A good day in my book consists of quality time with my favorite people and/or time spent doing any one of my favorite things. On this windy February Sunday, I got to partake in a few of my favorite pass-times… baking, photography, writing and gardening. It was a good day. 🙂
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s been a while since I’ve written, so I’m going to share it again. 😉 Holding a special place in my heart, Sundays are my favorite day of the week. Growing up, my mom prepared a more involved dinner than she had during the week. And dessert! There was always a yummy dessert, one of my faves being a crispy, flaky and buttery apple strudel. Sunday dinners were often accompanied by mashed potatoes and gravy. We ate dinner together as a family every night, but on Sundays, dinner was served in the dining room. The table beautifully set with candles, silver flatware, china place settings and the fancy napkins. But don’t let the formally set table fool you, our dinner conversations knew no bounds and was every bit the dinner conversation you’d expect from 3 kids, each 4 years apart. But it’s that intimate family time and those ridiculous conversations while passing the gravy boat, or throwing the napkin rings across the room, that fill my heart with such warmth and flood my mind with cherished memories. As we’ve gotten older, moved away and have conflicting work schedules, the Sunday dinners began to occur less and less. It’s a rarity when we’re all able to come together for dinner these days. But when we do, the conversations are no less immature than they were growing up and mom continues to serve a beautifully delicious meal that fills the tummy and warms the soul. Thank you, mom!
On this particular Sunday, I decided to try my hand at my first bundt cake. But not just any bundt cake, nooooooo! Because I like a good challenge and there is no better time to really challenge yourself, than your first time trying something new. So I took a recipe that called for a 10-12 cup bundt pan and made mini bundts! Annnnnnd Oh. My. God. They are the cutest! THE cutest.
Before preparing these tiny little cakes, I read through the reviews of previous bakers. Some of them glowing, some of them tragic. Using a mini bundt pan, I filled each bundt to just under the top of the pan and baked at 350 for 25 minutes. The cakes rose just a smidge, providing the perfect little cake foot. With a light coat of baking spray and a dusting of coco powder, these little guys popped out of the pan with absolutely no effort. No crumb left behind. My first time was a success! 🙂
With the left-over batter, I baked off just short of a dozen cupcakes. I doubled the icing and iced 3 of the bundts, all of the cupcakes (well truth be known, all but one cupcake because.. quality control! ;-)) and garnished with fresh fresh raspberries and mint leaves. I froze 3 of the bundts to enjoy another day. 🙂
King Arthur Flour Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake
Cake
1 cup brewed coffee
16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt (regular or Greek), full-fat preferred
Icing
2/3 cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, or chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
Garnishments (of choice, if desired)
I used fresh raspberries and mint leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the cake: Place the coffee, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl. Heat, stirring, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, and whisk until smooth. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
- While the chocolate is cooling, put the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking to combine.
- Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix until thoroughly combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and mix again to incorporate any residue.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs, and sour cream or yogurt. Mix into the chocolate batter, stirring until thoroughly combined.
- Thoroughly grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan, preferably non-stick. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a long toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Note: a pan with a dark interior will bake the cake more quickly; start checking at about 40 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven, wait 5 minutes, and turn the pan over onto a cooling rack. After 5 more minutes, lift the pan off the cake. Let the cake cool completely before icing.
- To make the icing: Combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the cream starts to bubble around the edges.
- Remove from the heat, and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Spoon the icing over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
- Store any leftover cake at room temperature, well wrapped, for several days. Freeze for longer storage.
This recipe yielded 6 mini bundts and 10 cupcakes.
Happy Baking! xo
epicureantease 