Cooking
Holiday party season started officially last weekend. We had so many events to go to we needed most of the week to recover. This weekend was much the same. One of the best events last weekend was a tree-trimming open house at Elizabeth's house in Palo Alto.
Elizabeth is a managing editor at Weldon Owen, a publishing house that is responsible for the Williams-Sonoma series of cookbooks among other things. While Elizabeth doesn't work on cookbooks (at least not yet!) she is a terrific home baker. The spread of baked goodies she prepared looked bakery beautiful and I felt a personal responsibility as her friend to try absolutely everything. That's just the kind of friend I am.
The biggest hit was the Black Russian cake. You may know about doctoring cake mixes, and you may have even heard of adding Kahlua to a cake, but the vodka in this cake really gives it a holiday kick! Elizabeth not only came up with the recipe (after doing much research online) but she chose to make the cakes in very pretty mini bundt pans (see photo above this post). You could just as easily make this in a large bundt pan or as sinful cupcakes...
Black Russian Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
1 package plain devil's food cake mix, without pudding
1 three-ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs (room temperature)
Glaze:
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1/8-1/4 cup Kahlua
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease (Crisco) and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, Kahlua, vodka, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat for three minutes with an electric mixer. (Scrape sides of bowl halfway through.)
Pour batter in the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until done.
Cool 10 minutes and transfer to a plate.
For glaze, add Kahlua to the confectioners sugar until honey-like consistency (you can use a fork to mix it).
Drizzle glaze over cake.
Note: For mini bundt cakes, adjust cooking time to about 25 minutes (check with toothpick, cake tester, or--Elizabeth's usual fallback--spaghetti for doneness).
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- Doctoring Mixes
I've tried to understand why I love mixes so much and I think it comes down to one thing:magic. There is a magical quality to cooking, like being in a chemistry lab where you mix a few things together and voila! you end up with something else. I know...
- Another Re-used Post
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- Carrot Birthday Cake
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My Dad and his wife recently brought me back this Bundt cake tin from a trip to Bayreuth - the city of Wagner operas and, apparently, some really nice kitchenware shops. Yes, I had to be nerdy enough to have this as my "wish list item no. 1". I've...
Cooking
Black Russian Bundt Cake Recipe
Holiday party season started officially last weekend. We had so many events to go to we needed most of the week to recover. This weekend was much the same. One of the best events last weekend was a tree-trimming open house at Elizabeth's house in Palo Alto.
Elizabeth is a managing editor at Weldon Owen, a publishing house that is responsible for the Williams-Sonoma series of cookbooks among other things. While Elizabeth doesn't work on cookbooks (at least not yet!) she is a terrific home baker. The spread of baked goodies she prepared looked bakery beautiful and I felt a personal responsibility as her friend to try absolutely everything. That's just the kind of friend I am.
The biggest hit was the Black Russian cake. You may know about doctoring cake mixes, and you may have even heard of adding Kahlua to a cake, but the vodka in this cake really gives it a holiday kick! Elizabeth not only came up with the recipe (after doing much research online) but she chose to make the cakes in very pretty mini bundt pans (see photo above this post). You could just as easily make this in a large bundt pan or as sinful cupcakes...
Black Russian Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
1 package plain devil's food cake mix, without pudding
1 three-ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs (room temperature)
Glaze:
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1/8-1/4 cup Kahlua
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease (Crisco) and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, Kahlua, vodka, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat for three minutes with an electric mixer. (Scrape sides of bowl halfway through.)
Pour batter in the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until done.
Cool 10 minutes and transfer to a plate.
For glaze, add Kahlua to the confectioners sugar until honey-like consistency (you can use a fork to mix it).
Drizzle glaze over cake.
Note: For mini bundt cakes, adjust cooking time to about 25 minutes (check with toothpick, cake tester, or--Elizabeth's usual fallback--spaghetti for doneness).
- Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe
You know it's Fall when fresh cranberries appear in the supermarket. I always buy a few extra packages and throw them in the freezer. One more culinary confession? I still have a package left from last year! Ok, I'm not sure exactly when I bought...
- Doctoring Mixes
I've tried to understand why I love mixes so much and I think it comes down to one thing:magic. There is a magical quality to cooking, like being in a chemistry lab where you mix a few things together and voila! you end up with something else. I know...
- Another Re-used Post
Here's another post from my soon-to-be defunct cooking club: Ok. Here it is. Only one day late! Chocolate Layer Cake with Peppermint Ganache Frosting Alex examines the cake with a critical eye. Alex tastes the cake. Yummy cake! The only difference...
- Carrot Birthday Cake
My sister turned 33 - well, actually, she did in August, she just haven't had the time to gather up the entire family and share her birthday until now! Seeing that I LOVE to bake (you'd never have guessed, would you?) I offered to do her a...
- A Cake Tin And Some Blueberries...
My Dad and his wife recently brought me back this Bundt cake tin from a trip to Bayreuth - the city of Wagner operas and, apparently, some really nice kitchenware shops. Yes, I had to be nerdy enough to have this as my "wish list item no. 1". I've...