Lime and Yoghurt Bundt Cake with “Cake Goop”

Natalie Paull presents a lime-flavoured bundt cake that relies on a pre-baked “cake goop” to ensure flawless release from the tin. The goop—a paste of equal parts plain flour, vegetable oil and unsalted butter—creates a non-sticky surface while supporting the batter as it rises, eliminating the dense, dusty crust typical of traditional bundt cakes.

The Guardian

The goop is brushed into every crevice of a 20 cm bundt tin and set aside before batter preparation. Lime zest is rubbed into caster sugar to release aromatic oils, then creamed with butter for six to eight minutes until pale and fluffy. Warmed, uncracked eggs are added in three batches, followed by a folded mixture of flour, baking powder, salt and yoghurt, ensuring no streaks remain. The batter is poured into the prepared tin, smoothed, and baked at 170 °C (150 °C fan) for 60–70 minutes, or until a skewer registers an internal temperature of 95 °C. While baking, a lime-icing-sugar syrup is whisked and later poured through a pierced top to soak the cake’s cracked ring.

The Guardian

• Cake goop: 20 g plain flour, 20 g vegetable oil, 20 g unsalted butter (soft at 22 °C).

The Guardian

• Batter: 6 limes, 400 g caster sugar, 280 g unsalted butter (soft at 20 °C), 5 warmed eggs (uncracked), 375 g soft plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp fine sea salt, 240 g plain yoghurt (room temperature).

The Guardian

• Lime syrup: 250 g lime juice, 300 g icing sugar.

The Guardian

Preparation time totals 2–3 hours, with the cake keeping for three days at room temperature or up to three months frozen.

The Guardian

After inverting onto a plate, the cake is brushed with additional syrup and dusted with icing sugar to mask any imperfections. The finished bundt remains fresh for three days when covered at room temperature and retains quality for up to three months when frozen, according to Paull’s notes.

The Guardian