National Bundt Cake Day on November 15 honors the distinctive fluted, ring-shaped Bundt cake and Nordic Ware's patented Bundt pan, which revolutionized home baking across the world.
The origins of the Bundt cake date back to traditional European yeast-leavened brioche-style cakes such as the German Gugelhupf (or Bundkuchen). In 1950, Minneapolis engineer H. David Dalquist, founder of Nordic Ware, was approached by members of the Hadassah Society who wanted a lightweight aluminum version of the heavy European ceramic fluted molds. Dalquist trademarked the name 'Bundt' (adding a 't' to Bund). The pan skyrocketed to global fame in 1966 when Ella Helfrich won second place at the 17th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off with her 'Tunnel of Fudge Cake' baked in a Bundt pan. More than 200,000 requests for Bundt pans flooded Nordic Ware, making it the best-selling specialty cake pan in history with over 70 million units sold. Today, November 15 is celebrated by home bakers and artisanal pastry chefs sharing glazed, dusted, and decadent Bundt creations.
