Bohemian, Bundt bake delightfully

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Cynthia B. Skinner offers this suggestion for anyone looking for an alternative to whipped cream or meringue for topping pumpkin pie: flavored Greek yogurt. Toasted coconut, toasted marshmallow, Madagascar vanilla and cinnamon, and lemon meringue are just a few of the flavors she has tried and enjoyed.

★★★

“My sister-in-law gave me The American Cancer Society Arkansas Division, Inc. Sampling Arkansas cookbook in 1983. The Bohemian Cake is a family favorite,” writes Susan Spivey. “We have it every holiday. We love it for breakfast!”

The recipe was contributed to the book by Mrs. Isabel McCray.

Bohemian Cake

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

4 eggs

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dash salt

1 cup milk

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup flaked coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well after each. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and add alternating with milk. Blend in chopped nuts, coconut and vanilla. Spoon into a greased 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Speaking of Bundts, have you heard of the Bundtwich? It’s a sandwich made with bread that was baked in a Bundt pan. Our thanks to Rosemary Boggs for passing the recipe along. This version from Pillsbury calls for Italian cheese and deli meats, but any sandwich fillings you like would work.

Italian Bundtwich

2 (11-ounce) cans Pillsbury refrigerated French bread dough

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon prepared basil pesto

10 ounces deli-sliced smoked ham

4 ounces deli-sliced salami

6 (¾- to 1-ounce) slices provolone cheese

2 medium tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick

1 ½ cups shredded romaine lettuce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.

Remove dough from both cans; do not unroll. Place in pan in a circle; pinch ends together to seal into 1 ring. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then remove bread from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, 30 to 40 minutes.

Carefully cut bread in half horizontally; place halves on cutting board. Pinch or tear bread from cut sides of top and bottom halves, leaving about a ¾-inch shell; discard or save bread pieces for another use.

In small bowl, stir mayonnaise and pesto until well mixed. Spread mayonnaise mixture on cut sides of top and bottom of bread rings. Fill the flat-crusted bread ring with ham, salami, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. Top with round, fluted ring.

The sandwich can be tightly wrapped with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before serving. Cut into wedges and serve.

Send recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203; email:

Please include a daytime phone number.