Baby Banana Bundt cakes with dark chocolate icing

Yes, it's been awhile since I posted on here but then again I did move and start a new job. The new job was nothing compared to the new city I find myself in. Jakarta, or as some call it 'the big durian' is a melting pot of everything - people, food, traffic, noise, street sellers, motorbikes and it never sleeps. You can find out more about my adventures in Jakarta here.

However, the good news is that I managed to find myself an apartment to live in with a gas oven. I don't have a huge amount of experience working with gas ovens so the first few cooking adventures have been a getting to know you better experiment. Gas ovens get very hot. When you put them in an apartment that is average sized but has an open kitchen concept. Well, it turns the whole living space into, well, an oven. It gets insanely hot. Plus I have found things cook very quick with gas.The heat seems so much more intense than an electric oven and I guess that's because under there is a whole circle of flames.

Nevertheless, I will not be deterred and I will conquer baking with gas.

Today, I wanted to make some banana bread. I love banana bread. There is something so comforting and satisfying about it. I found a recipe on a blog called Cannella Vita which I started following recently and the recipe seemed so simple but yet got such good reviews. I like simple, especially when I am too busy worrying about the oven part of the baking process. 

If there is one thing ican say with my hand on my heart, it is that I have found THE perfect banana for baking banana bread. It grows here in Indonesia and is called pisang ambon or Ambon banana. Yes, when you go to the supermarket here in Jakarta you can find up to five or six different kinds of bananas for sale. They range in size, thickness of skin and shape. However, pisang ambon is the king of them all in my eyes when it comes to baking. I made banana bread back in Dublin but it never had the same taste or colour as banana bread here. This particular banana turns the bread this lovely dark golden colour compared to the paler shade I always got in Ireland.

This recipe turned out just perfect. The bread was very moist and the only difference I made to the recipe was to add a half teaspoon of cinnamon (because for me it goes so well with bananas) and a teaspoon of vanilla (because it goes well with everything). I also baked it in my fabulous, best buy ever, mini Bundt silicone tray. This silicone Bundt tray bakes everything perfectly and lets face it, who doesn't want to have their very own portion of banana bread shaped in a cute little Bundt.

Of course, to really pimp up banana bread there is nothing like a good smear of dark chocolate spread and a sprinkling of walnuts to send it over the edge. Yum...

Orange poppy seed Bundt cake...orangelicious!

I baked this awhile ago and realised I hadn't posted the photos. This cake was delicious with a rich orange flavour and the addition of those lovely blue poppy seeds gave it a real earthiness. Although the glaze was a simple orange and icing sugar mixture, when I make this again I would go for a marmalade glaze instead. I think marmalade would make it tangy and particularly pretty with the orange rind in it. I do have the recipe somewhere on my phone but I'll have to dig it out. I do remember it being quite similar to the lemon Bundt cake recipe I used but of course all lemon ingredients substituted with orange. The key is to find delicious, juicy oranges for that rich flavour and we are lucky at the moment in that we are inundated in the supermarket with amazing big Spanish oranges. There was a fight between household members to slurp the remaining juice out of the squeezer it was that good! By the time I got around to trying to photograph the inside of the cake, well, you can see what was left!

A Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake...full of chocolate love!

With my dads birthday approaching I knew I needed to find a whopper of a cake to bake for the occasion. I clicked and searched and searched and clicked and finally stumbled across this genius recipe. You can find it here http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/04/27/tunnel-of-fudge-cake/

What a sheer revelation! Even the name of the cake caused a giant grin to spread from one ear to the other. How could this not go down a treat in a hungry household?

It was a breeze to make, popped it in the oven and did have a few moments of worrying whether it was overcooking or not. After all, we couldn't very well have a tunnel of fudge cake with no fudgy tunnel! Anyway I held off until the 45 minutes then whisked it out. I left it for the full half an hour in the tin and it came out so easy. The chocolate ganache was deliriously good and I had to stop myself from just pouring the whole lot into my mouth rather than putting it on the cake. I did find that the bottom was a little crispy when I took it out, however with the chocolate ganache this helped soften it up. What really set this cake over the edge was a 20 second blast in the microwave to ensure the middle was gooey and two scoops of vanilla bean ice-cream. Warm chocolate cake and vanilla ice-cream...bliss! I really did die and go to heaven. So did everyone else. If you make one chocolate cake...make this. Just make sure you don't scrimp at the supermarket. Buy good expensive chocolate, it makes the difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary cake. You wont regret it!

White Toblerone Bundt cake...

So, what do you do when you get given one of those massive Toblerone bars? You instantly go in search of a way to turn it into something even more divine like a Bundt cake. I do like Toblerone but I must admit that I find the white chocolate a bit sickly and sweet on its own. However, when it becomes the base for a Bundt cake it becomes transformational. This cake was so moist and soft. It melted in your mouth. The intense sweetness of the chocolate had gone and instead it made the cake rich and flavourful. There was 200g of Toblerone in this, which was half of one of those giant bars. I could easily have just sat and sliced another five slices of this and gobbled them down. Self-restraint is not easily accomplished around this cake. Make at your own waistlines risk!

White chocolate Toblerone Bundt cake

Melt in a double boiler :
250g butter
200g white Toblerone
1 cup milk
1 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Leave to cool. Once cool add 2 cups plain flour, 2 and half tsps baking powder and 3 beaten eggs.

Pop in the Bundt pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes though. You don't want to overcook and lose that lovely moistness. Cool completely on a wire rack before turning out onto a cake stand. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Devour shamelessly!

Road trip sustenance...banana almond bundt cake

This is for a picnic we'll be having tomorrow on a road trip to the Cliffs of Moher in the west of Ireland. How can you NOT make a bundt cake when visiting cliffs? Is this generous delight not a reminder of those wondrous natural features? Anyway, haven't tasted it yet, but it sure smelled delicious coming out of the oven...will update tomorrow...

Lovely lemon blueberry buttermilk bundt - now there's a mouthful!

And the baking continues with a fury. I can't contain myself, really, after such a long time of baking in a tin box on top of a gas stove it's just so good to have a proper oven again. I found two packets of fresh blueberries hiding in the back of the fridge and figured they couldn't be left there much longer. So what better way to use them up than in a fabulous bundt cake?
And did this bundt turn out a dream or what? It was so moist and soft. I could really have just sliced piece after piece and devoured it all. It was really light and the lemons and blueberries combined perfectly. The tangy lemon drizzle added a little kick. Rather naughtily, someone suggested topping a piece with some whipped cream...and oh what an added delight! This is a great cake to have at a picnic, barbecue, or tea party. Actually it's a great cake for any occasion. You don't need much space left in your tummies to squeeze in a piece of this lovely light lemony cake!

Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake

For the Cake:
2½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1¾ cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk
3 cups blueberries

For the Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (reduce temperature to 325 degrees F if your pan is dark/non-stick). Grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2½ cups of the all-purpose flour, the baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl), use your fingertips to rub together the sugar and lemon zest until the zest is completely incorporated and the sugar is evenly moistened. Add the butter and cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing for a minute after each and scraping down the bowl before adding the next. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine.

5. With the mixer still on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined, followed by ½ the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk and the remaining flour.

6. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries and the remaining 2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, tossing together so they are evenly coated. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the cake batter. Spread the cake batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving platter and let cool completely.

7. Once the cake is cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and butter until smooth. The icing should be quite thick (if you’d like it thinner, you can add more milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you get it to the consistency you want). Use an offset spatula to spread the glaze on top of the cake, giving it a little nudge down every so often. The cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Chocolate and peanut butter bundt - a special request

Ok so I've just moved back to Dublin and my precious bundt pan from Bali is still in transit somewhere between here and there. Well, a baker just ain't a baker unless she has her bundt pan so I headed into the city on a mission to find one. It took awhile, and I did end up with blisters on my feet. I also had to spend the entire search convincing my younger brother that every step we took in this mission was a step closer to obtaining a baking pan that created a piece of heaven. Naturally, I had to live up to this statement. I mentioned some flavours and he jumped at peanut butter and chocolate. So that's what I made. This is a delightful cake. Richly chocolately but yet a nice nutty surprise in the middle. And the verdict from my brother was a big thumbs up followed by a discussion on how the bundt cake does seem to just epitomise the absolute essence of yumminess in its shape, size, form and ultimately taste. I must say that since I first discovered the bundt I have developed a complete and utter love for it. I do find it aesthetically to be such an attractive cake shape that it surprises me that so many shops here had no pans available for sale. I could spend hours salivating over the many shapes and sizes of bundt pans available in America and want to cry that hardly any are available here. How could anyone not fall in love with this charming cake form? As you can see from the photos, I didn't even manage to get the chocolate drizzle on before a piece had gone!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bundt

For the filling :
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the cake batter :
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
12 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
3 ounces quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons sour cream
12 tablespoons butter, softened
1 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

To make the filling :
In a large mixing bowl, beat peanut butter, cream cheese and butter until combined. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla. Be sure to scrape down the sides. Pour in sugar and flour, mix until combined. Fit a pastry bag with a large plain tip and scoop the filling into the bag. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the batter :
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a medium metal or glass bowl, add cocoa and whisk in boiling water. Add in chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Mix in sour cream.
In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. Alternatively mix in the dry ingredients and the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. For example - mix in 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the cocoa mixture, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the cocoa mixture and finishing with the final 1/3 of the flour. Mixing just until combined with each addition.

Spray a bundt pan with a nonstick spray that has flour included (like Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour). Spoon a little less than half of the batter into bottom of the bundt pan. Using the pastry bag that has the peanut butter mixture, carefully pipe a ring of the filling over the center of the chocolate batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and gently tap the pan to remove air bubbles.

Bake until top springs back when lightly touched or a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached - about 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Place a wire cooling rack on top of the cake and carefully turn over - remove the pan and let cool completely.

Lovely light lemon bundt cake

there is nothing like lemon. it just has a lovely zing to it that makes you feel fresh ad alert. it must be one of my favourite scents. and although i haven't posted for a VERY long time, i still have been baking. i'm particularly enjoying bundt cakes and have baked many over these past months. part of the reason i've been offline is because my domain expired and i have been to hell and back to try and get it back. however, i am without success and am now contemplating a name change. so it's back to my blogspot address until i figure out my next move. meanwhile, here is something to wet your taste buds...this is deliciously light. made with yogurt and real lemons, it was moist and fluffy. i made it to bring into work and it was gone in 5 minutes with hungry teachers slicing off doorstep slices and coming back for seconds :)