Citrus and bundt cake go so well together that the minute I found out it was this month’s pairing for Bundt a Month, I decided I would bake something original, stay away from the lemon poppy or orange rum combinations that immediately popped into
my mind.
You know, they are so obvious, I said to myself, and I believe I’m capable of interesting combinations, a bit unexpected, like the cardamom saffron bundt or chocolate port.
my mind.
You know, they are so obvious, I said to myself, and I believe I’m capable of interesting combinations, a bit unexpected, like the cardamom saffron bundt or chocolate port.
I had started thinking grapefruit, because I want to use it more, it’s such a neglected citrus, but that obviously didn’t happen. Sometimes when I try so hard to come up with a clever idea I end up with a basic one. Orange and chocolate. And a marble bundt. Orange chocolate marble bundt cake, doesn’t get much less original than that.
It seemed almost outdated, the marble part, not even hip-retro, the kind of simple cake that nobody cares for anymore, now that olive oil cakes are considered the new little black dress and old fashioned layer ones consist of four or five layers, filled and frosted, and considered to be in the plain category. Ah, food blogging.
But after making this cake, brainstorming was definitely over. This is a solid bundt cake with wonderful flavors that took me a long time to get to. I wasn’t consciously looking for it, or so I thought, but now I know that it was in the back of my mind, that recipe that will be good anytime I want to make a citrus bundt cake, with or without the marble effect, or a regular marble cake flavored with vanilla instead of citrus.
This will be my go-to recipe, just like the chocolate port bundt cake recipe is the one in that chocolate category, this might be the best citrus one I came across. The crumb is moist but slightly dense, almost like a good pound cake.
And, of course, it unmolds like a d.r.e.a.m. Which might be the reason I have so few favorite bundt cake recipes and get so overly excited when I try one that gets me into sort of an eureka! moment, when flavor, texture and unmolding come together perfectly.
My idea of chocolate and orange is usually a chocolate cake with orange flavor, be it zest or candied fruit or a glaze with orange juice. Here it’s a hint of cocoa with the right amount of orange tartness.
It turned out that when I made this cake different friends came over, at different times, and they all went away with a few slices and an assortment of other sweets I had lying around, like these truffles and this monkey bread. All of them called to tell me that they liked everything but the best part was the cake.
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups 340g unsalted butter, room tº
- 3 cups 600g sugar
- 5 large eggs (at room tº)
- 3 cups 400g flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 3 Tbs brandy or cognac
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 or 2 Tbs cognac
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F /180ºC.
- Butter or spray a large bundt cake pan.
- Coat the entire surface with dry breadcrumbs, shaking off excess.
- In a large bowl beat butter until creamy and slowly add sugar, beating for 2 or 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add orange zest, brandy or cognac, and vanilla.
- Sift flour and baking soda together in a small bowl (I do this directly over the butter mixture).
- Add dry ingredients in three additions alternating with milk in two additions. Don’t overbeat.
- Transfer 1 cup of this mixture to a small bowl and mix into it the sifted cocoa. Gently mix until well incorporated.
- Add half the orange batter to the pan, spreading evenly. Drop half the cocoa mixture over it, and swirl a few times with a knife. Repeat with remaining batters.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a tester inserted comes clean.
- Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Unmold onto serving platter and glaze.
For the glaze:
- In a small bowl mix powdered sugar with cognac until very smooth.
- Pour over cooled cake and let drip down the sides.
adapted from The Buttercup Bakeshop Cookbook, by Jennifer Appel
ALVARO says
May 20, 2013 at 06:41fue un desastre, se me quedó pegado en el molde de bundt. Yo uso nordic ware 🙁
wp_vknotes_admin says
May 20, 2013 at 11:32Ay Alvaro, que bronca que se te pego. Yo ya la hice dos veces y siempre salio bien, por eso la publique. Que raro con nordic ware, porque se supone que son de los mejores moldes. Que usaste para engrasar el molde? El spray vegetal es lo mejor.
ALVARO says
May 16, 2013 at 08:44y una ultima pregunta jajajaja. Esta torta es para un molde de qué medida?
wp_vknotes_admin says
May 16, 2013 at 11:49Usa un molde de 24cm de ancho total. Si no conseguis de torta bundt, seguro conseguís con tubo central, que el lo mismo pero la superficie del molde es chata y lisa y no curva y acanalada. Suerte!
ALVARO says
May 16, 2013 at 08:27Hola Paula. vuelvo a molestarte, lo siento. Me pregunto que equivalencia en gramos puede ser 3/4 cup milk. Es que en español no se usa la medida Cup. gracias.
wp_vknotes_admin says
May 16, 2013 at 11:45Alvaro, no molestas para nada, todo lo contrario.
1 taza de liquido (agua, leche, etc) son 250cc (1 litro = 4 tazas).
ALVARO says
May 14, 2013 at 09:00me encanta tu blog. Lo peor que el traductor de google me traduce al español fatal jajajajaja, pero no te preocupes que ya veo que hablas mi idioma y si tengo alguna duda te pregunto. Esta receta me la llevo. ¿está rica? un saludo desde España.
wp_vknotes_admin says
May 14, 2013 at 11:22Ay si, tal cual, traduce bien para sacarte del apuro, pero no es para leer un blog entero! Cualquier cosa me preguntas, por supuesto!
Cocoa and Lavender says
January 26, 2013 at 14:09Paula – your baking prowess never fails to amaze and impress me! Everything you make looks and, I am sure, tastes flawless. I have a fear of bundts… That they won't release from the pan. Did you ever have this fear? ~ David
wp_vknotes_admin says
January 26, 2013 at 14:19It is the number one fear, and what makes or brakes a bundt cake recipe! My 96% no-fail method: spray the pan with those awful vegetable things and coat with dry breadcrumbs, yes breadcrumbs. And look for bundt cake recipes and stick to those that work, don´t try to make any cake recipe a bundt one. Did you make the pandoro?
Cocoa and Lavender says
January 26, 2013 at 20:40Thanks for the vegetable spray and breadcrumbs advice! I will definitely try that. And I will trust your well-tested recipes. This is one I will make soon, as we are overwhelmed with fresh oranges right now.
I had planned on making the pandoro today but slept late, so it will happen tomorrow. I am a little nervous about it unmolding, too! The mold came compressed and I am not sure how much to pull it out before filling. We shall see. Maybe the bundt will win out over the pandoro tomorrow.
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
January 18, 2013 at 19:10Chocolate and orange is a winning combo. This bundt looks amazing!
Ann@Anncoo Journal says
January 18, 2013 at 14:16Love the swirl inside the cake. So pretty!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
January 17, 2013 at 16:45Paula, there ain't nothing ordinary or boring about this cake. If I came over to your house and this stunning beauty was lying around, I'd sneak it out under my jacket so that I could eat it all myself. I adore the combination of chocolate and orange. This cake looks so dense, moist and flavourful. The chocolate swirl is so pretty – I don't think I could get a cake to marble this well. Onto my 2013 bucket list this goes!
Patty says
January 17, 2013 at 13:54I love this cake too Paula! I am a huge fan of marble cakes and your flavors are just spot on! Great post with beautiful photos;-)
Laura says
January 17, 2013 at 04:52The cake is gorgeous! I am not a fan of fruit and chocolate, but that cake is enough to convince me otherwise!