Creme Egg Bundt Cake

I baked up a storm in the kitchen today, making goodies to sell at the Year 6 Bake Sale tomorrow. We do one annually to raise money for charity and as I organise it, it's only fair that I contribute. This year I was tossing up what to make, but in the end I went for an Easter theme. You can see the other Easter bakes here.

Last year I made this same cake, it's my 'go to' chocolate bundt cake; my absolute favourite! This year I made the icing white (yellow last year and I just couldn't get past the brown/yellow combo which I have always disliked!) and it is soooo much nicer. A simple icing sugar/water glaze, a few chopped Cadbury's Creme Eggs on top and away we go!

I won't write out the whole recipe again, but if you want it, you can find the cake recipe here.

I let it cool in the tin for about 20 mins before inverting onto a rack and allowing to cool. Once cool, I sliced the uneven top off to give a flat bottom.

I didn't measure the icing, I simple sifted an amount of icing sugar, added some water, slowly so it doesn't get too runny and then poured it over the top. I used 3 large creme eggs, cut in half, and dotted a few of the smaller ones in between. It was really so simple.

I love the filling oozing out......

This cake keeps fresh in an airtight container for at least a week (if it lasts that long!)

Notes:

• I always use a cake release spray when using bundt tins, and the cakes come out perfectly, ever single time.
• When cutting the creme eggs, don't worry if they are uneven, broken and oozing filling, it all adds to the charm.

Happy Easter!

Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

This long weekend I wanted to make a special cake from one of my new cookbooks, but I ran out of time to do the extra special effort I wanted. So I reverted back to an old favourite cake, my chocolate bundt cake, without the orange added. I did, however, want to make Sweetapolita's marshmallow frosting to go on top as something different to a ganache, glaze or buttercream.

The marshmallow frosting is so dreamy. It adds a lightness to the cake and a sweetness that is offset by the relatively un-sweetness of the cake.

I was surprised at how much frosting this recipe made - I had made two cakes and was going to make a different colour for the second, but there was so much frosting it covered both cakes so I left them both a pale blue. If you just had one cake, you could also fill layers, or top cupcakes as well from this one batch of frosting. I ended up having to quickly fill the bowl with water and detergent to stop myself licking every left over morsel from inside it!

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

• Servings: 12+
• adapted from Brooklyn Homemaker and Sweetapolita

For the Cake:

1 1/4 cups water

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons bi carb soda (baking soda)

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 cup sunflower oil - or a similar neutral oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

For the Frosting:

4 large egg whites (180g)

1 3/4 c caster sugar

2 tablespoons (45g) glucose syrup (light corn syrup)

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

a few drops of coloured food gel

sprinkles to top

Instructions:

For the cake:

1. Place an oven rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180 degrees C.

2. Liberally butter a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside. I actually use cake release spray and it works a dream every time. Today I had run out of this, so brushed on melted butter.

3. Whisk water and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low for just one minute. Add the milk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.
5. Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes more.  Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. The batter will seem quite loose and liquid.  Pour into the prepared cake pan no more than three quarters full and bake for 55-65, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. If you have extra mixture because your tin is smaller, then pour into another cake tin and cook it as an extra bit of cake.

6. Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack. Once cooled you can trim off the uneven top to make it level, or just leave it as I did this time.

For the frosting:

1. Wipe the bowl and the whisk attachment with paper towel and a little lemon juice to remove any traces of grease. Add egg whites, sugar, glucose syrup, cream of tartar and salt to the bowl and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently until it reaches 130˚F (54˚C) on a candy thermometer.

2. Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and beat on low speed for 2 mins, then increase the speed to medium for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to high and mix until thick and glossy - about 5 mins. During this time  add the vanilla and colour and whisk until combined and even.

3. This is best used right away (and tastes best of the day it is made). But it can be kept covered for an hour - this gave me enough time to col my second cake and frost it.
4. To cover the cake, work from the top down, using an offset spatula and swirl with that or the back of a spoon.
5. Sprinkle your choice of decorations on top, dive in and enjoy!

Toasted Coconut and Lime Bundt Cake

So I gave in and bought myself the proper Nordic Ware heavy duty Anniversary tin recently - bought here.  I can't rave enough about these tins, they just cook like a dream and produce perfect cakes. Anyway I needed to make a coupe of cakes for a meeting last night and I found his recipe from one of my favourite Bundt bakers, Brooklyn Homemaker. You can find his original recipe here. I changed the recipe a bit, see my version below. 

It was really delicious - I highly recommend it.

Toasted Coconut Lime Bundt Cake

Adapted from the Brooklyn Homemaker recipe

Servings: 12 to 16

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup butter (250g) softened
• 2 1/2 c caster sugar (granulated)
• 4 - 5 limes (you need to get 1/2 cup of juice)
• 3¼ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• ⅓ cup corn flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 6 large eggs
• 1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

Glaze:

• 2 cups icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180deg C. Grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan.
2. Spread shredded coconut in an even layer on a sheet pan and toast until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Check every few minutes and stir around if necessary to promote even toasting and prevent burning.
3. Zest and juice the limes. Reserve the juice and add the zest to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the softened butter and sugar. Cream on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt.
5. With the mixer on low add the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla and coconut extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
6. In a small bowl, measure out and mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and 1/4 cup lime juice. Reserve the remaining coconut milk and lime juice for the glaze. With the mixer on low, alternate additions of flour and coconut milk, starting and ending with flour.
7. Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in 2 1/2 cups of the toasted coconut. Reserve remaining coconut for garnish. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and level the batter with a spatula.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for about 60 to 65 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool until room temperature.

For the glaze:

1. While the cake is baking, combine the remaining 1/4 cup lime juice and 1/4 cup coconut milk in a small saucepan. Warm gently.
2. To make the glaze, strain the coconut lime through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Whisk in icing sugar until smooth and free of lumps. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and immediately sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut.

A Dairy Free Christmas

 

 

Merry Christmas to all my loyal followers. It's been fun setting up this blog and I'm happy that I am slowly gaining more followers each week. I've only been doing this since August, so feel free to spread the word!

 

Well, what a lovely Christmas Day we have had. Very relaxed, good food and good company. Today's blog post is for my Chocolate and Coconut Bundt Cake, which I served as our Christmas pudding, since none of us are fans of the traditional mixed fruit pudding.

I took this recipe from Brooklyn Homemaker's Chocolate Peppermint Bundt cake, but since my son doesn't like peppermint, I altered it to a coconut flavour instead. I will admit, I loved the sound of the original, but I love all things mint, so it's to be expected.

 

Anyway, I made some slight adaptions to the recipe to make it dairy free, so I will post it below, but you can click the link above to see the original.

 

Today I used my new NordicWare Heritage Bundt Pan, which I only bought last week. I was so very pleased that the cake came out so cleanly. I just love it!

 

 

 Chocolate Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate and Coconut Ganache

• Servings: 12
• adapted from Brooklyn Homemaker

 

For the Cake:

1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder(or bi carb soda if using buttermilk)
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups soya milk (or buttermilk if you can have dairy)
1 cup sunflower oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

 

For the Coconut and Dark Chocolate Ganache:

 200g best quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used Sainsbury's dark cooking chocolate as it is dairy free)
 3/4 cup coconut milk
 Desiccated coconut to sprinkle on top

 

 

1. Place an oven rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 180 degrees C.
2. Liberally butter and flour a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.

3. Whisk water and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low for just one minute. Add the milk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.
5. Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes more.  Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. The batter will seem quite loose and liquid.  Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 55-65, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

6. Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then invert onto a cooling rack. Once cooled I trimmed off the top to make it level once inverted.

7. To make the ganache, heat the coconut milk in a heavy pot, just until it begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let the chocolate melt for a minute or so, then whisk to combine.

8. Drizzle ganache over the cake while it’s still warm and liquid. Sprinkle desiccated coconut over the ganache.

9. Let the ganache set for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

10. We served with hot custard....soooo good!

 

 



Chocolate Bundt Cake

It's been a while since I blogged some of my recipes properly, so you my be inundated as I have been doing a lot of baking lately. This cake is one I made for my son's 6th birthday yesterday. I wanted something simple, but fun, that I could transport to a restaurant in London (on the train!) So it needed to be robust, but tasty.

This is the second time I have made this cake now, the first being for Halloween last month.

My bundt tins are new, my first from the Nordic Ware range and I've really enjoyed using them. For this type of tin, I think you need a fairly stable cake. This recipe, I have to say, is just delicious. It's a Martha Stewart one, and I know I will use it again and again.

Just a few notes for when you are using this recipe and this style of tin. For the Halloween 'pumpkin' cake, I made two cakes separately, trimmed the tops on both to make them flat and the 'sandwiched' them together with a simple orange buttercream in between. I topped that one with some passionfruit icing. The green 'stalk' is just an icecream cone painted with slightly watered down food colouring - I popped it back into a low temp oven to dry out. This is the 12 cup sized tin.

For the blue birthday cake, I used the smaller tin so I also had spare mixture which I used to make some cupcakes with. I didn't trim the top on this one, just turned it over and let it cool. The icing is just very simple, icing sugar and water and I tried out my new gel colours from ProGel. This was turquoise, although looks sky blue really. Still, it's nice to use the tubes to control the amount you use. You let it dry for a few minutes before sprinkling on the 100s & 1000s. This is the 6 cup sized tin.

This really is a delicious chocolate cake, not too sweet and if making it for a more grown up occasion, drizzling chocolate ganache over the top would be perfect.

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

•  1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, plus more for pan      
• 2 1/4 cups (320g) self-raising flour
• 3/4 cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1  1/2c (375mls)  milk (or milk alternative)
• 1 1/2 cups (350g) caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:                 

1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 180degrees C. Butter and flour (or use a cake release) a 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, and salt. 
3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla. If the egg mixture looks like it is having trouble combining properly, you can add a tablespoon of the flour mix to help it come together.
4. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined.
5. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula.
6. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. (40 mins is using the smaller 6 cup tin).
7. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for about 10 mins in the tin, before tipping the cake onto the cooling rack. (Cake can be stored at room temperature, in an air tight container up to 7 days).

Give it a try and let me know if you make the cake!

Kris

UPDATE - May 2023: I quickly make this with King Charles III Coronation sprinkles tonight. Covered in a delicious chocolate ganache made with dark chocolate and Emlie Plant cream. This is just for my family.