This “Retro Desserts Recreated as Bundts” themed cake, is yet another example of how things can go wrong in the kitchen, leaving me to deal with the mess that I inexcusably created in my exuberance to create the perfect Bundt Bakers masterpiece. This month Felice from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs is our Bundt Bakers host, and in no way can she be held accountable for the cake disaster that took place over my kitchen counter. I fully take all responsibility. This is definitely not the first time that I have tried to turn out a Bundt cake, only to discover that it has no intention of cooperating with my wishes. However, this was the worst case of Bundt-stickage I have ever experienced in my many years of baking. It was not pretty folks, and there may have been a few tears shed in the process, and perhaps 15 to 26 curse words uttered aloud for the entire Town of Herndon to hear.
So, how do you keep a Bundt cake from sticking to the pan? That’s the million-dollar question. Most recipes tell you to grease and flour the pan before adding the cake batter to it, but I will have to say that 50% of the time this makes absolutely no difference. That cake is gonna do what it wants to do, no matter what you have to say about it. Use all the curse words you want, because you are going to carefully piece that cake back together as best you can, slather it with frosting, and hope that no one takes notice of the cake disaster underneath all that marshmallow buttercream and ganache.
After years of experience with Bundt cake failures, I have come to a few realizations. First, always use butter, because it not only tastes better than vegetable shortening, but it tends to be better at helping the cake release from the pan. Once again, butter comes to the rescue, and wins everyone’s heart in the process. Second, use a pastry brush to slather the Bundt pan in every nook and cranny with that miracle room-temperature butter. This is especially important when using a “fancy” Bundt Pan with lots of intricate details.
No matter what substance you utilize to grease your pan, you will still need to dust your Bundt pan with flour before pouring the batter in. Or, maybe you should throw caution to the wind and experiment with different options. Be totally daring and add bread, cookie, or brownie crumbs in lieu of flour to the greased pan. It will help prevent sticking, as well as add flavor and texture; basically it’s a win-win. Anything has got to be better than the cooking spray and flour combination that never works out in my favor. The oil tends to collect in the bottom of the pan, which means the flour clumps up there as well, leaving the top of the Bundt cake looking odd and tasting like oiled flour.
Last but not least, there is time to consider. How long after you take that sugar-wafting pan of loveliness out of the oven should it take before you dare to flip it out onto a baking rack to finish cooling? Once again, I’m obviously no expert, considering 5 out of 10 times my cake requires a spatula to piece it back together, but after much trial and error I do have a strong opinion on this matter. More time is always better. Forget that 10 to 15 minute crap that most recipes shove down your throat, especially if the cake is an extremely moist one. I now frequently err on the side of caution and wait at least 2 hours before even attempting to see if my cake is melded to my Bundt pan forever like an old married couple celebrating 50 years of marriage together, or is instead comparable to a couple that may have had a few too many drinks in Vegas and drunkenly visited a drive-thru chapel with Elvis officiating the quickie ceremony, only to wake up the next morning and shamefully sneak away from one another as fast as possible.
No matter what happens, always remember that you can save whatever catastrophe you are left with after the cake finally separates from its’ pan. Without a doubt, swear words work wonders in this situation as well; don’t hold back on my account. Be creative; come up with a few combinations that make even the cat stare at you in confusion. You’ll feel all the better for it. Then, after all of that cathartic venting, I suggest whipping up tons of frosting. More frosting than you think would possibly be necessary to decorate a cake with, and then when all of that frosting isn’t enough to fix the disaster of a cake in front of you, whisk up a batch of ganache to top it all off with. Perhaps you could go even one step further, by giving your cake a wacky name to make is seem like all that frosting and ganache was meant to be. Use the word lava, and have everyone believing that your cake is brilliant, and not just a sad pieced together Bundt cake hiding under a thick layer of frosting and ganache posing as an inside-out version of your favorite retro snack cake.
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Water
- 1/3 Cup Cocoa
- 1 Teaspoon Fleur de Sel
- 1/2 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Coffee
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Chocolate Extract
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Cup Miniature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
Frosting:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 2 (7-oz.) Containers Marshmallow Creme
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
Ganache:
- 6-oz. Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- Pinch of Salt
Directions:
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour a Bundt cake pan; set aside.
- Over medium heat, combine the butter, water, cocoa, fleur de sel, and espresso. Cook until the butter is completely melted; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda.
- Slowly whisk the cocoa mixture into the flour.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time; followed by the extracts, and then the sour cream.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1-tablespoon of flour with the miniature chocolate chips.
- Fold the flour-coated chocolate chips into the cake batter with a silicone spatula.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan, and then bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a baking rack to cool for two hours, before removing it from the pan.
Frosting:
- Cream the butter for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the marshmallow creme and vanilla; mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time; mix for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Use a petal cake decorating tip to create ripples falling down the Bundt cake.
- Refrigerate cake for 2 hours.
Ganache:
- On medium heat, combine the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and salt.
- Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted; remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the ganache down the sides of the cold cake to create a lava effect.
- Refrigerate cake until 2 hours before serving.
Suggestions:
- The Chocolate Extract
in this cake is optional. If it is something you do not have in your pantry, feel free to leave it out of the recipe.
- If your cake should happen to stick to the pan, do your best job to reconstruct it. The frosting and ganache will easily hide any cake surgery.
- If you do not have a petal cake decorating tip, place the frosting in a large Ziploc bag, snip off the tip, and then pipe cascading lines down the cake or use a knife or spatula to spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.
- I suggest purchasing this 29 Piece Decorating Set
for all of your cake decorating adventures. There is a tip for almost every occasion, and the storage container keeps everything clean and organized for when you need it and your hands are covered in frosting and ganache.
Improvements:
- Fill the middle well of the cake with your favorite candy or edible flowers for decoration.
- Instead of putting frosting on the outside of the cake, cut the Bundt into several layers and spread the frosting between each one.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Water
- 1/3 Cup Cocoa
- 1 Teaspoon Fleur de Sel
- 1/2 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Coffee
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 3/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Chocolate Extract
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Cup Miniature Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 2 (7-oz.) Containers Marshmallow Creme
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
- 6-oz. Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- Pinch of Salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour a Bundt cake pan; set aside.
- Over medium heat, combine the butter, water, cocoa, fleur de sel, and espresso. Cook until the butter is completely melted; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda.
- Slowly whisk the cocoa mixture into the flour.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time; followed by the extracts, and then the sour cream.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1-tablespoon of flour with the miniature chocolate chips.
- Fold the flour-coated chocolate chips into the cake batter with a silicone spatula.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan, and then bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a baking rack to cool for two hours, before removing it from the pan.
- Cream the butter for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the marshmallow creme and vanilla; mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar a cup at a time; mix for 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Use a petal cake decorating tip to create ripples falling down the Bundt cake.
- Refrigerate cake for 2 hours.
- On medium heat, combine the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and salt.
- Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted; remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the ganache down the sides of the cold cake to create a lava effect.
- Refrigerate cake until 2 hours before serving.
You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.
And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month.
- Boston Cream Bundt by Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food
- Boston Cream Pie Bundt Cake by Mary at Los Chatos Chefs
- Campbell’s Tomato Soup Cake by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Coca~Cola Bundt Cake by Mondo at I Bake He Shoots
- Hummingbird Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook
- Inside-Out Ho Hos Lava Bundt Cake by Colleen at Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Key Lime Bundt Cake by Sarah at The Chef Next Door
- Lemon Meringue Pie Bundt by Felice at All That’s Left are the Crumbs
- New York Style Crumb Cake by Tammy at Living the Gourmet
- Nutella Chocolate Milkshake Bundt Cake by Bea and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes
- Orange Creamsicle Cake by Sue at Palatable Pastime
- Pantera Rosa Bundt Cake by Rocío at kidsandchic
- Root Beer Float Bundt Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles
- Sock It To Me Cake by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Strawberry Milkshake Swirl Bundt Cake by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
- Tomato Soup Bundt Cake by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
- Tunnel of Fudge Cake by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
