Thursday, February 19, 2015

Quadruple Chocolate Bundt #BundtBakers


Cocoa, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, chocolate curls on top all combine to make this most chocolatey of Bundts, with added flavor from pecans and coffee.

It was 2008 and I had been crushing hard on Nigella for several years. I tell you, as far as I was concerned, that woman could do no wrong in the kitchen, plus she did it all with insouciance and nary an apron in sight. Yet, she was always immaculate and perfectly coiffed. I get that she had staff for a clean kitchen but how did she manage not to get herself dirty? I certainly can’t do it.

Anyhoo, we had just moved down the road from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and our girls were able to take the fancy bus - airplane-type seats and Subway packed lunches served en route - back to stay with friends. Houseguests should always bring gifts, so I’d send them with jars of tomato chutney or Nigella’s Quadruple Chocolate Cake because it’s baked in a loaf pan and travels well when wrapped in cling film and foil. I have since brought Nigella’s cake to potlucks and parties on at least three continents.

When our host for this month’s Bundt Bakers, Tanya of Dessert Stalking, chose chocolate as our theme, I knew immediately that I wanted to adapt that cake to bake in my newest small Bundt pan, the 6-cup Nordic Ware Anniversary pan, a birthday gift last month from me to me. (Oh, no, really, you shouldn’t have. It’s too much! – But I insist! Happy Birthday! – Well, if you insist. Thank you!) And because the original recipe called for water for the batter and the syrup, I used coffee. And added pecans. Because pecans and coffee make everything better.

Ingredients
For the batter to fit a 6-cup Bundt pan. Or double to bake in a normal Bundt pan and increase the baking time accordingly.
Ghirardelli is the best! 
1 cup or 125g flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1/3 cup or 80g soft unsalted butter
1/4 cup or 25g unsweetened cocoa
1 egg
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60ml very hot coffee
4 oz or 110g chocolate chips (I used both semi-sweet and white.)
2 oz or 55g pecans, chopped

For the syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup or 180ml coffee
Rounded 1/3 cup or 75g sugar

Topping  - shavings of dark chocolate – use the bar of your choice.

Method
Remove all your ingredients from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

Prepare your Bundt pan by greasing and flouring it or use the non-stick spray that has flour already in it.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Measure the flour, sugar, butter, cocoa, egg, sour cream, vanilla, baking soda and salt into your food processor.

Pulse till everything is well combined and smooth.



While it’s whirring, pour in the very hot coffee. Try not to be alarmed at the sudden increase in speed of your processor as the hot coffee mixes in and the batter thins.


Scrape down the sides and fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans.



Pour the rich batter into your prepared Bundt pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes in your preheated oven.


About 10 minutes before the cake is due out of the oven, put your syrup ingredients into a small pot, mix well and boil for about five minutes or until the liquid reduces by almost half and thickens slightly. It will thicken more as it cools.



Take the Bundt out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Then turn it out of the pan, just to make sure it will. I have yet to be disappointed by a Nordic Ware pan not releasing but one can never be too cautious when it comes to Bundts.




Now put it carefully back in the pan and poke it all over with a skewer. Pour all but a few tablespoons of the syrup over the cake and around the sides, and leave it to soak in.



When it’s all soaked in, turn the Bundt out again and put it on your serving plate.

Use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls out of part of your chocolate bar.



Spoon the balance of the syrup over the top of the Bundt and top with the chocolate curls, alternating sprinkling with spooning so the chocolate curls will stick.




Enjoy!










Are you a fan of chocolate Bundts? Check out the great recipes Bundt Bakers has for you this month!




BundtBakers

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send me an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.




Posted by at 4:00:00 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Whiskey Raisin Oatmeal Bars

Raisins soaked in warm whiskey will plump up nicely, absorbing quite a bit of the liquid, thereby adding a sweet touch of whiskey flavor to every bite of these chewy oatmeal cookie bars. Top them with a glaze made from the leftover raisin-y whiskey for extra oomph. 

The Irish are known for a few things including, wrongly or rightly, the talent and skill to make great whiskey and a propensity drink it in prodigious quantities. Also, Irish oats seem to come up a lot online when one is researching Irish baked goods. When our illustrious Creative Cookie Exchange leader, Laura from The Spiced Life, suggested that we think ahead to St. Patrick’s Day for this month’s Drunken Cookies theme, I decided to find a way to combine the two without just baking drunk. Although that option had the allure of a personal challenge, I was thinking it wasn't quite what Laura had in mind.

My Drunk Kitchen, anyone?  **objectionable language warning for the sensitive**

I promise I did not drink a drop while baking these. The shot that accompanies the photos was purely for quality control. Someone had to do it.

Ingredients
For the cookies:
3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed or 150g dark brown sugar
1/4 cup or 50g granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup or 125g flour
1 1/2 cups or 120g oats
1 cup or 170g raisins of your choice (Optional: extra for decorating)
1/2 cup or 120ml Irish whiskey (I used Bushmill’s. Not a whiskey drinker? Sub apple juice.)

Optional - For the glaze:
1 tablespoon leftover whiskey from raisin soaking
Icing sugar
Pinch salt

Method
Warm your whiskey briefly in the microwave and pour it over the raisins in a small bowl.

Allow to soak at least one hour. If you have the raisins in a microwaveable bowl, you can gently warm them once more during that time. Stir them occasionally. Mine soaked up a little more than half the whiskey. The golden ones plumped up better than the dark ones.



Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Prepare an 8-inch or cm square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, blend together butter, sugars, egg, salt, and cinnamon until smooth.

Add in the flour and mix well.



Drain the raisins, reserving the leftover whiskey, and add them to the bowl, along with oats. Stir until just combined.



Spread the soft dough out into your prepared pan. I like to put a piece of cling film on top and use my hands to get the dough nice and even, even into the corners.



Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.



Cool the bars completely in the pan and then remove the whole square with the parchment paper. Use a great big knife to cut it into 18 bars.



If you want to make the glaze, put your whiskey in a small bowl and add a tiny pinch of salt. Add icing sugar a few spoonfuls at a time and stir well after each addition, until you are happy with the consistency.

Put a spoonful on each of the cooled cookie bars and spread it around a little with the back of the spoon.

Decorate with a few more raisins while the glaze is still soft.  Allow the glaze to set before trying to stack or transport them.



Wouldn't these be great with a tot of whiskey or, if that's not your cup of tea, perhaps a cup of tea?



Enjoy!



If you are looking for a great way to add alcohol to your baked goods - and, really, who isn’t? – check out these great cookie recipes.





If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes--be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!




Posted by at 6:00:00 AM 0 comments
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Monday, February 16, 2015

Blood Orange Ricotta Muffins #MuffinMonday

Fresh ricotta, scented with blood orange zest and mixed with brown sugar is a softly sweet filling for these lovely blood orange muffins.

Yesterday I popped into my local grocery store, which in the spirit of full disclosure, I should tell you is actually part of a large French chain, and I came across blood oranges. They were part of a great big display of citrus of all kinds from many countries. The sign said they were red oranges from Spain, but the fruit itself bore this sticker.


I must have wasted the better part of half an hour on the internet, trying to determine if they were indeed Spanish or, perhaps, Italian. Because, if you were a Spanish company, would you choose the Mona Lisa for your logo? Seems odd. Anyway, here I am, none the wiser about the provenance of my citrus, but I do have a lovely muffin to share.

I’d be delighted to hear from anyone who knows more about the Mona Lisa oranges. Enigmatic, they are. Just like her smile.

Ingredients
For ricotta filling:
3/4 cup or 180g fresh whole-milk ricotta
1/4 cup or 50g dark brown sugar
1 large egg white (Save the yolk for the muffin batter.)
1 tablespoon blood orange juice
Zest of one half blood orange
Pinch of salt

For the muffin batter:
2 cups or 250g flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of one half blood orange
1/2 cup or 120ml canola oil
1/4 cup or 60ml milk
1/4 cup or 60ml blood orange juice
1 large egg
1 egg yolk (Because what else are you going to do with one yolk?)

Optional for decorating: 2-3 teaspoons pearl sugar

Method
Zest your blood orange and divide the zest into two small piles.

Put one pile in a small bowl with all of the other ricotta filling ingredients and mix well.

The blood orange juice is a gorgeous red, isn't it?


Put the filling in the refrigerator to keep cold.

Not the prettiest filling but so rich and delicious.
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by greasing well or lining it with muffin papers.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the other small pile of zest.



In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together your oil, milk, juice, whole egg and yolk.

Pour your liquids into your dry ingredients and fold until just combined. There should still be a little flour showing.



Spoon or scoop a generous tablespoon of batter into your prepared muffin pan.

Top the batter with another good tablespoon of the ricotta filling.

Finish by dividing the remainder of the batter between the muffin cups.



Use a sharp knife to cut two or three ways through the batter to mix it up a little bit with the filling.



Sprinkle with a few pieces of pearl sugar, if desired. I like pearl sugar because it makes plain things pretty. This muffin is pretty special on the inside but fairly plain on the outside otherwise.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden.



Cool the whole pan on a wire rack for a few minutes then remove the muffins and continuing cooling them on the rack.



Enjoy!

See what I mean about the filling? You'll have to trust me that it tastes good!



Posted by at 9:09:00 AM 0 comments
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