Halving Bundt Cake Recipes
dachshundlady
Now that the hubbie is retired but the kids live away, a bundt cake is really too big for us. And I'd rather not bake it, cut it in half and freeze that awkward shape. Just wondered how you would bake a half recipe. The hole in the cake pan helps it bake thru but if it were halved, would you just use a round cake pan or a loaf pan?
badge posted by: dachshundlady on January 22, 2012 at 5:54 am in General discussions
reply by: dachshundlady on January 23, 2012 at 1:10 pm
dachshundlady
Yes, it makes sense. Plus, cherries are expensive!
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reply by: HerBoudoir on January 23, 2012 at 6:57 am
HerBoudoir
Yay! New cake recipe to try!
Just a thought looking at it....if I were making a 1/2 size cake in a smaller bundt pan, I would probably go down to 1/3 of the filling recipe rather than 1/2. You'll still need enough cake batter to "seal in" the filling and I don't think a straight divide by 2 across the board will work.
I think it would work in a straight divide by 2 for a loaf pan though....which would also allow you to do some sort of struesel topping on this which would be awesome.
Does that make sense or have I just not had enough coffee this morning?
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reply by: dachshundlady on January 23, 2012 at 6:38 am
dachshundlady
Dark Cherry Bundt Cake
Source: © EatingWell Magazine
Active Time: 45 Minutes
Total Time: 3 Hours 12 servings
Remove Image
Cherries and almond extract pair beautifully in this delectable cake. Yogurt adds subtle flavor and helps keep the cake moist.
Make Ahead Tip: Equipment: 10-inch Bundt pan or tube pan with removable bottom
INGREDIENTS
For Cherry filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed; see Tip) dark sweet cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons kirsch (see Note) or orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
For Cake:
1 2/3 cups cake flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 cups nonfat vanilla or lemon yogurt
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Be sure to measure frozen cherries while still frozen, then thaw. (Drain juice before using).
Ingredient Note: Kirsch (also called kirschwasser) is clear cherry brandy, commonly used as a flavor enhancer in fondue and cherries jubilee.
Equipment Note: A nonreactive pan or container—stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass—is necessary when preparing acidic foods, such as cherries, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan or container. Reactive pans, such as aluminum or cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor in acidic foods.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Very generously coat a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan with cooking spray. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
To prepare cherry filling: Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium nonreactive saucepan (see Note). Stir in cherries, kirsch (or orange juice), lemon zest and almond extract. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture looks like very thick jam and has reduced to about 1 cup, 5 to 7 minutes.
To prepare cake: Sift cake flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low, then medium speed, until very light and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping the sides as needed. Add half the yogurt and beat until very smooth. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half the dry ingredients until incorporated. Beat in the remaining yogurt, eggs, vanilla and almond extract until combined, scraping the sides as needed. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated.
Spoon a generous half of the batter into the prepared pan, spreading to the edges. Spoon the cherry mixture over the batter. Top with the remaining batter. Grease a butter knife and swirl it vertically through the batter and cherries.
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out with no crumbs clinging to it and the top springs back when lightly pressed, 50 to 65 minutes. (Dark-colored metal pans usually bake cakes faster than light-colored or shiny metal pans). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand until the cake is completely cooled, about 1 1/2 hours. Very carefully run a knife around the edges and center tube to loosen the cake from sides and bottom. Rap the pan sharply against the counter several times to loosen completely. Invert the pan onto a serving plate and slide the cake out. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar before serving.
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reply by: cwcdesign on January 23, 2012 at 4:16 am
cwcdesign
Jan,
I went through the process of thinking that silicone pans were just what I needed to get me baking. I was not pleased. For a while I thought the silicone bundt pan was just wonderful. But, the cakes were always denser than anything I made in a metal bundt pan and cleaning it was horrendous. It was always sticky afterward and I ended up having to use one of those "scrunge" sponges to clean it. Of course, then the surface was all scratched up.
I now have a KitchenAid bundt pan I found at HomeGoods at least 6 years ago. It has a good coating, like the USA pans. It's heavy enough and I've only had one cake stick in all that time.
Carol
PS When I learned to weigh my ingredients, especially flour, that's when I really started baking:-)
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reply by: hickeyja on January 22, 2012 at 6:55 pm
hickeyja
Here is a silicone bundt pan: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Smartware-Silicone-Bundt-Pan/5323648/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}#top
Jan
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reply by: HerBoudoir on January 22, 2012 at 6:27 pm
HerBoudoir
Well first of all....recipe link? Love me some dark cherries 🙂
I know most Nordicware is cast aluminum, but their Classic Colors line is just listed as "cast metal". Perhaps that's what you need? Would cast aluminum with a nonstick coating work?
Nordic also makes smaller loaf pans with specific themes, like a lemon loaf and a pumpkin loaf. Fun stuff. The only thing to remember particularly with the smaller Nordic pans are that the details don't come out as crisp as you'd hope.
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reply by: frick on January 22, 2012 at 6:19 pm
frick
dlady, it's going to be hard to find a bundt pan that isn't aluminum, tho I do have on old cheapie with a useless 'non-stick' coating inside. I assume the caution against aluminum means something in the cake will react and either discolor, or acquire an odd taste. When I did bake in the cheap pan years ago, I thought the cakes in it turned out fine, however they may have been the 'take a cake mix and add a pudding mix' type of cake. So, you might look at thrift stores for something like my cheapie, or bake in two loaf pans, though they couldn't be aluminum either.
Let us know how it turns out, or post the recipe. I would love to make a cherry bundt cake and while I might invent one by substituting, yours would be a good recipe to have.
I think if I made one, I might be tempted to put a cup of the batter in a baby aluminum loaf pan just to see what would happen.
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reply by: hickeyja on January 22, 2012 at 4:57 pm
hickeyja
This should help with coverting recipes to other pan sizes. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/bakingdish.htm Jan
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reply by: dachshundlady on January 22, 2012 at 4:22 pm
dachshundlady
Oh and one recipe I want to try is a dark cherry bundt. Recipe warns to not use aluminum.
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reply by: dachshundlady on January 22, 2012 at 4:18 pm
dachshundlady
I have 4 of those smaller bundts but like to freeze symmetrical shapes. Would prefer a loaf shape. But will check out those sites. I assume I could fill my loaf pans 2/3 full and any extra batter could go in the individual pans.
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reply by: hickeyja on January 22, 2012 at 3:28 pm
hickeyja
DHL, Here are some smaller bundt-style pans to make those smaller cakes.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/half-size-bundt-pan
http://bund-form.kaiserbakeware.com/Mini-Bundform-Pans-cat2327.html?pare...
http://www.nordicware.com/store/categories/browse/bundt-cake-pans/F60682... Jan
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reply by: --jej on January 22, 2012 at 12:26 pm
--jej
I'd say yes, Weezer. I've doubled recipes that I've wanted to use in a larger pan. Sometimes also 1 1/2 times, sometimes by 1/3, especially if the original calls for 3 eggs. Likewise, the number of eggs also tells me how I want to reduce a recipe, as when there are 3 in the original. Just makes it easier.
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reply by: Weezer on January 22, 2012 at 11:50 am
Weezer
After reading these posts, I have a question about doing the opposite. Can a cake recipe be doubled or maybe 11/2 times the recipe? I like my red velvet recipe better than any other recipe I have tried, but although the recipe makes 3 lyrs, they are thin, I think a little more than a pound of batter per pan, and after I get it iced, it is not as tall as a regular cake would be. If I could increase the recipe by 1/2, I think the lyrs. would be a normal thickness, and the finished cake would be a better height. Thank you for any help you can give me on this.
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reply by: rottiedogs on January 22, 2012 at 11:35 am
rottiedogs
I make the full recipe but use two 6 cup Bundt pans instead of the full size 12 cup. I started doing this to give the smaller cakes as gifts. If we want some type of Bundt cake I'll do this for us too. One to eat and one for the freezer to enjoy later.
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reply by: HerBoudoir on January 22, 2012 at 9:39 am
HerBoudoir
Nordicware makes a "duo" pan and a "quad" pan to make smaller size bundts. They work great with a full size recipe. Keep one, give one (or 3) away, or freeze them. Kaiser also makes lots of small size bundts as well but they are individuals rather than "multiples in one pan".
Alternatively, most recipes work fine if you halve them.....I've been doing "small batch" baking for years because it's just the 2 of us, and there's only so much we can eat (and should eat). I'm sure someone more scientific minded will point out what you need to adjust, but I usually just adjust by dividing by 2 with good results.
Incidentally - if you want just half a batch of cookies, most cookie dough freezes beautifully...drop cookies especially. You can scoop out to a baking sheet, freeze, then throw them all in a bag after frozen. Just bake an extra minute or two straight from frozen.
If you want to do smaller batch baking, there's an amazing array of small bundts, pie plates, rounds, etc....and it's a great excuse to buy new bakeware 😉 I've had a lot of fun over the years doing elaborate cakes with 4, 5, and 6 inch diameter cake rounds/squares.
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reply by: cwcdesign on January 22, 2012 at 8:12 am
cwcdesign
DL,
You can bake a whole bundt cake in 2 loaf pans (8 x 4 1/2). See frick's recipe for the marble cake
http://community.kingarthurflour.com/content/birthdays-and-chocolate-0
I did make it in 2 loaf pans, and froze one - it worked out perfectly!!
(see below for this thread)
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reply by: sandra Alicante on January 22, 2012 at 7:58 am
sandra Alicante
Can you not find a smaller Bundt pan? I bought some a couple of months ago, they were supposed to be for children to bake with (heheh!) and sold in Lidl or Aldi for about €4. Only about 6 inches across, brilliant for only 2 people, used about 125g flour. Of course you could use a normal small round pan but not as pretty or as forgiving.
May be worth having a look in some toy shops!
sandrascookbook.com
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Repl

Birthdays and Chocolate
frick
Though my b'day was Friday, today I baked my cake, and a gosh darn great one it was even though it didn't come out of the pan very well. The important thing is the recipe and the combination of chocolate were a sum far greater than the parts. Serendipity as it were.
My son and DH thrive on chocolate and I had bought some Premium chips I wanted to try. The combination of the Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet chocolate chips and the other ingredients resulted in a flavor as if there were cream cheese in the recipe. This marble cake from the Buttercake Bakery, had received raves in the LA Times and I had the 12-cup bundt pan it requires so that was this morning's project.
Since the recipe has already been published in the newspaper, I feel free to leave it here to make you drool, or bake . . .I have a couple of special notes on the chocolate, as well as thoughts on the sticking problem (entirely my fault). So here goes: If you don’t have a 12 cup bundt pan, use two loaf pans, checking them to approximate 6 cups each. Most of the cake comes out dark chocolate. Don’t know where the vanilla part went. . . . . It’s VERY rich and will probably replace all the chocolate cakes in my life forever and ever.
Buttercake Bakery’s Marble Cake
Total Time 1 ½ hours
Servings: 12-16
Adapted from the Buttercake Bakery
2 ½ cups sugar divided (1/2 cup for syrup; 2 cups for cake)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder **See Note below
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 ½ tsp vanilla extract, divided (1/2 tsp for syrup; 2 tsp for cake)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (8 ounces, 2 sticks), at room temp
4 eggs; at room temp
1 cup milk; at room temp
1 cup chocolate chips ** See Note below
1. In a small saucepan, whisk together ½ cup of the sugar, the cocoa, corn syrup and ½ cup hot water. Bring just to a simmer, stirring to prevent cocoa or syrup from sticking to bottom of pan. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. When cool, add ½ tsp. vanilla. (I put mine in the frig to hasten cooling).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and lightly flour a 12 cup bundt pan. The newer 10 cup pans are too small.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large mixer bowl, cream butter with 2 cups sugar until ight and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix in well. Add vanilla.
4. Gently mix in the flour in three parts alternating with the milk in 2 parts until the batter is light and smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Divide the batter into three parts. Stir the cooled (not chilled) chocolate syrup into 1/3 of the batter. Pour 1 part vanilla batter into bundt pan, following with chocolate batter and ending with last part vanilla batter. Gently swirl through all three layers with a knife to marbleize the cake.
6. Place in oven and bake about 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and when the cake springs back lightly when touched. (The toothpick may encounter a melted chocolate chip, so I removed the cake when it barely began to pull away from the sides of the pan)
7. Cool the cake on a wire rack and invert onto a serving plate. Dust the top lightly with powdered sugar.
**Note # 1. I put 1 tablespoon KA’s Black Cocoa in the measuring cup before filling it with generic cocoa (I have Hershey’s mixed with a can of Kroger cocoa).
**Note # 2. I feel a lot of the amazing flavor of the cake comes from the chocolate chips I used. -- Ghiradelli Premium 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. Frankly, I’m going to buy these from now own. They are amazing and don’t cost a whole lot more than regular ones. They are a little larger and flatter; really cool shape. They are available in 1 pound packages at a good price at Smart & Final if you live in CA, NV or AZ.
A Baking Note: I used my outdoor convection oven, which browns the top too much, set at 325 F. I believe the release problem came from the hot air not properly circulating on the bottom of the cake pan. I also didn’t read the directions well enough, which said to let the cake cool in the pan. I’m used to cooling a cake 10 minutes and then removing it. So I blew it here. Maybe if the cake had cooled in the pan completely, it would have come out in one piece.
Please make this cake and let me know how it comes out. BTW, I always look at the time requirement for a cake with great suspicion. I have NEVER put together a cake in 1/2 an hour except from a box. Even letting that syrup cool took more than 1/2 an hour. Gimme a break!
Happy Labor Day All!
badge posted by: frick on September 05, 2011 at 8:59 pm in Baking, desserts and sweets
reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 26, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Mrs Cindy
Ate two more small pieces tonight. Sooooooo good!
~Cindy :-))
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 26, 2011 at 9:42 pm
cwcdesign
I've already put the recipe in my recipe box & that's why I'm getting dried cherries tomorrow 🙂
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 26, 2011 at 6:44 pm
Mrs Cindy
Try the Chocolate Cherry Bread I just posted in my recipes. Man, oh, man is that bread a keeper!
~Cindy
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 26, 2011 at 6:41 pm
cwcdesign
He certainly deserves his name! I hope you figure out who to gift very soon. I get to go to Trader Joe's tomorrow - dried cherries on my list:-)
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 26, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Mrs Cindy
GUESS WHAT THE SAINT GOT ME.......... I was complaining about the Teflon chipping off the inside of my old, 40 year old, avocado green Bundt pan. And, of course, told him all about how the new ones were only 10 cup pans and it was such a bummer because the older (read: better, LOL) recipes were 12 cups or bigger.
He went to Williams-Sonoma in the mall (he HATES the mall) and they had a 60th anniversary Bundt pan, ON SALE, that holds up to 15 cups of batter. Normal price was $34.95, sale price $30.00. He said after 40 years he thought I had earned a new pan.
So, the old avocado green pan gets retired (probably needs it what with the Teflon issue) to the garage and the new one takes place of pride in the cabinet close to the oven. Can't wait to make the Buttercake Bakery's Marble Cake in my new pan. Trying to decide who to gift.
~Cindy
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 20, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Mrs Cindy
More and more scams are popping up as the Internet and telephone systems are getting cheaper. This is a really scary thing. I'm glad you're okay and nothing bad really happened. But, you know they will never get caught and punished. There has to be a way to catch these evil people!
Yes, it is proven, scientifically I'm sure, that baking, cakes in particular, releases some pheromones in the human brain that calms and relaxes. Or is that cat brains? I'm not sure, but I'm sure I read something, about something, about something, at some point........if you get my drift! Oh, shoot, my brain needs some pheromones!
~Cindy
Or maybe it needs cake
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reply by: frick on September 20, 2011 at 9:01 pm
frick
Carol, My DH found other stories, etc. but I didn't have them at hand. More could be found by googling them (thanks to my son).
The Cream Cheese Blueberry cakes are in the oven. It made two of the Twin Cakes and two small loaf pans. I had a bit more batter than I thought so it looks like a bounty of cakes. I will post a photo if they come out right. I made and used the pan paste, having meant to it seems like forever. The reminder came at just the right time.
And I have calmed down quite a bit. It's a good thing I made enough dinner last night for two dinners. Maybe just thinking about cake has a calming effect on the brain. 🙂
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 20, 2011 at 6:50 pm
cwcdesign
frick,
I am so sorry to hear about your experience. We had a problem phone caller 15 or so years ago and we have had caller ID ever since. If we don't recognize the number, we let it go to voice mail. You can use the number to register on a do not call list which doesn't work as well as it is supposed to, but it does work enough.
I do hope you get peace of mind soon and that baking was a pleasant diversion.
Carol
My DH asked me to forward him the story link.
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reply by: frick on September 20, 2011 at 6:01 pm
frick
YES, that is it. They scare the living crap out of you. Here is a link describing one instance of it.
http://www.wbtv.com/story/14287682/11-year-old-receives-death-threats-fr...
He said, in an accented voice of one of a viscious gang that now operates all over the state, and is partially rooted in our community, abducting and shooting people. Definitely NOT a Jamaican voice, though our phone provider traced the number to a landline in Jamaica. He asked my DH, gruffly, intimidatedly, "did we make the payment?" He called back and I answered and he repeated it. Said he had spoken to my son and if we did not 'make the payment' our son would not come home again'. I managed to say 'we have no son; you're crazy' and slammed the phone down. He called back and we did not answer. I hope they gave up since we did not fall for it but there's no doubt, I'm loading the shotgun.
We met with the sheriff and it has been reported as threatened extortion. So we won't be answering any phone calls, in case they are crazy enough to leave any messages.
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 20, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Mrs Cindy
Is this the Jamaican phone scam thing I've been hearing about?
~Cindy
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 20, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Mrs Cindy
Frick, my gosh, yes, I'll bet your heart is still pounding! Hope everything turns out okay. Would you please post the news link? I would like to learn more about this.
Really, my cake only stuck on three little ridges and I was able to get it out of the pan with no problem and patch it on the cake. The ganache covered it beautifully and looks so rich and decadent!
Go, bake! Baking seems to calm the soul. Let me know how MrsK's cake turns out. I would love to have a bite of that!
~Cindy
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reply by: frick on September 20, 2011 at 5:01 pm
frick
Darn it; your cake stuck too. Maybe the next time I'll try two loaf pans instead.
Today I was planning to make MrsK's Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake for a can't miss birthday but we had an extreme police matter bright and early this morning. I'm on the forum here to try and calm down and it isn't working. We were the victims of the 876 attempted extortion and our son's life was threatened. It may come to nothing but it happened six hours ago and my heart is still pounding. If anyone of you are not aware of this and want a news link explaining what is happening around the country, let me know.
Anyway, the butter and cream cheese must be at room temp by now and maybe I'll go crank up the mixer. It's baked in a 9 X 13 pan and I'm going to put it in two small bundt pans and pray it works. That's the gift: the two small Nordicware pans, cake, blueberries (her favorite) and yeast since she is now finally inspired to start making bread. Ciao
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 20, 2011 at 11:45 am
Mrs Cindy
Thanks, Carol, just what I needed.
Yes, dried cherries. I reconstituted some, just like in the Cranberry Walnut Bread. I added about 1/2 tsp almond extract to the water. I should have added more, maybe 1 tsp.
It was one of the only breads I have made that I was happy with. No tweaking needed!
~Cindy
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 20, 2011 at 11:37 am
cwcdesign
Just that it has really good dark chocolate in it 🙂 I'm sure KAF has one on site, like this one?
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-ganache-glaze-recipe
Did you use dried cherries in the cherry/almond bread? I have a lot of almonds in the freezer.
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 20, 2011 at 9:53 am
Mrs Cindy
Other than dusting with powdered sugar, did anyone making this cake think about doing a chocolate glaze. I made it in the Bundt pan and when it came out two pieces stuck. I got them out and stuck on, but I'm thinking a chocolate glaze would look really good and cover my patches. Any ideas for a killer glaze?
~Cindy
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 19, 2011 at 6:51 pm
Mrs Cindy
Carol, I used the basic Cranberry/Walnut Bread recipe and made Cherry/Almond Bread. Out-of-this-world!!!! Just subbed the cherry for cranberry and almond for the walnuts. Added 1/2 tsp almond extract. Man, oh, man was it great!
I had a pretty good weekend, all things considered. Not as hard as I had predicted after the rough end of the week. And with a beautiful cake done and scenting the house, it looks like a good beginning to the week!
~Cindy
Enjoy the oatmeal bread. I have two more orders for this week to fill!
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 19, 2011 at 6:41 pm
cwcdesign
Cindy,
I had left them in the pans to cool - they popped right out! I hope it's the same with yours. I'm about to put another batch of your Irish Oatmeal Bread in the oven (I had to put it in the fridge to rise this afternoon). After I taste it, I'm going to start a new post about it, since I used all WWW and learned something about the oatmeal mixture.
Glad to see you are posting - I was hoping you had a busy weekend, rather than a difficult one.
Carol
PS Cranberry/Walnut bread almost gone -- looking forward to making the next one 🙂
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 19, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Mrs Cindy
Carol, the cake is coming out of the oven now. I soured the milk, 2%, with regular vinegar with no problem. It looks just beautiful. Will cool in pan, as Frick advised, before attempting to take it out. I did not get your message in time to do the chip thing, but did add an extra handful of extra dark KAF chocolate chips just because.
Baked it in my 40+ year old avocado green 12 cup Bundt pan and it fit perfectly. Just hoping I got it greased enough to come out okay.
Can't wait to try it on Wednesday!
~Cindy
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 19, 2011 at 5:36 pm
cwcdesign
Cindy,
I hope I'm not too late - you can always sour the milk with either lemon or vinegar (I always use cider vinegar if I'm doing that) and yes, the proportion is 1 tbl acid to 1 cup milk. I even use 1% because that's what we drink.
I had also planned to make a comment about the chocolate chips this morning, but here I am for the first time today.
I was thinking that next time I make it, I would take out 1/3 batter to mix with the chocolate and then add all the chips to the remaining batter. I think some of them got lost in the chocolate part.
Carol
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 19, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Mrs Cindy
Swirth! I need help! I'm making this cake today for my ladies group on Wednesday. You said you always replace any liquids with buttermilk. I don't have buttermilk and the recipe calls for 1 cup of milk. Can I 'sour' the milk with lemon or vinegar? 1 Tbsp/cup? I really want to try to keep this as moist as possible. What do you think?
~Cindy
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 18, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Mrs Cindy
I'm making this cake first thing tomorrow. Think I'll do the loaf pans, even though I have the big bundt. Maybe the bunch......... I'm still not sure. I'll let you know, but can't wait to make it!
~Cindy
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reply by: frick on September 17, 2011 at 11:20 pm
frick
Carol, thanks for the report. Glad you loved it. I don't make chocolate desserts that often and began to wonder if it was just me . . . since it is dark and rich, was I over-reacting? I think the two loaf pan decision is a good one.
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 16, 2011 at 8:58 pm
cwcdesign
Frick,
This is a winner!!! I didn't have a bundt pan so I made it in 2 loaf pans (FYI an 8 1/2x 4 inch pan holds 6 cups). I put one in the freezer. We loved that the chocolate had that dark dense taste. I used KAF double dutch chocolate and the Ghiradelli chips.
It was also quick, another plus.
Thanks for sharing, Carol
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reply by: frick on September 08, 2011 at 6:56 pm
frick
cwc, yes, that's a good point. But now that the recipe is posted, I can't go back and edit. GRRRR! I put 16 though unless it's part of a dessert table, 12 is more likely the way it would be sliced.
I like bundt cakes since I'm not much into decorating. Truth be told, though I have a horrendous sweet tooth, I get more pleasure from baking bread. So when it's time to make a dessert, I lean toward the simpler end of the spectrum. Even though I have a decent collection of cookie cutters, I haven't made a rolled cookie in probably 20 years. Sad.
I have a few recipes that require separate stages like making a syrup or streusel, but in general one bowl recipes are more my thing. However, writing about the Chopped Apple Bread has me wanting to make that next. It's just so squirrely . . . 🙂
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 07, 2011 at 8:21 pm
cwcdesign
Thanks for the update, frick.
You could probably mention the 12 to 16 servings in the description part. I have a cookbook program on my computer (MacGourmet) and while I love most of it, it also does not allow a range of servings - drives me nuts!!!
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 07, 2011 at 7:56 pm
Mrs Cindy
I agree, very annoying! It would be another simple thing to fix, but again, has not been addressed.
~Cindy
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reply by: frick on September 07, 2011 at 6:31 pm
frick
Well, the corrected recipe is now posted. Isn't it annoying how it demands certain things that should be flexible? How it won't let you use "12 - 16" servings but limits you to a single number? I complained about that long ago but they did nothing about it.
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reply by: frick on September 07, 2011 at 6:14 pm
frick
OMG is right! I must have been suffering from too much sugar in the brain. The answer is 2 2/3 cups AP. Flog me with a vanilla bean!
I used GM AP for this cake because I always use a flour like this when I think a recipe is written for the general supermarket buying public. Didn't need KA's extra protein which wouldn't have helped a cake anyway.
It's really too bad that I can't go back and change the recipe accordingly. I'll post it in my recipes so maybe that will help.
I noticed the Ghiradelli chips have not turned rock hard like many chips do. I think when I depanned the cake, much of it was still in a melted form. Gosh, it was a mess.
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 06, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Mrs Cindy
OMG, I didn't even catch that! Frick, we need the flour amount. Please!
~Cindy
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 06, 2011 at 10:51 pm
cwcdesign
Frick,
I have to laugh - I was just reading the ingredients and you forgot to list the amount of flour. It would be a very sweet cake 🙂
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reply by: Mrs Cindy on September 06, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Mrs Cindy
I don't want to lose this thread, so I'm adding it to my discussions.
~Cindy
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reply by: frick on September 06, 2011 at 4:12 pm
frick
Thanks, all. Thanks also, Carol. I have never tried mixing melted butter with cocoa but want to try it. However, this cake had the vanilla batter go in the pan first. I think I was too aggressive with the knife marbleing and the most of the vanilla batter mixed with the chocolate.
I may have to freeze part of this cake. I have had THREE gifts of cookies as well as a streusel coffee cake with almonds and cherries. No time to eat real food these days.
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reply by: cwcdesign on September 06, 2011 at 9:20 am
cwcdesign
frick,
A belated Happy Birthday from me, too.
The Ghiradelli chips can also be found at BJ's Wholesale Club (don't know how far that goes nationally). Sometimes they can also be found on sale at the supermarket.
A trick for buttering and flouring the bundt pan that I learned from Cook's Illustrated - When making a chocolate bundt cake, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Mix together and then brush on the bundt pan. It covers all the little nooks and crannies much better than buttering; then flouring. Now if I make a light colored cake, I just do the melted butter with 1 tablespoon of flour. Since I discovered this trick, none of my cakes have stuck 🙂
Carol
P.S. I can't wait to try this cake!
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reply by: dachshundlady on September 06, 2011 at 7:32 am
dachshundlady
Yum! And since I missed your birthday, let me wish you a wonderful belated one!
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reply by: hickeyja on September 06, 2011 at 12:08 am
hickeyja
You are right! This looks decadent (and wonderful). The Ghirardelli 60% Chips are also usually available at Sam's Club in larger bags. I think they are between 2-3 lbs, but I am out right now, so I can't check. Jan
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