How to make a stripy vanilla and chocolate bundt cake

 

I've seen a few stripy cakes around recently, and after treating myself to a bargain bundt tin this week (£1.99 from Home Bargains!!!) I decided I needed to use it, instead of putting it in the cupboard and not using it for months. Not that I EVER do that with new equipment. NEVER. *ahem*

 

So here's the recipe for the stripy vanilla and chocolate bundt cake!

 

What you need:

280g butter or baking margarine

280g caster sugar

5 eggs

280g self raising flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

100ml double cream

200g milk chocolate (I used Cadbury's Dairy Milk for this recipe)

 

What to do:

 

1. Cream the butter/baking margarine and sugar together.

 

2. Add the eggs one at a time beating thoroughly.

 

3. Add the vanilla extract and the self raising flour and beat again until thoroughly combined.

 

4. Take half the mixture and put it in another bowl.

 

5. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining half and beat until it has mixed fully.

 

6. Grease the bundt tin. I used Wilton Cake Release, and can't recommend it highly enough.

 

 

7. Add a dollop of the vanilla mixture to the tin.

 

8. On top of the vanilla mixture, add a dollop of chocolate mixture.

 

 

9. Next add another dollop of vanilla, on top of the mixture already in the tin. The mixture will start to spread.

 

 

10. And then another dollop of chocolate. Keep adding alternate dollops of mixture until you have used all the mixtures in both bowls. If it doesn't spread as well as you need it too, just shake the tin a bit and encourage the mixture to spread round to the other side of the tin.

 

 

11. This is what it will look like when you have finished adding the mixtures.

 

12. Bake for around 30 minutes at 160 degrees. Check around 25 minutes- your oven may bake differently to mine.

 

 

13. Leave it to cool for about 20 minutes in the tin, then turn it out onto a wire wrack to cool fully. (How fab does that look?!)

 

14. Once the cake is cool, chop the chocolate into small pieces and put it all in the bowl, and heat the cream until it just reaches boiling point, and pour the cream over the chocolate. Leave it for about 30 seconds to start to melt the chocolate, then beat it together until it has combined to make a smooth ganache. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and leave to set.

 

15. Stick the kettle on, cut and slice, put your feet up and enjoy :)

 

I am definitely going to make this again, but try different flavour combinations too. Chocolate and orange, coffee and caramel, white chocolate and lemon, dark chocolate and mint......so many new ones to try!!

 

If you make it, I'd love to hear what you thought!

 

 

www.mariesbakehouse.co.uk

 

www.facebook.co.uk/MariesBakehouse

 

 

 

 

 

How to make Chocolate and Morello Cherry Slices

I know these don't look too exciting, but the taste is awesome, and they'd be really good with custard or cream too. And with added cherries, but for this bake, I just wanted to try out the flavouring, but if you did want to add some, about 60g of chopped cherries would work well.

Here's the flavouring I used (which if you follow this blog, you'll have seen before!)

I have used the raspberry one previously in a milk chocolate fudge, and the coconut one in my coconut and cranberry slice recipe.

This recipe uses a very easy, foolproof method of baking. And it's really easy to follow. And you don't need to remember any measurements, because you weigh your eggs, and then use the same amount of butter (or baking margarine), sugar, and self raising flour.

 

For a 8" x 8" tray, I used 6 eggs, which is about 360g give or take, depending on the size and weight of your eggs. It doesn't matter if yours are over or under that weight, as long as you weigh the same amount of sugar, butter/baking margarine, and self raising flour it will still work.

 

So, for this recipe I used:

360g baking margarine

360g caster sugar

6 eggs

2 teaspoons of Morello cherry flavouring

360g self raising flour

3 tblspoons cocoa powder

 

 

What you need to do:

 

1. Beat together the baking margarine and the sugar.

2. Add the eggs one at a time and beat into the mixture.

3. Add 2 teaspoons of Morello cherry flavouring and beat.

4. Sieve in the flour and the cocoa powder and beat into the mixture again. At this stage if the mixture is not dropping consistency (it doesn't 'drop' easily off the spoon) add a splash of milk and beat that in until fully combined.

5. Pour it into the prepared 8" x 8" tin. For this recipe I used my silicone one, which doesn't need lining, but if you are using a tin, I'd line it with greaseproof paper before you add the mixture.

6. Bake at 160 degrees for about 30 minutes. Keep your eye on it, it might only need 25 minutes. If a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean, then it's ready.

8. Let it cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, and then take out to cool fully on a wire rack.

9. Enjoy with a cup of tea!

If you do have a go at baking this, do let me know how you get on :)

 

 

 

www.mariesbakehouse.co.uk

www.facebook.com/MariesBakehouse