Chocolate Bundt Cake

Chocolate Bundt Cake - made May 28, 2018 from Inquiring Chef

After sheet cakes, bundt cakes are the next easiest type of cake to make. They’re generally not very fussy, the batter can be mixed in one bowl and you just bake, invert and let cool. Added fancy if you want to frost or glaze it but it’s so down-home-y that you don’t have to fuss that much – or at all – on how smooth or even the frosting is, you don’t have to align it with any cake layers or worry about fillings. Most glazes or frostings for bundt cakes tend to be one-bowl mixing and easy pouring.

This was no exception. The only tricky thing sometimes with bundt cakes is getting them out of the pan intact. Some cakes come out smoothly, others cling to the sides and won’t let go like a 5-year-old being dropped off for the first day of kindergarten. Fortunately, this cake came out fine on its own.

With bundt cakes and pourable frostings, you don’t have to wait until it’s completely cool. Lukewarm is okay before you pour on the frosting. The frosting might melt a little but that just makes it better. This recipe made just a little too much frosting for my taste but that’s because I only like the bare minimum of frosting.

I liked the texture on this cake. Very moist. Yes, I know there are people out there who hate the word “moist” but there are no comparable synonyms to use as a description of cake texture that I can find (I really did look). Flavor and texture were on point. I could have only made or used half the frosting recipe as well and been just fine. The only cautionary note was the batter is a bit thin so when you add the dry ingredients, watch out for flour lumps that can form. I didn’t quite beat them all out so my finished cake had a few little flour lumps in it. How embarrassing.

1 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon brewed coffee

3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

Chocolate Glaze
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1/8 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle the inside with flour.
2. Combine brewed coffee and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
3. When the coffee mixture is nearly cool, combine sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on low until evenly combined, about 1 minute.
4. Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low for 1 minute. Add flour and mix on medium for 2 minutes. Add cooled coffee mixture and mix on medium for 3 minutes.
5. Pour into bundt pan and bake until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean, about 60 minutes.
6. Cool cake in pan for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a plate and letting cool completely.
7. Make the glaze: melt chopped chocolate and butter in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water. Whisk until smooth and melted. Remove from heat.
8. Sift in half the powdered sugar. Add sour cream and whisk to combine. Sift in the remaining powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. 
9. Add coffee and whisk to create a glossy glaze. Thin with a little hot water if glaze is too thick. Pour glaze over cake, letting it drip down the sides and middle.