[ess_post]
A Bundt cake is nothing scary, just think of it as a giant donut, and who doesn’t love donuts?!
My version is a boozy affair. A gorgeous chocolate cake spiked with a little Bourbon and smothered in a tangy chocolatey ganache. It’s worthy of any occasion, even if the occasion is just for the sake of cake.
Ingredients
Bundt Cake
350g plain flour
100 g dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons flaky sea salt
500g soft brown sugar
150g Crème Fraîche (room temperature)
115g butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (250 ml) hot water + ¼ cup bourbon (bourbon can be substituted for extra hot water)
3 large free range eggs
Chocolatey Ganache
115g 70% cocoa chocolate, finely chopped
100 ml cream
60g Crème Fraîche
Pinch flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon Heilala vanilla extract
1 x 10-12 cup Bundt Cake tin
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes plus cooling
Recipe
Cake: Pre-heat your oven to 175°C. Take your bundt pan and liberally coat it with room temperature butter, getting into all the nooks and crannies. When the pan is thoroughly coated with butter, dust the pan with a few tablespoons of flour, tapping it around the interior to cover every surface. Turn the pan over in the sink and gently tap the pan to remove any excess flour.
To a large mixing bowl sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, then whisk until fully combined. Add in the brown sugar and whisk until its combined and lump free.
In a separate bowl add the crème fraiche, butter, vanilla, water, bourbon (if using) and eggs and whisk until fully combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until there are no lumps.
Pour the mixture into the bundt pan, making sure you don’t get it on the sides as you pour. Tap the tin gently a couple of times on the bench to remove any bubbles, then place in the oven to bake for 45 mins or until the top springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes. Then place a wire rack over the bundt pan, grasp both with oven mitts hands, and flip the whole thing over. Pray that it hasn’t stuck and remove the bundt pan and let the cake cool completely on the wire rack for an 1 hour before placing on the ganache.
Ganache: Place the cream and chocolate in a small bowl and set over a small pot of simmering water. Gently whisk until the chocolate has melted and become one smooth chocolatey mixture. Remove from the heat and whisk in the crème fraîche, vanilla and salt. The ganache should be thick but pourable; if it’s too thin, let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to thicken up a bit.
Pour the ganache over the cake and leave it to set at room temperature until firm enough to slice. 20-30 minutes. Serve the cake with your favourite ice-cream or whipped cream.
