Chocolate Bundt Cake with Semisweet Chocolate Ganache

Happy New Year 2017! December was crazy stressful, and for the past few days I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather. It set the stage for a pretty low key New Year’s Eve and even mellower New Year’s day.  I was content to lounge on the sofa with my family and watch “Julie & Julia,” a movie about blogging and cooking (as opposed to doing it). As always, my kids had other plans. Beja, inspired by Julia Child’s biography, decided her time would be better spent baking. She asked to make a chocolate cake.

My first reaction was to tell her no. I could see the mountain of dishes that I would have to clean, all the assistance I would need to offer, and the mid-movie nap that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy. Instead, I paused and did something I rarely do.

I said “yes.”

I’m all for  self-reliant children, but more than that I want my kids to enjoy cooking. A chocolate cake sounded like just the thing to practice on.  And it was a holiday. And we didn’t have plans or anything I had to do. Crossing my fingers, I got out of the kitchen and let Beja get down to business. And she did just that. She made a chocolate bundt cake and baked it herself.

Sofia wanted to help, too, so when Beja finished up the cake, Sofia made the ganache.

And what did I do? I took the pictures, of course.

I didn’t even supervise. Sofia has a good eye and watches plenty of t.v. cooking shows herself to know how to drizzle a little chocolate sauce.

Trust me, the cake was as good as it looks.

Super moist, chocolate-y, dense, rich.

The ganache added even more chocolate-y flavor.

But wait! There’s more. Sofia made whipped cream from scratch to top it off.

I think 2017 might be the year where I start to step back and let the kids do a little more in the kitchen!

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• Red Velvet Cake
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Chocolate Bundt Cake with Semisweet Chocolate Ganache

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 cake

Author: Four to Cook For

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup two sticks unsalted butter, plus more for cake pan
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup milk I used 2%
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Ganche

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a Bundt pan, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together: flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt. Set flour mix aside.
• Mix in milk and sour cream in a separate small pouring bowl and set aside.
• In a third bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time to butter and sugar, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla.
• Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk mixture. Mix until just combined. Don't overmix.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth with offset spatula.
• Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely.

Make Ganache

• Meanwhile, make the ganache. Place chocolate ships in a glass, or other heatproof bowl.
• In a small sauce pan, bring cream to a simmer, then pour over the chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes.
• Add butter and mix until smooth. If you need it to melt faster, put water in the saucepan, bring to a boil, and place the glass bowl of the ganache over it, stirring until is is blended and slightly thickened.
• Using a spoon, drizzle/pour over the cake until it is covered to your liking.

Make Whipped Cream

• Chill bowl and balloon whisk in freezer for 10 minutes.
• Add cream, sugar, and vanilla and whisk vigorously for about 5 minutes until soft peaks form.
• Dollop over cake and serve.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or tag @fourtocookfor and hashtag #fourtocookfor on Instagram.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.