Cheryl Day’s Very Chocolate Bundt Cake
Cheryl Day's decadent cake is covered in dark chocolate ganache frosting.
Serves12
Moist and decadent, this cake is guaranteed to satisfy all of your chocolate cravings. Choose your favorite coffee blend for this recipe. Coffee elevates the flavor of chocolate, giving it more complexity. Depending on the coffee you select, the cake may have a hint of fruit, honey, caramel, or floral notes.
Very Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
Cheryl Day's decadent cake is covered in dark chocolate ganache frosting.
Serves 12
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the cake pan:
- 1 tablespoon
unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon
Dutch-processed cocoa powder
For the cake:
- 1 3/4 cups
unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup
Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 cups
granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
baking soda
- 1 teaspoon
fine sea salt
- 1 cup
hot strong brewed coffee
- 3
large eggs
- 1/2 cup
vegetable oil
- 1 cup
buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons
pure vanilla extract
For the dark chocolate ganache frosting:
- 1/2 cup
heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons
unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
- 1/2 pound
dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons
hot strong brewed coffee
- 1/2 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
A splash or two of whole milk, if needed
Instructions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
To prepare the cake pan:
In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter and cocoa to make a thick paste. Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan, making sure to get into all the crevices. If the paste starts to thicken too much as you work, warm it in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then continue. Set aside. (The coating will set while you mix your batter.)
To make the cake:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the hot coffee and whisk until completely combined. Add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla and whisk until completely incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert it onto another rack and let cool completely.
To make the ganache:
Combine the cream, butter, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and stir frequently until the butter is melted. Add the chocolate and stir until it is about 80 percent melted.
Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the coffee and vanilla, stirring until the ganache is smooth and shiny. (If you have overheated the chocolate, the ganache may have separated or broken and will be dull and lumpy, and this is not what you want to serve to your guests. If that happens, return the bowl to the heat, add a splash or two of whole milk, and whisk briskly to return the ganache to its shining glory.) Then stir occasionally as the ganache cools and thickens enough to frost your cake. Making the perfect ganache cannot be rushed; resist the urge to refrigerate it or whisk it faster to cool it.
To frost the cake:
Pile the ganache frosting onto the center of the cake and spread it evenly over the top, letting it drip down the sides. The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
Excerpted from Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking by Cheryl Day (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2021.