"14 Days of Angels Baking Valentine Memories!"
Enjoy one for Valentine's Day and gift the other! If a regular sized Bundt cake is too much for your family, try making two out of one recipe. Frost one for today and freeze the other one for later. It will freeze for well over a month and still be moist. Make some buttercream frosting and it’s ready for company or the family or for a party.
I love Bundt cakes. They are so easy to make and they’re fun to bake, especially with the endless flavors and embellishments available. I enjoy making them so much that over the years I have invested in 4 different sized pans – 14 cup capacity, 12 cup, 10 cup and two 6 cup pans. I have found that by mixing a 10C or 12C recipe, I can make two cakes in the 6 cup pans. That’s how I make two cakes out of one recipe. Make and decorate one for now and freeze the other for a few weeks later. I can still serve 6-8 with one of the 6 cup sized cakes. And, it’s so cute!
Coffee and Kahlua Liqueur embellish the chocolate in this moist chocolate Bundt cake. The buttercream almond frosting I pipe in circles over the top is just the right amount of almond flavoring to enhance the intense chocolate crumb of the cake.
I have to admit, I have never liked the Bundt cakes made with a cake mix - they usually turn out dry and crumbly. But, when I made this one, I am convinced that there is such a thing as a delish Bundt cake made with a Devil’s Food Cake Mix AND instant pudding. The pudding helps to keep the Bundt moist. I like my Bundt to have some substance and remain moist. This is a pretty straight forward recipe that’s easy to make.
Serves 6-8 slices of cake.
Prepare your two 6 cup Bundt pans:
Coat the insides of two 6 cup Bundt pans with soft butter, making sure all the crooks and crannies are covered. Dust with sifted cocoa powder. Tap the excess powder into the trash. By dusting it with cocoa powder there’s no chance of any white flour (that’s how some people still dust their Bundts even though they are making a dark batter) showing up all over the outside of the Bundt after it’s done baking. Using cocoa powder is much more appealing on the finished Bundt.
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
Gather your ingredients:
18 oz Devil’s Food Cake Mix, dry
3.4-4.0 oz Vanilla pudding instant mix, dry
2 T Cocoa powder
4 Eggs
1 C Sour cream
¼ C Coffee, brewed, cooled
½ C Vegetable oil
½ C Kahlua
2 t Vanilla extract
1 C Chocolate chips, semi-sweet
1 C Chocolate chips, dark
Get Mixing:
- Mix all the dry ingredients together.
- Add all liquid ingredients and beat for 3-5 minutes until all combined. You can do this by hand or with an electric mixer. If by hand you’ll need to beat it a little longer.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour ½ of the batter into each of the two prepared 6 cup Bundt pans.
Get Baking:
- Bake both cakes side by side on the middle rack in the preheated 350F degree oven for 45-50 minutes. I check it at the 45-minute point, pressing on the top of each cake to see if it bounces back. If it doesn’t it’ll need a few more minutes of baking. Don’t overbake or it can become too dry.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans on a rack for about 15 minutes.
- I use the curved, narrow, slim end of an orange peeler to poke between the cake and the side of the pan, all around the cake in order to loosen it a bit. Then, tip it over onto a serving platter.
The Icing on the Cake:
- These cakes are moist enough to enjoy without any topping but if you insist, garnish them with a shiny ganache or a thick and creamy buttercream.
- Frost the cakes while still warm if you’re using a chocolate ganache to top them so it readily drips down the sides.
- Let the cakes cool completely if you plan to frost them with a buttercream frosting. You wouldn’t want the buttercream to melt on a warm cake.
Almond Buttercream Frosting:
2 T Butter, melted
2 T Milk, whole is preferred
1 t Almond extract
3 C Powdered sugar
- Mix the liquids together, then slowly add the powdered sugar.
- Beat well with an electric mixer.
- Add more powdered sugar if it’s too thin or add a little more milk if it’s too thick. Beat for 4-5 minutes to create a nice fluffy frosting thick enough for spreading or piping.
- Fill a piping bag with your choice of a decorative frosting tip on the end. I use a simple round tip for this cake. Pipe the frosting in swirls around the top of the cake.
- After frosting the cake, garnish with Valentine chocolates and bright red strawberries.
This cake is delicious with a cup of coffee after dinner or in the afternoon with friends. You don’t really need a reason to thoroughly enjoy a slice of this cake alongside a couple of bright red juicy strawberries. Relax and “Bake your own Memories!”