Well, the sunflower cake did turn out to be a little dense, rather like a light pound cake. The crumb was so perfect, though - tiny, smooth, and completely even. And, of course, the beauty of the cake shape itself. You know those days when your confidence is waning a bit? I highly recommend spending $30 to buy one of these fancy bundt cake pans
. Nothing improves your spirits like impressing your friends. One note, however, if you are going to glaze the cake, as I did, bring the cake out whole first so that everyone can revel in its beauty, and then glaze the individual servings. You can see how the glaze obscures the flower. A little dusting of confectioner's sugar would enhance the pattern nicely.
Although my recipe came from the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking, I found a very similar recipe online. I made my glaze with 2 cups confectioner's sugar, mixed into a paste with 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp cream, thinned with more juice as needed for a nice consistency.
A little slice of this cake goes a long way, and would be perfect with a cup of tea.
