the batter, smoothing the top with an offset spatula if necessary. Bake for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the cake comes out mostly clean with some crumbs sticking to it. Remove and cool on a wire rack for about an hour before turning out of the pan and cooling completely. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Cook’s Notes
If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the streusel by whisking together the dry ingredients, then using a pastry blender or a couple of knives to cut in the butter.
