The Bundt pan™ was invented by H. David Dalquist in 1950, and remains a registered trademark of his company Nordic Ware®, which has sold over 50 million of these popular cake pans. The Minneapolis Hadassah Society Chapter in particular requested Dalquist’s help to design a simple pan for the German coffee cake called Kugelhoph, which was then popular in the US.

Up until Dalquist’s design of the Bundt pan, pans for the German coffee cake were extremely challenging to work with, since the cake could easily stick to the inside of the ridged pan. Dalquist set to work designing a lightweight pan from aluminum, resulting in the modern Bundt pan. Later designs added to the appeal of the Bundt pan by including non-stick coating.

Today you can find some varieties of the Bundt pan with extra designs, like a square castle shape. Bundt pan shaped cupcake pans are also popular. For young sports fans, consider a stadium rectangular Bundt pan, which can be decorated with marzipan soccer or footballs and even sugar grass.

The interior of the Bundt pan has small curves or folds. When the cake is turned out of the pan, it results in a pretty ring with raised curves, and not only numerous recipes, but also a variety of cake mixes have been created specifically for the Bundt pan. Despite the improved Dalquist design, the occasional Bundt pan does not always perform as expected, and you may end up with half your cake still left in the pan.

There are a few ways to address this. First, you should make sure that your cake is thoroughly cooked. An undercooked cake will often break when you attempt to remove it from a Bundt pan. Second you should either grease the pan thoroughly, paying particular attention to the small grooves, or alternately use a pan with a non-stick coating. This will help improve your results when using a Bundt pan.

The folds in the pan are an excellent way to keep portion sizes regular. In fact Dalquist designed the folds for easy portioning and cutting. Of course, some cakes may have frosting or glaze that somewhat disguise the regular rise and fall of the Bundt cake.

Since the Bundt pan is so widely popular, it has won several honors and distinctions. You can celebrate National Bundt Pan Day on November 15 by making a delicious Bundt cake. Additionally, you can see some of the early Bundt pan designs at the Smithsonian Institute.