Chocolate Mug Cake

Ever have a craving for a few bites of something chocolatey-cakey but don't necessarily want make an ENTIRE cake?  

Me, too!

Ever been a total snob about something (that you've never even tried) and then felt like a jerk when you finally tried it (and actually liked it)?

Me, too!

I freely admit I'm a recovering snob about this make-a-little-cake-in-the-microwave recipe.  My fear was that the cake would be so gummy and chewy that you could dump it out of the cup, dribble it out the door, and shoot a basket with it in the driveway.  And I will tell you...if you don't eat the cake pretty soon after it's done, it will get that way.  But YUM!!  I was blown away by how good and non-rubbery it was upon it's exit from the microwave! 

I threw a few chocolate chips on top as soon as the cake was done; they melted deliciously and provided more moisture to each bite.

It's Secret Recipe Club time again!  This month my assigned blog was My Hobbie Lobbie written by Trisha from Sydney, Australia.  Trisha loves to craft AND cook; she says she has a fondness for collecting both recipes and crochet patterns. :)  She has a LOT of recipes on her site!  Click on over and check out her blog. 

The only thing I altered about this recipe was that I swapped out the vegetable oil for coconut oil.  Also, I sifted the dry ingredients together because unsifted cocoa powder gives me a nervous twitch.  :) 

(Printable Recipe)

Two-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake
Yield:  1 large mug or 2 small mugs 

3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt

Whisk together the oil, milk, egg, and vanilla extract in a small bowl or directly into the microwave-safe mug you'll be using.

If desired, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and the salt into another small bowl; mix well and then add those ingredients to the oil and milk mixture.    (If you want to add the dry ingredients directly to the mug, go right ahead...but it may be a bit lumpy.)  Using a small whisk or a fork, mix the dry and wet ingredients together well.  Divide between two small microwave-safe mugs or use one larger one.

Microwave on high power for 2 minutes.  PLEASE BE CAREFUL BECAUSE IT WILL BE VERY HOT WHEN IT'S DONE. Let it sit for a minute or two, and then eat it immediately.

Variations:
Toss a few chocolate chips in the batter (they sink to the bottom and make a delicious fudgy layer).
Toss a few chocolate chips on top of the cake when it's done; allow to melt.
Poke holes in the cake when it's done and pour some sweetened condensed milk or dulce de leche all over it.
Add freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Recipe from My Hobbie Lobbie and Completely Delicious

Caramel and Dark Chocolate Cookie Cups

Caramel and Dark Chocolate Cookie Cups 

A rich, buttery chocolate "cookie" filled with homemade salted caramel sauce and topped with chopped almonds and melted dark chocolate.  

What's not to love?  

This recipe was created by Lisa from Sweet As Sugar Cookies, my assigned blog for this month's Secret Recipe Club.  Have a sweet tooth?  Want to make some delicious, original desserts?  Head on over to Lisa's blog!  Her recipes do not disappoint.   I've "known" Lisa for years by following her blog...in fact I'm pretty sure she's the reason I joined SRC.  :)

Please forgive me for this picture-heavy post.  Get your scrolling/swiping finger ready.  This recipe was very fun to make and I enjoyed shooting almost every step.

Begin by "creaming" together the butter, coconut oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt.  (I swapped out a second stick of butter for the coconut oil.)

Until the mixture looks dreamy and fluffy...like this. 

Add an egg and the vanilla (the amount of which I doubled from Lisa's original recipe.)  Mix again. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and soda. 

 

Usually whisking dry ingredients does the trick of mixing them together fully, but today the cocoa powder was being stubborn and balling up.  So I sifted the whole sha-bang.

Showed them who's boss!

A lovely volcano crater of cocoa and flour.  

Gently mix the egg/butter/sugar mixture with the cocoa/flour mixture.  But for the love of all things good and decent, DON'T over mix it.  That will make your cookies hard as rocks.  

The dough is thick and will look about like this.

(And your pile of dirty dishes will look about like this.)

Now, grab a greased mini-muffin tin.  Fill each cup about 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-11 minutes, JUST until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.  They will still look a bit soft, but again, for the love of all things good and decent....DON'T overbake them.

As soon as you remove them from the oven, take a small spoon (or your thumb), and press down the center of each muffin, making a well.

Now refrigerate this whole thing for 30 minutes or so (then you can gently remove the cookie cups from the tin...use a knife to free each muffin's perimeter; they should slide right out).

Meanwhile, let's enter salted caramel-making-land, shall we?  [Please note: Lisa's original recipe involves employing jarred caramel sauce...easier than making your own like I'm about to do in the steps below.  But I have to tell ya---I wanted to do a face-plant in this stuff.  It was incredible (and the salted caramel recipe also came from Lisa's site.)]

Heat granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it starts to melt and liquify. (This is organic sugar which is why it looks darker than regular granulated sugar.)

Here we go.

Keep whisking if that's working for you, or switch to a wooden spoon.  [I will tell you...some of these little sugar lumps would not dissolve and remained in the finished sauce.  Ask me if I cared. :)  The sauce was scrumptious and the lumps were undetectable in the finished cookie cups.]

 

After sugar has mostly melted, toss in the butter and stir well.

Lookin' good!  Then add the heavy cream, whisk like mad, remove pot from the heat, and allow it to cool down.

When ready, line a baking sheet with parchment paper (makes clean-up a snap!), and spoon about a teaspoon of the caramel sauce into the well of each "cookie cup".

(You may end up with some leftover caramel sauce.  This hardly qualifies as a tragedy.  Eat it straight-up, pour it over ice cream, stir it into your coffee.)

Then sprinkle over some chopped almonds,

and top with melted dark chocolate. 

Bliss.

All the thanks goes to Lisa for this fabulous recipe!

Here's the printable recipe...

Caramel and Dark Chocolate Cookie Cups
(Makes about 26 "cookie cups")

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut oil (you can substitute another stick of butter)
3/8 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped almonds, if desired

Salted Caramel Sauce/Filling:
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons salted butter, cubed (if you're using unsalted butter, add about 1/8 teaspoon salt)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature 

Toppings:  
Melted dark chocolate (about 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
Chopped almonds (about 1/4 cup, chopped)

To prepare "cookie cup" batter:  in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, coconut oil, salt, and both sugars together for about 1 minute on high speed, or until the color has lightened and the mixture is fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.  Add the egg and vanilla; mix again for about 30 seconds.  Add the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and baking soda to a separate mixing bowl.  Whisk well to combine.  If little balls of cocoa powder remain, sift the mixture into the egg/sugar/butter mixture.  Combine the flour and egg/butter mixture JUST UNTIL they are fully mixed (10 seconds or so).  Don't mix it too much, or the dough will be tough. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a mini-muffin tin.  Fill each cup about 3/4 full.  Bake for 10-11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the largest muffin comes out clean.  (Do NOT overbake.)  Immediately press a well into the center of each mini-muffin using a small spoon or your thumb.  Refrigerate the tin for about 30 minutes.  Then run a knife around the perimeter of each mini-muffin and gently encourage them out of the pan.  (Be careful...they will be crumbly.)

While the muffins are chilling, make the salted caramel sauce:  Have the caramel sauce ingredients set out and ready to use.  Place the sugar in a saucepan set over medium to medium-high heat.  Whisk it--break up any sugar lumps--soon the sugar will begin to melt and liquify.  When it turns a dark amber color add the butter and keep whisking.  Once the butter is melted, add the heavy cream.  Keep whisking until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly before adding to cookie cups.  

Line a baking sheet or other flat work surface with parchment or waxed paper (this makes clean-up much simpler).    Lay the cookie cups out on the surface.  Use a teaspoon to generously fill each cookie cup with the caramel sauce (there will be some sauce left over...it's great on ice cream or in your coffee!).  Sprinkle chopped almonds over the caramel sauce.  Then, melt the chocolate, place it in a Zip-lock baggie with a tiny part of a corner snipped off, and zig-zag the chocolate over cookie cups.  

I prefer the cookie cups at room temperature, but you can also store them in the fridge.  

Recipe slightly modified from Lisa at Sweet As Sugar Cookies

Creamy Chocolate Coconut Layer Bars (Gluten-Free)

A simple, rich and beautiful dessert.  The fact that it's gluten-free is just icing on the errrrr....bar.  

My assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club was the lovely Jess Smith of Inquiring Chef.  Jess and her husband, Frank, live in Bangkok, Thailand.  Her blog's "About" page is one of the best I've ever seen.  Jess has a crisp, easy-to-read writing style and her photography is stellar.  Don't walk, CLICK over to her blog right now to see what she's up to.  I'll wait here for you...

This recipe is very easy to make.  The hardest part is waiting for the whole dang thing to cool before you slice into it.  We've had very "Bangkok-y " weather here for the last few days, and my kitchen is warmer and much muggier than usual.  While this makes working with chocolate quite messy, I'd make these bars no matter the weather.  They're just that good.

The crust, for starters, is fantastic.  Made with coconut flour, brown sugar, eggs, butter, and almond extract, it imparts a rich (yet delicate?) balance to the chocolate, unsweetened coconut shavings, and sweetened condensed milk that sit atop it in layers.  If you aren't a coconut flour fan, you could modify the crust layer to something more short-breadish like this.  As for me, I'd like to marry coconut flour, so I found the recipe stupendously delicious. 

Jess notes that you can use either sweetened or unsweetened coconut.  I, for one, think my teeth would fall straight out of my head if the coconut was sweetened; the recipe gets plenty of sweetness from the condensed milk.  But that's up to you.  (BTW, I used coconut "chips" because I didn't have any of the shredded variety on hand.) 

I also drizzled it with a mixture of Nutella and coconut oil, as seen in the first and last photos. 

Good grief.  These are hard to share. 

(The printable recipe is here.)

Creamy Chocolate Coconut Layer Bars (Gluten-Free)
Makes 16 bars

½ cup coconut flour
⅓ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
4 eggs
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 and ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 and ¼ cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, according to preference)
½ cup sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare an 8" x 8" baking dish by greasing with butter and then laying down a piece of buttered parchment paper that is large enough to overlap the sides of the dish.  (This is useful for removing the finished recipe from the baking dish in one piece; it also speeds up the cooling time.) 

To prepare the crust:  in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, salt, and the brown sugar,  breaking up as many of the sugar lumps as possible.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, the eggs (be careful not to have the melted butter so hot that it will curdle the eggs), and the almond extract.  Pour the egg mixture into the coconut flour/sugar mixture.  Stir with a wooden spoon just until the two mixtures are incorporated (don't over-stir).  Pour the crust batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading to a smooth layer with the back of the spoon.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until set.  (The crust won't be brown after this amount of time, so don't wait for that to happen before removing it from the oven...)

After 8-10 minutes, remove the crust from the oven.  Pour over the chocolate chips in an even layer, then sprinkle the coconut over the chocolate, then drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the coconut.  Return dish to the oven for 13-17 minutes, until coconut begins to slightly brown (this will depend on your oven, so start checking it at 13 minutes).

Allow bars to completely cool before slicing.  When cool, cut into 16 squares.  

Chocolate Truffle Heart Cakes (Gluten-Free)

I have a recurring dream that I live in Brussels and own a tiny patisserie.  

My shop is nestled on a quiet cobblestone rue  between a cheese shop that also sells artisan dried tobacco, and a dressmaker who also sells flowers.  

An old man with a delicately carved cane gazes through my store window at the goodies in the pastry case, puffing through a new pinch of fragrant tobacco in his mahogany pipe, arms laden with a bouquet of hydrangeas and freesia from the florist/dressmaker next door, wondering if his beautiful wife wouldn't also enjoy a chocolat  confection to compliment her floral surprise.

We exchange our daily wave.  

The patisserie  has but one table:  a long, time-worn pine piece that seats 20.  My customers don't mind the familiar closeness of strangers as they sit with their steaming cups of cafe  and their morning croissant.  

Treasure-filled shelves line the walls:  old books, handmade soaps, brooches and hatpins rescued from estate sales, vintage aprons, sheet music for my favorite Chopin nocturnes, antique grain sacks re-purposed into tea towels, and seeds packets for Italian vegetables.  

I love this dream.  It's one I pray to have every night, because each time it comes, I add a little more detail.  The last time I had it, I met my husband.  He took me for a long bike ride on the outskirts of the city, complete with a picnic of cheese, bread and wine.  I am definitely planning to say "yes" when he asks me out again.

In the shop, I have many delicious desserts to choose from, like these Truffle Heart Cakes.

These cakes are from my secretly-assigned blog for this month's Secret Recipe Club:  Katrina's Baking and Boys.  Katrina's "crew" consists of four boys, ages 14 to 5, and her dear hubby.  She's fairly outnumbered, but seems to be loving it.  I understand, Katrina.  I, too, love being the resident princess.

Katrina's blog is wonderful and filled to the brim with delicious treats and confections; making a decision on which to recreate was hard, but my desire naturally gravitated to her chocolate heart-shaped truffle cakes.

Simple to make:  the glorious, glossy batter is baked in a 13" x 9" pan and then heart-shaped cookie cutters are used to make individual cakes.  The glaze is a breeze to make and oh-so-easy to spoon over the cooled cakes.  You can accessorize the cakes with raspberries, strawberries, whipped cream, or any number of delectable dessert sauces.  These babies are the little black dress of the dessert world.

I rolled the extra pieces of cake into truffles, covered them with the glaze and sprinkled them with cocoa powder.

Please stop by Katrina's site to see her delicious work.

(And thanks for letting me share my dream.)


Printable Recipe


Chocolate Truffle Heart Cakes
Makes a 13" x 9" cake; use cookie cutters to achieve individual cakes

1 cup unsalted butter (8 ounces)
8 ounces best quality semi-sweet (60% cocoa) chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
¼ cup strong coffee (if you like, place 1 tablespoon of brandy and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a measuring cup and then add coffee to make ¼ cup)
1 recipe Chocolate Glaze (see below)

Line a 13" x 9" cake pan with parchment paper.  Generously slather the paper and sides of the baking pan with butter.  Set aside. 

Melt butter in a medium saucepan (or in the microwave).  Add the chopped chocolate to melted butter and stir until melted.  

Measure sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl.  Whisk sugar and cocoa together to break up any lumps.  Add eggs and coffee (or any other combinations of desired liquid/liquors/extracts) to bowl and mix well.  Whisk in the melted butter/chocolate.  Batter will be thick and glossy. 

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake at 375 degrees until the surface of the cake appears dry and begins to develop tiny cracks--about 20-25 minutes.  Cool cake completely, then wrap well with both plastic wrap and foil.  Refrigerate overnight.  

Turn chilled cake out onto a clean, flat surface (such as a large cutting board).  Cut out heart shapes, or any shape you desire.  (I agree with Katrina's sentiment: this cake is extremely rich and filling, so any size larger than about 3 inches would probably be too much for one person.)  

Roll any remaining pieces of cake into small truffles.

Place a clean sheet of parchment paper beneath a wire cooling rack.  Place the cakes and any truffles you may have created on the wire rack.  Prepare the Chocolate Glaze (recipe below).  Use a ladle to spoon the glaze evenly over each cake and truffle.  Scrape any glaze that has dripped onto the parchment paper back into the bowl, if desired.  

[Alternatively, you can lift each cake with a spatula in one hand and use the other hand to ladle the glaze over the cakes.  Allow any extra glaze to drip directly back into the bowl.  (I was not coordinated enough to do it this way, but it would have been easier.)]

Chill the cakes on a wire rack.  Up to one hour prior to serving, arrange cakes on individual plates and let them come to room temperature.

Chocolate Glaze

12 ounces best quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
9 ounces (18 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ½ tablespoons (31 grams) light corn syrup
2 ½ tablespoons water

Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Place over a pan of steaming water. Stir frequently until mostly melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to finish melting, stirring until glaze is perfectly smooth. Let glaze cool to about 90 degrees F before using.

Recipe from Katrina at Baking with Boys

Orange-Glazed Sweet Rolls

A little bit sunshine for these dreary winter days... 

Orange rolls. 

Today is "reveal day" for the Secret Recipe Club.  That means I post something I prepared from the blog of another club member.  But as members of the club, we are to keep our assignments under wraps until today.  It's quite a bit of fun to find out who had whose blog and what was prepared.  

I was assigned to the blog called the "Cookbook of Trial and Error"  (love that honesty).  While I do not know the blog author's first name, I do know that her cooking doesn't seem very rookie-ish.  She has many wonderful items to choose from, including a great Challah bread recipe.  I laughed out loud when I read the chain of events that occurred while she was making it.  And I am so encouraged to try it myself.  I {heart} authenticity.

There is a little tea room in our town that is famous for their orange rolls.  The rolls are big.  Salty.  Sweet.  Tender.  Perfect.  I've been on the hunt for a good orange roll recipe for years (even though I've resolved none can match the tea room's...and I'm OK with that).  Seeing this recipe on Cook Book of Trial and Error's blog made it an easy selection.  Although I was a bit aghast that she listed the total calories of each roll (there are some things about which I'd rather remain ignorant), I will spend a little extra time on the treadmill now.   I had waaaaaay more than one. 

I mostly kept true to the original recipe.  But I did double it.  Because making only 9 rolls in my household would result in mutiny.

(The only thing I did change was that I let the glaze boil for a bit longer than originally suggested, making it thicker.)

Please do bring the eggs (and the sour cream) to room temperature first.  If you don't remember to do this far enough in advance, simply immerse the eggs in a bowl of warm water for several minutes.  Cold eggs will impede the rising of the dough.

Printable Recipe

Orange-Glazed Sweet Rolls

Makes about 9-10 medium-sized rolls

For the dough
2 and 1/4 teaspoons/ 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water (110 – 115F)
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
 
For the filling
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 
2 tbsp orange zest (about 3 medium oranges), finely grated
1/2 cup sugar 

For the orange glaze
6 tbsp sugar 
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream 
3 tbsp orange juice

For the dough:

In a small bowl, combine the yeast and the warm water.  Swirl them around together and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast dissolves and becomes bubbly.  (This is called "proofing" the yeast, so if this doesn't happen, the yeast may be old or ineffective.  Better to find out now than an hour down the road when the dough won't rise.)   

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, eggs, melted butter, and sour cream until smooth.  Stir in the dissolved yeast and 2 cups of the flour using a wooden spoon.  Gradually add in the remaining 1.5 cups of flour.  (At this point, you may have to begin working with your hands.)

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 6-7 minutes.  Place the dough in a large oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap, and then top the plastic wrap with a clean dish towel.  Place the covered bowl in a warm place to rest and rise for about 1.5 hours.  After the dough has risen to about double the size, you can refrigerate it for several hours or overnight (make sure the bowl is well-sealed so the dough won't dry out), or you can proceed with the recipe without refrigeration.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour.  (Flour the rolling pin, too.)  Roll the dough out to about a 14"x18" rectangle (about 1/4" thick).  Spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving about a 1-inch border on the edge.  Mix the grated orange zest with the sugar.  Sprinkle the zest/sugar mixture over the butter and press it down lightly.  

Place the 18-inch-long side of the dough closest to you.  Beginning with the shorter sides, roll the dough over once on each side.  Then from the bottom of the dough (the end closest to you), tightly roll the dough away from you.

Cut the ends of the dough off with a serrated knife.  (You can also use a piece of string or floss to cut the dough.)  Discard ends, if desired.  Then cut the dough into 1.5" rolls ("saw" gently with the knife...don't press down with the knife or the rolls will lose their circular shape).  Place the rolls in a lightly-greased 9-inch cake pan.  Cover the rolls with greased plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the middle roll is soft but not raw. 

For the glaze: 

When the rolls are almost done baking (the last 15 minutes), begin on the orange glaze. In a small pot, whisk together the sugar, softened butter, sour cream, and orange juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to boil the glaze for 5-6 minutes, until mixtures begin to thicken.  Remove from heat and allow the glaze to rest until rolls are done.

Once the rolls are removed from the oven, pour the glaze over them. Serve warm.

Recipe from Cook Book of Trial and Error (originally from Gingerbread Bagels...but the link is not working)

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate-Honey Ganache

"A Bundt cake?  What's a Bundt cake?"

A favorite movie of mine is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."  Since seeing this terrific depiction of the vast differences between the Greek and American cultures (and the hilarity of trying to introduce and combine the two) I can no longer bake a Bundt cake without thinking of this scene:

I really love people.  Thank God He made us all quirky and different, strange and wonderful.  

I also really love the Secret Recipe Club.  I've been a member since last August, and it's proved to be something I anticipate every month.

In fact, because of this club, I was able to confidently reach out to some amazing food bloggers as I organized the world blogging tour for "A Family Farm in Tuscany", a cookbook recently written by Sarah Fioroni and published by my mom, Kathy Shearer of Shearer Publishing.  "A Family Farm in Tuscany" is the gorgeous story of one family's dedication to an incredible piece of land nestled in the Tuscan hills.

 

Most of the bloggers I invited to participate in the tour were fellow club members:  Amanda from Fake Ginger, Sarah from The Pajama Chef, Melissa from I Was Born to Cook, Veronica from Veronica's Cornucopia,  Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic, Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen, Erin from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts, Barbara from Barbara Bakes, Erica from Itzy's Kitchen, Katie at This Chick Cooks, Chris and Rachel from The Keenan Cookbook, Katherine from Katherine Martinelli, and Jane from The Heritage Cook.  It was easy to work with these club members, and they each did such a beautiful job reviewing the book and posting the recipe they prepared from it.  My family and Sarah's family collectively extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to each of them. 

Regarding The Secret Recipe Club, here's how it works:  the names of all the food bloggers in each group are randomized and matched up.  Members are assigned a food blog to cook from before the next month's "reveal date."  So we stalk each other's blogs like tigresses in the jungle, waiting to pounce on just the right recipe to make as our own.  Then we post about it, revealing our assigned blog and what we prepared on the predetermined reveal date.

This month, I was assigned to Jane at The Heritage Cook.   In addition to being a terrific food blogger, Jane is also the leader of our group.  I cannot say enough kind things about her.  She's gracious.  She's encouraging.  She's dependable---the kind of person you can absolutely count on.  She's also mighty talented in the kitchen, and her Chocolate Mondays are doing their dangest to make me dig out the pants extender from my maternity clothes box.

Choosing this chocolate bundt cake was easy.  I'm a huge sucker for chocolate cake.  Add a dreamy ganache, and there's no way I can resist.

But keeping my mouth shut about the cake was hard.  I've never come closer to "blowing it" than I did this month.  I caught myself wanting to tell Jane, as I was corresponding with her about the book tour, "OH my GAAAAAAAWWWWWSSSSHHH, that chocolate bundt cake I made from your blog was so good!!"

Thankfully we were only emailing and not chatting on the phone, or there is no way I could have stopped myself. 

My only additions/substitutions to Jane's lovely recipe were that I used white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, I added in some chocolate chips to the batter, and I used honey instead of corn syrup in the ganache. Click here to see Jane's original recipe.

Here's the printable version of the recipe below.

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate-Honey Ganache

Cake

Vegetable oil spray (or butter for greasing cake pan)

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup strong-brewed coffee

1 cup buttermilk

Ganache Glaze

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup heavy cream

1-1/2 tsp honey

1-1/2 tsp unsalted butter 

  

Optional toppings: toasted nuts, shredded coconut, roasted cocoa nibs, etc.  

To prepare the cake: Arrange an oven rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter or vegetable oil spray.

In a small saucepan, gently melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly.  Transfer the melted chocolate to a large bowl and allow to cool slightly.  Whisk in the oil and the honey until the mixture is smooth.  Then whisk in the egg.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Remove three tablespoons of this mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

Being careful not to over-mix, add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate/egg mixture.  Pour in 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; whisk until just combined.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and the remaining coffee and buttermilk.  Again, whisk until smooth.

Add the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the reserved three tablespoons of the flour mixture and stir well.  Pour the flour/chocolate chip mixture into the batter and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon just until incorporated.  

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes mostly clean (remember, if you jab a chocolate chip the toothpick will come out covered in chocolate). Let the cake cool in the bundt pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then turn it out of pan and allow it to cool completely, rounded side up.

To make the ganache glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it is steaming (stir often to keep it from scorching). In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 3 oz of chopped chocolate with the honey and butter. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate/butter/honey mixture and let stand until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes.

Place the cooled cake on a cake plate or other desired serving platter.  Beginning at the tallest area of the cake, pour the glaze around the top of the cake.   Pouring a little extra in some spots will encourage the glaze to spill over the sides.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with toasted nuts, coconut, cocoa nibs, etc, if desired. 

Allow the glazed cake to rest for 30 minutes before serving.  

 Recipe slightly adapted from:  The Heritage Cook