Thursday 29 November 2018

blood orange, chocolate, and buttermilk bundt




Chocolate, orange, and a party bundt, what's not to love? This chocolate, blood orange and buttermilk bundt is a bit of a favourite; the sponge is light and moist, the gentle chocolate flavour and tangy blood orange, a perfect pair. The recipe suits a 12 cup bundt pan, but if yours like mine is a 10 cup, it also makes 6 bonus cupcakes! This bundt pan is genuinely called the "party bundt", it's a Nordic ware pan from Williams-Sonoma, and is my absolute favourite; it's really pretty, not too intricate so is less likely to stick, and its lovely symmetrical pattern makes for perfectly even portions. If you've missed blood orange season, a regular orange will work just as well, your only sacrifice the most perfect shade of pink!

chocolate, blood orange bundt

325g plain flour, cake flour if you can find it

2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
330g caster sugar
375ml canola oil
zest of 1 blood orange
2 large eggs
250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
2 tsps white vinegar
1 1/2 tsps bicarb soda

blood orange icing, recipe below


 preheat your oven to 175ÂșC 

• carefully grease your bundt pan with softened butter, ensuring you coat the entire surface, particularly any creases, then dust with cocoa powder. If you are using a 10 cup bundt pan you will have extra mixture, enough for 6 small cupcakes, so pop 6 cupcake liners into a cupcake pan, 
I generally use dark or foil cases, I think they look better when baked. 
 over a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt, set aside
• using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or hand held mixer, mix together the oil and sugar until combined, then add the eggs one at a time, make sure your first egg is completed incorporated before you add the next 
• add the blood orange zest and mix to combine, the batter looks really weird at this point, but stick with it!
 with the mixer on low, tip in 1/3 of the flour/cocoa comb and mix until just combined, add 1/2 buttermilk, mix until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk, finishing with the last 1/3 of the flour/cocoa
 in a cup or small bowl, mix the bicarb soda and vinegar together, it will foam up, tip into the cake batter and mix until combined
 fill your cupcake cases 2/3 full, I use an ice-cream scoop with a release for this, it helps me to keep the cakes the same size. Tip the remaining batter into the bundt pan
 bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes, the bundt cake will take 30-35 minutes, up to 40 minutes for the 12 cup bundt pan, check it after 30 minutes by gently poking the centre of your cake with a skewer or piece of uncooked spaghetti, the skewer will come out clean when the cake is cooked. Immediately invert the bundt cake onto a cooling rack and leave to cool
 cool your cup cakes on a wire cooling rack, when completely cold they are ready to ice
• drizzle the cake (and cupcakes) with blood orange icing and enjoy


blood orange icing


125g icing sugar

juice of 1/2 blood orange

• sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl

• gradually add the blood orange juice until you have a thick icing, you want it to just drop off your spoon, slightly looser than a paste
• use immediately

1 comment:

Natalie said...

This cake looks absolutely gorgeous!