Mom's 1001 Chocolate Bundt Cake


Happy birthday Will! For your birthday, I wanted to "bake" you happy with your favorite: chocolate!

In case there's anyone out there who didn't quite get that allusion, it's a reference to an old Betty Crocker slogan, "bake someone happy," circa the late '70s and early '80s. I wouldn't know about it if it wasn't for my mom's fondness of it. 


Speaking of my mom, this is really her recipe. She's been making it for as long as I can remember, and after decades of tweaking it here and there, she's gotten it to a place where it's pretty much fool-proof. 

It's a simple chocolate lover's cake that's very versatile. Over the years, we've served it as is, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or topped with different flavored glazes. It's also pretty perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My favorite part about the cake is its bottom, which has fudge-y texture that's so good.


Usually we serve it plain, like pictured above, because the cake is pretty darn awesome on its own. Since this particular cake was destined for Will's birthday, I wanted to make it extra special, so I coated it with a thick chocolate glaze and topped it with some festive sprinkles.


It wasn't until I was looking through all the photographs that I realized how much it resembles a giant chocolate doughnut when decorated like that....

Oh well, I guess there are worse things in life... like when there's no more cake!


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Mom's 1001 Chocolate Bundt Cake
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

The recipe originally called for 1 cup of buttermilk instead of the milk and yogurt combination. When making the cake this past Christmas, my mom realized she was out of buttermilk, so she used a common buttermilk substitution: milk and yogurt. The results were the best cake to date. If you have buttermilk and want to use it instead of the milk/yogurt combo, it will still be wonderful.

Yield: 1 bundt cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Bake Time: 35-45 minutes

1 3/4 cups (7.875 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (10.75 ounces) granulated sugar
1 cup (3.5 ounces) cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt*
1/4 cup whole milk*
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup coffee, room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup non-stick fluted tube pan lightly and dust with cocoa; set aside.

Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder into a large mixer bowl. In a small bowl, mix together milk and yogurt; set aside. In another small bowl, combine eggs, coffee, butter, and vanilla; stir in milk mixture. [You might think you've done something wrong at this point because the butter will most likely be floating in small chunks, but don't fret; it will all work out when the wet and dry ingredients are combined.]

Add wet ingredients to the dry. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds or until blended; increase speed to medium and beat for another 2 minutes.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back lightly when touched. The center of the cake will still be slightly moist.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from the pan by placing a serving dish upside down over the bundt pan and slowly flipping both over; lift the pan gently from the cake and allow to cool completely.

Favorite variation: Replace two tablespoons of the coffee with Kahlua. To die for...

Notes:
-Can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk instead of the milk and yogurt combination.

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Basic Chocolate Glaze
Adapted from Delish

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Set a small metal bowl over a saucepan that is filled with an inch or so of water; ensure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't actually touch the water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer. Add all ingredients to the bowl except for the vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla.

Pour/spread warm chocolate glaze onto cool cake. Work quickly so the glaze will have a smooth look. Glaze will firm up completely in about 1 hour.

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