Glazed Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

As if deep dark chocolate cake with coconut macaroon filling wasn’t rich enough, I poured on a dark chocolate ganache and topped it with more sweet coconut.

Sometimes when I have a few minutes to spare, I troll the interwebs doing random searches. Once upon a time, a search on my surname led me to an old 1932 MG-D Tourer that was for sale, and according to the original sales receipt, it was a gift, brand new, from my husband’s grandmother to his grandfather! So, of course, we had to buy it.

Another time I located the father of my long lost best friend in third grade (Campo Alegre – Caracas, Venezuela 1971-1972) on a genealogy site and wrote the webmaster to please pass on my desire to reconnect. He wrote Stella’s dad and the next thing I knew, we were chatting away a mile a minute on Skype and I was being introduced to her adorable girls. The internet is awesome in the truest sense of the word.

But I must admit that most of my web searches center around food or recipes or ingredients. While searching for information about National Bundt Day last fall, I came across the blog of a baker who for several years challenged herself to bake a Bundt a day for the month leading up to that great day.  Can you even imagine! Thirty Bundts in 30 days! And she, in turn, led me to other bloggers who love Bundts through her National Bundt Day round ups. Sadly, she doesn’t seem to be blogging anymore but I hope that somehow, somewhere, she’s still baking.

The cake I am sharing with you today was a link in one of those round ups and that blogger, Tracey by name, doesn’t seem to be active any more either. In fact, I’d love to find out what happened to her because her very last post (and tweet) more than a year ago is the announcement that she finally got a blog design revamp. And that’s it. No more posts. No tweets. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Weird, right?

This glazed chocolate macaroon Bundt cake, however, is great consolation and fits our Bundt Bakers coconut theme perfectly, with coconut on the inside and coconut on the outside, so I hope Tracey doesn’t mind my sharing. She says on her post that the recipe is slightly adapted from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. I have no idea how slight is slightly because I don’t have the book and the only other post I could find with it didn’t give the amounts but just referred back to the book.

So here we go!

Ingredients
For the meringue filling and batter:
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 cups or 400g sugar, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract, divided
2 cups or 230g sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups or 250g plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup or 40g cocoa powder
3/4 cup or 180ml hot coffee
1/2 cup or 120ml sour cream
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup or 115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons canola oil

For the ganache:
1/2 cup or 120ml whipping cream
3 1/2 oz or 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I just bang the chocolate bar around on the cabinet before I open it.)

More flaked coconut, for garnish, if desired

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup Bundt pan by greasing and flouring it or spraying it liberally with nonstick cooking spray for baking that has the flour in it already.

Crack your eggs and separate them, putting the whites in the bowl of your mixer and the yellows into two small bowls of two yolks each. You’ll use them two at a time later and this helps you keep the amounts correct in case a yolk breaks.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the egg whites and use the whisk attachment to start beating them slowly. Gradually increase the speed until the egg whites can form soft peaks.

Then, with the mixer still running, gradually stream in 3/4 cup or 150g of the sugar and continue beating until the mixture reaches stiff peaks. Congratulations, you have made meringue!

Transfer 1 1/2 cups or 75g of this meringue to another bowl and fold in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, the coconut, and 1 tablespoon of the flour – this is the filling for the cake.

Transfer the remaining meringue into another bowl and wash out your mixing bowl.

Whisk the cocoa powder, hot coffee, and sour cream together until smooth and lump free.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups of the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the remaining 1 1/4 cups or 250g of sugar, the butter, the oil, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Scrape down the sides occasionally and beat until the mixture turns pale yellow and is light and fluffy.

Add 2 of the egg yolks and beat until incorporated, then add the remaining 2 yolks, again beating until combined.

Second two, going in!

With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and the coffee/cocoa mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until combined.

Finally, fold in the extra meringue – not the filling! – until just combined.

Pour just slightly less than half of the batter to the prepared pan and spread in an even layer.

Use a spoon or scoop to transfer the coconut macaroon filling to the Bundt pan, making sure to keep it in the middle of the batter, never touching the sides of the pan.

Pour or scoop the rest of the batter on top of the coconut macaroon filling, making sure it’s completely covered.

Bake in your preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Tracey says the toothpick should come out with just a few moist crumbs but I found that hard to check because of the filling.

When it’s done, take it out of the oven and put the pan on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.

Gently turn the Bundt out onto the wire rack and allow it to cool completely before adding any ganache.

To make the ganache:
Warm your cream to just before boiling, either in a small pot or a microwavable bowl. Add in the dark chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.

Stir until the chocolate and cream are smooth and shiny and completely combined.

Allow to cool until your ganache is at your perfect pouring or drizzling consistency. It gets thicker and thicker as it cools. If it thickens too much, a quick zap in the microwave will loosen it back up.

Pour or drizzle over the cooled Bundt.

Sprinkle on more coconut to decorate, if desired.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our host for this coconut Bundt Bakers challenge, Terri from Love and Confections! Check out the lovely long list of coconutty Bundts we have for you this month!

• Almond Joy Bundtlettes from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Candy Bar Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake from Love and Confections
• Chocolate Italian Cake from Magnolia Days
• Coconut & Banana Bundt Cake from Just One Bite Baking
• Coconut Banana Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious
• Coconut Carrot Bundt Cake from Media Racion Doble, Por Favor
• Coconut Cream Bundt Cake from Adventures in All Things Food
• Coconut Hummingbird Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake
• Coconut Milk Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes
• Coconut Milk Bundt Cake from Un Mordisco Un Pecado
• Coconut Oil Pound Cake from The Spiced Life
• Coconut Sugar Banana Cake from A Kingdom for a Cake
• Cranberry and Coconut Bundt Cake from La Cocina de Aisha
• Cranberry, Orange and Coconut Bundt Cake from Kids & Chic
• German Chocolate Bundt Cake from The Freshman Cook
• Glazed Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake from Food Lust People Love
• Gluten-free Coconut Orange Bundt Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream from Cassie's Kitchen
• Gizzada Mini Bundts from Passion Kneaded
• Key Lime Coconut Cream Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mini Samoa Bundt Cakes from Making Miracles
• Orange & Coconut Bundt Cake from Living the Gourmet
• Oreo Coconut Bundt Cake from Indian Curries/Stew
• Piña Colada Bundt Cake from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Rhubarb n Rose Coconut Frosted Bundt Cake from Baking in Pyjamas
• Rum Bundt Cake with Coconut and Lime from Bourbon and Brown Sugar
• Toasted Coconut and Sweet Potato Bundt from Tea and Scones
• Toasted Coconut Lime Bundt Cake with Chili Lime Glaze from Brooklyn Homemaker

#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 an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Strawberry Champagne Cocktail #BloggerCLUE

This twist on the classic peach Bellini uses strawberry simple syrup and strawberry puree to create a deliciously fresh Champagne cocktail, perfect for any celebration.

This month for Blogger C.L.U.E., my assigned blog is one that I am very familiar with and love. It is written by one of the most popular ladies on the interwebs because she is sweet, friendly, kind to a fault and makes the most sensational recipes. Despite all the deliciousness that comes out of her kitchen, she stays remarkably slim. Yep, my blog this month is That Skinny Chick Can Bake, written by my sweetheart of a friend, Liz.

Our theme is sparkles, so despite all the great recipes with shiny things, like her beautiful vanilla cupcakes sprinkled with silver balls or the glistening sheen of barbecue sauce on her Asian Baby Back Ribs, I had to go with the Strawberry Bellini Cocktail. Any excuse to open a bottle of bubbly, right?

Liz had been sent some simple syrups to use in cocktails when she made this originally and they looked great, but unfortunately I didn’t have any, so I made my own strawberry simple syrup from this recipe online, halving the ingredients. It was super easy and still made plenty! Or head on over to Liz’s post and check out the syrup she used. Also, Liz says this makes only two drinks but we had plenty enough strawberry puree for four or five drinks. That is to say, we drank the whole bottle of Champagne. Hey, we didn’t want it to get flat and go to waste, right?

Ingredients
7 oz or 200g ripe strawberries, stems removed (plus a few for garnish)
2 tablespoons strawberry simple syrup
Champagne

Method
Puree the strawberries in a blender with the simple syrup. Strain mixture. (I forgot this step so we were left with tiny little strawberries seeds at the bottom of our glasses. Not a big deal though.)

Put a couple tablespoons of puree in each glass.

Just look at that gorgeous red color!

Pour in some Champagne. It will bubble up so just wait till the bubbles subside and pour in a little more.

Stir to combine.

And then top up with more Champagne. Make sure to garnish each glass with a strawberry.

This Month’s Blogger CLUE Participants are

• Baked Ziti from Azmina at Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Blood Orange Margaritas from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Brown Butter Brown Sugar Banana Bread from Christiane at Taking on Magazines
• Cardamon White Chocolate Panna Cotta from Debra at Eliot's Eats
• Cherry Pie and Cream Pavlova (Okie Pavlova) from Ramona at Curry and Comfort
• Cornish Game Hens with Whiskey Herb Citrus Glaze from Lea Ann at Cooking on the Ranch
• Delicious Savory Clafoutis from Christiane at Taking on Magazines
• Fingerling Potato Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Ginger Crinkle Cookies from Jean at Lemons and Anchovies
• Maple Caramel Golden Sugar Blondies from Kelli at Kelli's Kitchen
• Milky Way Martini from Aly at Cooking in Stilettos
• Peach Buckle from Anna at Anna Dishes
• Pomegranate Champagne from Christy at Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Ramona's Mini Cinnamon Rolls from Kate at Kate's Kitchen
• Rosemary Peach Sparkling Cocktail from Alice at A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Salted Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Soft Pretzel Sticks with Spicy Mustard from Heather at girlichef
• Sparkling Mojitos from Heather at girlichef
• Sparkly Shortbread Cookies from Lisa at Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Strawberry Champagne Cocktail from Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Find That Skinny Chick Can Bake online:

     

Tangzhong Rye Bread #BreadBakers

This rounded loaf with rye and wholemeal wheat flour is perfect for toasting, smearing with butter and dipping in hot soup. It also makes the best toast soldiers to accompany a soft-boiled egg or to spread with jam.

 

Living = Learning
To paraphrase Samuel Johnson’s ode to London, “When a man is tired of food, he is tired of life.” I never cease to be amazed that the more I know about food, the more I realize there is to learn. New techniques, new methods, new ingredients, even new combinations of old ingredients are a constant source of excitement for me, from learning how to debone a chicken while keeping it whole (Thanks, Dai!) to attempting a bread challenge from the Great British Bake Off to buying unfamiliar produce at the farmers’ market and using the Google to find out what it’s called, to exploring the recipes of my host country, this food thing is so much more than a hobby. It’s an intellectual and cross-cultural exercise that just happens to keep the family fed as well.

Fortune favors the brave
Sometimes I learn a thing but it takes me a while to put it to use. I give you the tangzhong or water roux method of bread dough making, for instance. Although it’s been used in Japan, whence it comes, for ages, I first heard about it when my friend, fellow Bread Baker and pastry chef Jenni Field wrote a great explanatory post on her wonderful blog, Pastry Chef Online last August, but it took this month’s rye bread challenge from Anshie of Spice Roots to get me going on it. 

Rye is notorious for its low gluten content so I decided that perhaps starting with a wholemeal wheat bread flour tangzhong for extra body would be helpful. Of course, since I am almost foolhardy in my disregard of normal baking rules, even in the face of no experience, I decided that I would make my tangzhong with beer and water instead of just water, as is typically done. A rye beer, natch. 

It was a pain to knead since rye dough, even with wholemeal flour added, is so sticky but overall, I was very pleased with how it turned out. I baked it on the same day as I made this lovely chickpea veggie soup for dinner and it was the perfect accompaniment.

If you’ve been meaning to challenge yourself to bake with rye flour, make sure to scroll down after the recipe to see the list of links to all the rye creations we have for you this month. Many thanks to our host, Anshie of Spice Roots, for this “out of my comfort zone” challenge!

Oh, and one last thing, let me share my earworm with you. The whole while I was making this bread, I kept singing in my head:

Ev'rybody have fun tonight
Ev'rybody have fun tonight
Ev'rybody Tang Zhong tonight
Ev'rybody have fun tonight
Ev'rybody Tang Zhong tonight

No need to thank me. You are welcome!

Ingredients

For the tangzhong
1/3 cup or 45g wholemeal bread flour
1/2 cup or 120ml Battersea Rye Beer (or other beer of your choice or replace with more water)
1/2 cup or 120ml water

For Dough
Scant 2/3 cup or 140ml milk
2 tablespoons Battersea Rye Beer
250g wholemeal bread flour
1 1/4 cups or 125g rye flour (plus possibly more for kneading)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 oz or 7g Rapid Rise yeast (I used one packet of Fleischmann’s.)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 1/8 cup or 100g tangzhong (which coincidentally is 100ml, if that helps you measure by volume)
1/4 cup or 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
Olive oil (for greasing the proofing vessel)

Method
First make your tangzhong by mixing the flour with the water and beer in a small pot. Whisk till all the lumps are gone.

Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking or burning. As the mixture heats, it gets very thick. Keep stirring and cooking until the spoon or whisk handle leaves furrows in the tangzhong. If you are a thermometer-using type (and I strongly encourage you to become one, if you aren’t already) you want the tangzhong to reach 150°F or 65°C.

Remove from the heat and transfer your tangzhong into another vessel to allow it to cool. I measured out the amount for my bread at this point and put the tangzhong in two bowls. The tangzhong is enough for a little more than two loaves though, so you can leave it all in one bowl if you are doubling this recipe. I just figured it would cool faster if it were separated.

Once the tangzhong has cooled to room temperature, you can proceed with the bread dough. (If you refrigerate it, let it return to room temperature before continuing.)

Slightly warm your milk and beer together in a small pot or in a measuring cup in the microwave.

Whisk your flours, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer.

Add in the warm milk/beer and the tangzhong.

Mix with the bread hook until all the ingredients come together and form a dough.

Add the butter and knead until the butter is incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic.

I found mine too sticky to knead effectively so after about 10 minutes, I took it out of the mixer and kneaded by hand for at least another 10 minutes, sprinkling on just the tiniest bit more rye flour as needed.

Put the dough into an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket and cover with plastic wrap or the lid. Leave in a warm place until doubled. Mine took about one hour.

Before

After

Punch the dough down and form it into a round loaf. Place it on parchment on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with a little more rye flour.

Put it inside a clean, new garbage bag and leave to rise until doubled again. This took about another hour so set your timer for 45 minutes and preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C when it goes off.

When the rising time is finished, bake the loaf in your preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until golden.

Ready to bake!

Enjoy!

Need a rye bread or cracker recipe? This is your Bread Bakers month!

• Artisan Dark Rye Bread by Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writing
• Banana Rye Muffins by Adam at Bakers and Best
• Boston Brown Bread by Holly at A Baker's House
• Caraway Rye Crackers with Reuben Spread by Jenni at Pastry Chef Online
• Chocolate Rye Bread by Rocío at Kidsandchic
• Danish Rye Bread by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Potato Onion Rye Meteil by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Rye Fennel Crackers by Renee at Magnolia Days
• Rye and Whole Wheat Bread by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• Slow Cooker Boston Brown Bread by Mireille at Chef Mireille's East West Realm
• Sourdough Rye Bread by Anshie at Spice Roots
• Swedish Rye Bread (Limpa) by Nicole at The 2nd 35 Years
• Tangzhong Rye Bread by Stacy at Food Lust People Love

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this 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 an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.