Chocolate Orange Marble Bundt Cake

I love Terry's Chocolate Orange to the point where I can eat one almost in one go on my own,  usually secluded away in a quiet corner at some point between Christmas and New Year. No one else gets a look in.  My addiction started when my late Auntie May used to give me one each Christmas as a present along with a £5 note. Every year without fail. When she sadly passed along my Mum made sure, and still does, that I always get a Chocolate Orange in my stocking.  The strange thing is that despite this absolute love of them, especially the core of chocolate that gets left in the middle, I never eat them other than at Christmas, not even the bars you can buy. In fact I can safely say that I've never even bought one. I guess however that is what makes them so delicious to me. 


I saw a display in the supermarket the other day and it got me thinking about my love of these little balls of loveliness.  I was thinking that I really should make a Chocolate and Orange cake.  Last night I realised I hadn't checked out the We Should Cocoa Challenge hosted by the very talented Choclette of the Chocolate Log Blog and when I did what joy - this month's ingredient is orange.  I think the Terry's Chocolate Orange God has been doing his magic.  I thought about melting and adding an actual Chocolate Orange to my cake but it would just ruin my anticipation of eating one at Christmas (there is no way I could cook with one and not snaffle a piece or ,who I am kidding, a half).  Instead I settled on this marble cake which is a basic plain and chocolate mix but with a twist.  To the plain half I added some orange zest and some fresh orange juice. For the chocolate mixture I added in melted Lindt Dark Orange Intense and my secret ingredient - a teaspoon of Seville Vino Cotto.  It's not so secret really as I'm telling you about it - my friend bought me a bottle as a present - it is made Maggie Beer which is an Australian company.  It is, according to the bottle, 'a bitter sweet, highly aromatic velvety syrup thick with Seville oranges'. I've previously used it in dressings and on meat but not in baking. It gave the orange flavour a real depth.  I also used a teaspoon in the ganache topping. 


I gave Mr CB, who can always be trusted for an honest opinion (still smarting that my new outfit the other day apparently made me look a glam modern hippie goth....), a slice to try.  I hadn't told him about my thought process in making it and he said, 'It tastes like the best bits of a Chocolate Orange'. That pleased me (and made me forgive said hippy comment).  My kitchen also smells amazing to boot.


The Recipe


175g Butter
175g Caster Sugar
175g Self Raising Flour
1 tbspn fresh orange juice
zest of one orange
1 tbspn cocoa powder
100g dark chocolate (Lindt dark intense orange) melted
1 tspn Seville Vino Cotto


For the ganache


100g dark chocolate 70%
225ml double cream
zest of half an orange (save some to decorate)
1tspn Seville Vino Cotto
touch of icing sugar if you prefer some sweetness


1. Preheat the oven to 180c.  Grease a bundt or normal cake tin.
2.  Cream together the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and flour.  
3.  Divide the mixture into two bowls.  Add the orange juice and half the zest to one bowl and mix well. Add the remaining zest, melted chocolate and cocoa powder to the other half and mix that together. 
4. Put alternative dollops of the mixture into the tin and swirl to marble slightly.  Bake for around 25 mins until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
5. To make the ganache break up the chocolate and place in a bowl. Bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate.  Mix well until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add the orange zest and Vino Cotto. 
6. Dip the cake into the ganache mixture. Decorate with some orange zest and leave to cool. 

Buttermilk & Brown Sugar Cake

At last my new little bundt tin gets an outing with this cake whose recipe I found in Stella magazine.  It's a pretty simple pound type cake but the brown sugar and buttermilk combo does give it an unusual flavour (in a good way).  It would be great served with some macerated berries - I didn't get round to doing those but think it needed something slightly sharp to go with it.


Recipe


250g plain flour
1/4 tspn baking powder
pinch of salt
150g butter
300g soft brown sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tspn vanilla extract
finely grated zest of l lemon
150ml buttermilk
icing sugar, for sifting


1.  Preheat the oven to 160c/gas mark 3.  Butter a cake/bundt tin.
2.  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.  Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy then add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon.
3.  Fold in the dry ingredients, alternating with big spoonfuls of buttermilk.  Pour into the tin and bake for 90 mins.  
4.  Turn the cake out on to a wire rack and leave to cool. Sift icing sugar over it once cooled. 

Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes

I have been in NYC for work this week and while it was mainly all work I did manage a little trip to the New York Cakes &  Baking Supply on W22nd Street. This shop is amazing! It has every kind of anything you need for baking - I just wish I had had a bigger case with me. I think the man on the photo may have been the owner - he was somewhat curious as to why I was taking photos of the shop - you can kind of get that from the photo.  He asked me what I was doing with that particular NY friendly charm. Anyway, when I explained that basically I thought his shop was brilliant and that I had bought some things he seemed a bit happier but still somewhat bemused.  Being limited on time and suitcase space I picked up a few things which included some very cute Crayola type candles which will look great on cupcakes, some pretty cupcake wrappers and a mini bundt cake silicone tray.   


I arrived back on red eye this morning and have been fighting instant sleep mode all day. So, to keep myself awake I thought I'd put the bundt tray purchase to good use and get baking.  I have slightly adapted a recipe I found on the lovely Alpineberry blog.  Mary from the blog uses melted chocolate in hers but I reduced the amount of flour and substituted with cocoa powder which has resulted in a really nice not too sweet cake.  Apologies for the cup measurements but too tired to convert and my friend has bought me some fab cup measurers (more on those later). Right, is 7pm to early to go to bed?!


The Recipe
1 cup plain flour & cocoa powder (I did about 70/30)
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
4 oz unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk


1. Preheat the oven to 180c.  Butter a 6 mould mini bundt pan.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter together until smooth.  Add the egg and beat for a minute, then beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Add half the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.  Add the milk and mix until blended.  Then add the remaining flour mixture and again mix until just incorporated.  
5. Divide the mixture evenly among the moulds. Bake for around 20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.  Remove from silicone moulds when hot then leave to cool on a wire rack.