Tag: chocolate bundt cake

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Coffee and ginger in a chocolate cake? Trust me, it works. While I’ve baked with coffee in chocolate treats before, I’d not included ginger in a chocolate recipe in the past. You don’t taste either the coffee or the ginger on their own, but they make the cake absolutely delicious.

This recipe is adapted slightly from Joy the Baker; she calls it the perfect chocolate Bundt cake, and I have to agree. I used sea salt instead of kosher and added more vanilla than the original recipe, then chose to cover it with an easy-to-make vanilla frosting. You could serve it with whipped cream or powdered sugar as Joy suggests, which would also be delicious. But the addition of the vanilla icing gives this cake a super-posh Hostess snack cake kind of vibe, and honestly it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever baked.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa, plus more for the pan
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil

For the frosting

  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan and dust with Dutch-process cocoa powder, tapping out the excess cocoa. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, Dutch-process cocoa powder, flour, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ginger.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs and egg yolk, then whisk in coffee, buttermilk, and vegetable oil one ingredient at a time – this helps avoid the mixture sloshing around and splashing out all over your counter.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until the batter comes together, then whisk to fully combine so that no lumps remain; the batter is fairly thin. Pour into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (mine needed about 42 minutes). Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely; I place parchment on my wire rack to help support the cake and avoid that mesh pattern in the bottom as it cools. Cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, combine melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until completely smooth. Spoon over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides and middle; you end up with a lot of frosting for this and it basically covers the cake completely. Allow frosting to set before serving.

Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature; this cake will stay moist for at least a few days. Makes about 12 slices.

Bourbon Chocolate Bundt Cake

Sometimes I wonder how certain etiquette standards began. Like when someone passes away, family, friends, and neighbors bring food to the bereaved. Perhaps people wanted to support their loved ones and make the days following a loss easier, and not having to cook – or worry about refreshments to serve to visitors paying respects – was a kind way of doing that. And here we are, so many years later in human history, still doing that very same thing.

This cake is en route to Maryland with Mike today, as he travels to Annapolis to celebrate the life of his Uncle Haysie, who passed away earlier this week. Haysie was married for 45 years to Mike’s very dear Aunt Wendy, one of my absolute favorite in-laws. They were a wonderful couple, and I’m hoping this bourbon chocolate cake with make her smile.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
  • 2 ounces sweetened baking chocolate, chopped
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup instant coffee crystals
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water
  • About 1 1/2 cups cold water
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bourbon, divided

For the glaze

  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons warm water
  • 1/2 tablespoon bourbon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly butter a 10-inch Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chopped unsweetened and sweet baking chocolate. Microwave, uncovered, for 1 minute, then stir; continue microwaving in 15-30 second intervals and stirring until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla extract.

In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine coffee crystals and boiling water; add enough cold water to bring the total liquid to 1 1/2 cups, then stir in the 1/2 cup bourbon.

Add flour mixture and coffee mixture to chocolate mixture in alternate batches, beginning and ending with the flour, and beating until just combined after each addition. You’ll want to scrape down your bowl a few times during the process.

Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean; I covered my cake around 45 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.

Turn cake out onto a wire rack and brush the top and sides with 2 tablespoons bourbon. Allow to cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze, combine melted butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl and stir until smooth; add bourbon and stir completely to combine. If your glaze is too thick, you can add one more tablespoon of water; I wanted a thicker glaze so I just used 2. Using a spoon, drizzle glaze over the cake; allow to set.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.