My Top 5 reasons to love Pinterest.
1. It’s inspiring
2. It’s inspiring
3. It’s inspiring
4. It’s inspiring
5. It’s inspiring
Did I mention I find Pinterest inspiring?
I realise that for many people it is a confusing place, What exactly is it’s purpose? Why do we need another form of social media? Why do we need another places to look at pictures?
Well Pinterest is a confusing place and for many I think it’s probably completely unnecessary but for me it’s been a god send. Not only do I now get lots of traffic to the blog from there but it’s also amazing when I’m trying to decide what to bake.
Take last week – My boyfriend had missed 3 weeks of 5 a side football and during that time someone had a birthday, I knew that I needed to provide them with cake, I asked the birthday boy what his favourite cake was and he answered “I like all kinds of cake but have a bit of fondness for chocolate”
This year the only type of cake I have sent to the footballers has been Chocolate in one form or another. Chocolate Beetroot Brownies, Mint Chocolate Brownies and Rocky Road Easter Nests. I needed inspiration and in rode the wonderful Pinterest.
I didn’t even need to search for Chocolate Cake, as soon as I logged in it was waiting for me – already pinned by someone I follow. Zebra Bundt Cake
I’ve never marbled a cake before but after clicking on the picture and going through to the recipe (on a blog I may never have found without Pinterest) I’ve realised that marbling is as easy as alternating different coloured cake batters in the exact same spot. EASY!
This cake has got me thinking of other flavour combinations I could try – currently top of the ‘To Do List’ is Peanut Butter & Jam. *wiggles eyebrows*
So anyway back to this cake – as stated before I love a Bundt, they are so forgiving and when a simple bit of alternating the batters (ON THE SAME SPOT) can produce something that looks THIS pretty and impressive, what is not to love? To love and to shout about. This is me shouting about it by the way.
It’s also really really really really delicious – moist and not too rich.
Zebra Bundt Cake
adapted from Bakers Royale
330g / 11 1/4 oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
450g / 1lb granulated sugar
55g / 2oz cocoa powder
6 tbsp water
340g / 11 1/2 oz butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
5 large eggs
120ml whole milk
Topping
175g / 6oz dark chocolate
180ml double cream
Preheat the oven to 180°c / 350°f / gas mark 4 and grease the inside of a bundt tin and dust with flour.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a separate bowl mix together 50g of the sugar, the cocoa powder and water and also set this aside.
In another separate bowl beat the butter and remaining sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and then an egg at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Beat the mixture until it thickens slightly.
Now stir in a third of the flour, followed by half of the milk, then another third of the flour, the rest of the milk and finally the last of the flour. Combine thoroughly.
This is when I deviated from the original recipe, purely by accident I made more chocolate batter than vanilla – looking at their pictures the vanilla lines are bigger than the chocolate and I’ve done it the other way round – making it MORE chocolatey.
Separate the mixture in half and then add the chocolate mixture to one – mix until fully combined.
Get yourself 2 spoons and alternate spoonfuls of each batter into the bundt tin. I started with the chocolate mixture and spooned 3 spoonfuls into the bundt tin, then followed this with 2 spoonfuls of the vanilla mixture directly on top of the chocolate and repeated, with a few variations on number of spoonfuls each time.
As you add more mixture on top it will start to move around the bundt tin – once you have alternated all the two mixtures you may need to give the mixture a gentle wiggle to tease it all the way around the centre.
Bake on the middle shelf for 45-55 minutes – until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then gentle invert on to a wire rack to fully cool.
Once cooled make the ganache topping. Gentle heat the cream over a low heat until just before boiling – have the chocolate ready in a small bowl, chips work best but if using a bar break it into the smallest pieces you can. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until it’s all melted. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes and then dollop over your bundt.
This is a beast of a cake, so really needs to be served with friends but the leftovers should be eaten while watching a Jennifer Aniston movie.
Roswensian 