BIRTH OF THE BUNDT PAN
Metallurgical engineer H. David Dalquist invented the Bundt pan in 1950 at the request of bakers in Minneapolis who were using old-fashioned ceramic pans of the same design. Dalquist turned to cast aluminum to produce a pan that was much lighter and easier to use. Sales of his Bundt pan (a name he trademarked) were underwhelming until Ella Helfrich’s Tunnel of Fudge Cake made its debut in 1966. The Pillsbury Company quickly received over 200,000 requests for the pan, and to meet demand Dalquist’s company, NordicWare, went into 24-hour production. Over 50 million Bundt pans have been sold worldwide.
