Black Russian Bundt Cake

“There are two kinds of people in the world:  those who love chocolate, and communists.”  – Leslie Moak Murray

This past weekend was the last performance of Flora the Red Menace, and since it is a show about Communists, I found it fitting to attempt my first Bundt cake in order to make Black Russian Cake for our closing.

Now, when I set out to make this cake I actually had no idea it was a Bundt. But, once again, my recipe sent me on an adventure to William Sonoma to purchase a 10-cup Bundt pan, and a Bundt-Carrier, to keep my cake intact while making the trek from my apartment to the theater. (I must say, I felt very chic carrying my shiny, plastic carry-along with the sparkling Bundt inside…though a little less awesome when, in an effort to keep said Bundt safe, I decided to strap the entire carrier into the front seat with a seatbelt…and also proceeded to drive about 15 miles under the limit for the entire car ride. Someone would’ve thought I had a newborn baby in there with me!)

The cake itself was actually very easy to make. And honestly, my fears of inverting the cake and having it end up totally botched were completely unfounded; because as long as you properly prepare your Bundt pan and have patience, everything should turn out great!

So, without further ado, here is the recipe for:

BLACK RUSSIAN BUNDT CAKE*

Ingredients:

For the cake:

-       1 cup vegetable oil

-       4 large eggs

-       ¾ cup strong coffee

-       ½ cup crème de cacao

-       ¼ cup Kahlua

-       1 package dark-chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

-       3 ½ - ounces of instant chocolate pudding mix (MIX, not pudding! 3 ½ ounces of the powdered mix)

For the ganache:

-       ½ cup whipping cream

-       1 tbsp unsalted butter

-       12 oz of dark chocolate chips (I used toll house)

-       3 tablespoons strong hot coffee

-       3 tablespoons Kahlua

-       3 tablespoons crème de cacao

-       Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

For the cake:

Okay, so before we begin I want to explain a technique, well more of a phrase that informs a baker’s technique, that really helped make everything run smoothly. There is a French term “mise en place,” which means “put in place.” Bakers (and I’m sure cooks, as well) use this term to remind them to have all of their ingredients in place, measured, chopped, melted, etc, before beginning their baking, so that everything goes together quickly and easily, rather than having your cracked eggs sitting in a bowl for ten minutes while you measure out the milk that’s been sitting on your counter for an hour. Anyway, I followed this idea and it really did help. I mean, I was able to get all the ingredients into the bowl one right after the other, and I also lined them up in order of their use so that there was no guess work of, “did I add that already?” I very much suggest trying this little bit of prep beforehand, because it makes everything much more efficient.

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease every inch of a 10 cup Bundt pan. (Make sure to get the center ring!) I use nonstick baking spray with flour because it helps me hit every little space, and then I use a paper towel to help smooth it all out and then get ride of any excess, because you don’t want pools of butter or spray at the bottom of the pan.

2.     Combine the oil, eggs, coffee, crème de cacao, and Kahlua in a large bowl. Mix well.

3.     Add the cake mix and the pudding mix and stir until totally combined. Don’t over mix the batter, but make sure you’re really checking underneath and in the middle to catch any unwanted clumps of unincorporated pudding and cake mix.

4.     Pour into the Bundt pan until it’s a little over halfway full. (My batter actually only filled the pan about halfway, but it still rose to the top of the pan beautifully)

5.     Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer (yes, a skewer, so you can get all the way in there. I actually make a conscious effort to buy bamboo skewers to test my cakes for doneness) comes out clean.

6.     Now, here’s where the patience comes in: transfer the cake in the bundt pan to a cooling rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Seriously, this will make getting it out of the pan much easier.

7.     45 minutes later, place a serving platter, cutting board, really big plate, whatever, on top of the Bundt pan. Invert the cake onto the surface and gently pull the Bundt pan away, Voila! Black Russian Cake!

For the ganache:

1.     Place the chocolate chips in a medium to large size bowl

2.     Put the butter and whipping cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil (I do not suggest trying to take pictures of this step, because you might, like me, drop your camera into the pan of milk and then have to salvage it (thank God I was able to!) And start on a new batch of topping!

3.     Pour the whipping cream and butter mixture over the chocolate chips and stir until combined

4.     Pour in the Kahlua, crème de cacao and hot coffee (I only use hot because it helps melt any leftover chocolate chips)

5.     Whisk to combine the ingredients and make sure the chocolate is smooth and thick.

To assemble the cake:

1.     Place the cake on whatever serving platter you’re going to use.

2.     Using a skewer, poke holes evenly throughout the cake so that the ganache will also seep inside the slices.

3.     Spoon the ganache over the cake. Warning: It is melty and there is a lot of it, it will start to pool in the center, on the sides, wherever. Just use the spoon to gently scoop up some of the falling ganache and pour it over the cake again. (Also, you can take pieces of wax or parchment paper and set them up around the cake so that chocolate doesn’t get on the serving surface. That way, after the ganache sets, you can simply remove the paper and have a clean surface underneath your bundt.

4.     Cover with sparkly sprinkles if desired.

5.     Refrigerate (covered) for about 30 minutes to let the ganache set.

6.     Let the cake come to room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

7.     Serve!

CUT TO POST-EATING

So, my cast loved this dessert. First of all, the cake is so super moist that just cutting into it made me all giddy. There were literally no crumbs falling off, it all just stayed together in perfect, creamy slices. Second, the uncooked liquor in the ganache definitely helped us ring in the celebration that was the end of the run. And the sprinkles? Just adorable.

The best part about this recipe, though? While, yes, you do need a Bundt pan, the rest of the recipe is insanely simple, and yet with the melty ganache and the sparkly sprinkles, the presentation of the dessert makes it look like you’re a genius, and like it took hours to perfect. And who doesn’t want to be a baking genius?

Til next time,

D

*The recipe for the cake is adapted from a cookbook titled, Intercourses: an aphrodisiac cookbook. However, their recipe called for a glaze instead of a ganache, which is something I just couldn’t follow through with, because I love a thick, chocolatey topping waaaaaay too much. So, I decided to take what I knew I liked from different ganaches and set about making my own. You can purchase this cookbook by clicking this link: http://www.amazon.com/InterCourses-Aphrodisiac-Cookbook-Martha-Hopkins/dp/0965327507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340028137&sr=8-1&keywords=intercourses