RICH CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKES

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Liquid Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup MINUS 2 TBSP boiling water
2 Tbsp. Chambord (raspberry liqueur)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt or tube pan. I used individual mini-bundt cake pan-it comes six bundt cakes to each pan, and this recipe makes 12 mini cakes. I did not flour the pans because I didn’t want any “white” when I turned over the cakes.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl of an electric mixer. Ad the liquid ingredients (except for the boiling water and Chambord), and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Stir in boiling water (and Chambord). Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean. For mini bundts, I baked for about 15 min. and then started checking it until toothpick came out clean. Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes and longer, then invert cake onto wire rack and let cool completely. If you try to remove too soon cake will brake apart!

Raspberry-Chocolate Ganache: (Note: The ganache recipe is very generous – I often half this recipe).

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup Raspberry Puree* (instead of making your own raspberry puree which is very time-consuming cuz you then have to get all the seeds out, you can use 2/3 cups seedless raspberry jam).

16 bars (1.5 oz each) Godiva Dark Chocolate, Chopped OR 2 (12oz. packages) of ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips – the bittersweet makes all the difference! And you don’t have to chop), but this ganache recipe came from Godiva.

2 TBSP Chambord (raspberry flavored liqueur)

Heat the cream and raspberry puree in a medium saucepan over medium heat to a boil, stirring occasionally. (don’t let the cream form that “skin” on top. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the Chambord. Pour over the bundt cake(s) and chill for a couple of hours. Serve with fresh raspberries.