Fudgy Bundt Cake

Fudgy Bundt CakeCoffee Cooking
I wasn’t a big coffee lover until I went away to college. Even then I only started drinking it because “everyone was doing it”. See, I went to college in the Pacific Northwest during the early days of micro-breweries and the use of words like Venti and Grande. It was a good time to be in Oregon.

It took a while but eventually, it got to the point where I had to have a cup in the morning to even have a chance at functioning. And yes, I am well aware of the signs of caffeine addiction.

The actual flavor of coffee has always appealed to me even before I became one of the millions who must have their daily infusion of dark-roasted nirvana so that they can play well with others. From a young age, anything coffee, mocha or cappuccino flavored drew me in like the siren’s song. Nine times out of ten, if I was ordering any sort of ice cream or frozen yogurt I would go for the coffee or espresso flavored one. If it had fudge and some nuts swirled into it, so much the better. Same goes for cakes and cupcakes.

When I started to bake, I was pleasantly surprised that coffee was a common ingredient in any sort of chocolate cake, cupcake, or cookie. Turns out, coffee enhances the flavor of the chocolate in many desserts without making the result actually taste of coffee. Using coffee gives the chocolate a dark. fudgy richness.

The recipe below is a perfect example. It is a simple chocolate cake recipe adapted from Samin Nosrat’s book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. It is one of my favorites because of its density of flavor and moist lushness. It’s a great ending to a nice meal or even better as cupcakes for a fun event.

Because it’s pretty rich, this cake is best served topped with fresh whipped cream and some sliced strawberries or a light dusting of powdered sugar. The more decadent among us might go for some cream cheese frosting.

Fudgy Bundt Cake
Adapted from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Yields two 8-inch cakes or one bundt cake 

Ingredients
Canola oil spray
1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder (I like Vahlrona)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups freshly brewed strong coffee
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, flour, and baking soda. Then sift it into a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, stir the vanilla and oil together. Brew the coffee and add it to the oil-vanilla mixture.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually whisk in the coffee-oil-vanilla mixture until incorporated. Gradually whisk in the eggs and stir until smooth. The batter will be thin.

Use a canola oil spray to liberally grease your favorite nonstick bundt pan right before you are ready to pour in the batter.

Pour the batter into a prepared bundt pan. Drop the pan onto the counter from a height of 3 inches a couple of times to release any air bubbles that may have formed.

Bake in the upper third of the oven for 30-40 minutes (check after 30 minutes) until the cakes spring back from the touch and just pull away from the edges of the pan. An inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Cool the cake for 5 minutes on a wire rack before removing it from the pan. Let cool completely.

Serve the cake with some freshly whipped cream, or alternatively, dust it with powdered sugar.

Note
If you wrap it tightly in plastic, this cake will keep for 4 days at room temperature or for up to 2 months in the freezer.

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