Gingerbread Bundt Cake and the return of baking

It is Fall!  After a hot, long Summer, I can finally turn on my oven again.  To celebrate this occasion I decided to make a very autumn dessert for a luncheon my mom was throwing.  This gingerbread bundt is my new favorite recipe.  The cake tastes unique and flavorful without being too sweet.  The recipe is very easy and the best part is that gingerbread is best made the day ahead of time.  Therefore, this is the perfect thing to bring to a party. 

There are some interesting ingredients in this cake.  Most notable is the cup of molasses and cup of Guinness that makes the rich, dark syrup for the cake.  Lucky for me, I always keep both ingredients on hand.

I pulled the recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.  If you are looking for a new blog to follow, I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout
•  1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.  HEAVILY grease and flour your bundt pan.  I had a lot of gooey goodness left in my pan after baking even after I thought I over-greased.  Really go for it with this one.

Pour guinness and molasses into a large (yes large) saucepan, bring to a boil and then remove from heat.  (You will have some Guinness leftover.  Do NOT let that go to waste!)

Whisk in baking soda.  There will be a fizzy, foamy reaction that occurs.  Don't panic, just keep stirring until it calms down and let it cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your stand mixer whisk together eggs, white sugar and brown sugar until well combined.  Then, add in the oil and molasses/guinness mixture. Stir until just combined.  Add in the flour, baking powder and spices and whisk again until just combined.

Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, check at about 46 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
Serve cake, dusted with confectioners sugar, with whipped cream.
 

Rhubarb Lemon Buttermilk Bundt

Hello Friends, I must apologize for the long absence.  The month of April just slipped away from me.  However, I am back at it so please continue to check back regularly for some recipes worth sharing.

Rhubarb Lemon Buttermilk Bundt

March was unusually balmy here in Minnesota and with that came a flourishing crop of Rhubarb.  Rhubarb is a Midwest staple but not readily available everywhere in the country.  However, at my parents house we have more Rhubarb than we know what to do with.  So, last weekend I took about a pound of Rhubarb stalks out of their garden and decided I would work this into a brunch baked good for my upcoming Book Club gathering.  This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Cake cooling before adding the lemon soak & glaze

Recipe adapted from honey & jam

The rhubarb, lemon and buttermilk blend in this recipe to make a very delicious sweet and tart cake.  The buttermilk also made the texture of this cake pretty dense without feeling heavy.  I will definitely be making this again.

For the Bundt Cake
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour1 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon fine sea salt1 cup unsalted butter1 3/4 cups granulated sugarzest of 1 lemon3 eggs1/2 teaspoon lemon oil (i used lemon extract)3/4 cup buttermilk1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and very thinly sliced (3 cups prepped)


For the Lemon Soak
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar

For the Lemon Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, more as neededJuice of 1 lemon1 tablespoon nearly melted butter
Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan.
To make the cake, sift the 2 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the lemon oil. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The batter will be very thick.
Toss the rhubarb with the 2 tablespoons of flour and fold half into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining rhubarb on top.


Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly touched (Mine took about 1 hour and 15 minutes total). Cool the cake in its pan on the wire rack for 30 minutes before inverting and removing the pan.


To make the lemon soak juice 1/2 of a lemon into a bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Throw this in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then whisk with a fork until sugar is dissolved.  Ladle this over the cooled bundt cake and let it soak in.

To make the lemon glaze, whisk the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and butter together. The mixture should be thick. If it’s not, whisk in another tablespoon or two of the sugar. Spread the glaze over the cake as soon as you remove it from the pan.

The finished product.

Note: If you want to make this a day ahead bake the cake, let it cool, and then wrap and cover over night. Then, the next day add the lemon soak and the lemon glaze.


Another note: if you cannot find Rhubarb, try blueberries, raspberries, or cherries.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chips

If you are my friend and you live in Minneapolis, chances are I gave you baked goods for your birthday. (Hope you liked them!)  I love baking but I just don't have the metabolism of four teenage boys so I cannot consume all that I like to bake.  Therefore, baking and giving is my favorite thing to do.  

This recipe was given to my friend Chelle on her 26th birthday.  As I recall it was a really dreary weekend AND she had to work on her birthday.  So, I delivered this bundt cake with a note instructing her to just eat her feelings.  I hope she did just that and enjoyed!

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and an 8x8 inch baking dish. (I used a Bundt cake pan)
2. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside.
3. Sift together (or just STIR TOGETHER) all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter, and egg in a large bowl until fluffy. Mix in mashed bananas and buttermilk or yogurt. Add flour mixture and blend well.
4. Spread half of batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

I found this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs: Buns in My Oven

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I must be in a baking mood.  Here is another family favorite.  My mom and I will make at least one (usually 2) of these before the holidays and just store them in the freezer.  Then, the night before everyone arrives we just let it defrost on the counter and it is ready to eat in the morning.  I also love this recipe because I LOVE my bundt pan! (Thanks to Bre's G-Pa)

My beautiful Nordicware Bundt Pan.
Nordicware also just so happens to be made in MN!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder

Filling
(Double for best results)

1/2 cup nuts
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

To make:

Cream eggs, sour cream, butter, and sugar. Add rest of ingredients. Put half of
batter in a well greased bundt pan.  Add the nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Top with other half of the batter.

Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until you can poke it with a toothpick and have it come out clean.  Let the coffee cake cool in the pan for a short time and then flip it out onto a wire rack or plate to cool further.