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Chocolate orange bundt cake

 

Moist chocolate bundt cake with orange flavour and chocolate glaze.

Ingredients

Bundt cake:

• 100 ml heavy cream 36%, 6.5 tablespoons, ½ cup – 1 Tbsp
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 3.2 oz dark chocolate 90g
• 1.4 oz milk chocolate 40g
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur like Cointreau, or smooth orange jam, or orange juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 220g / 7.8 oz, spoon and levelled
• 5 tablespoons cocoa unsweetened, 35g / 1.2 oz
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 7 oz butter soft, cut into pieces, 200g / 1 cup – 2 Tbsp
• 8.5 oz superfine baker’s sugar 240g / 1 cup + 1
• 2 heaped tablespoons grated orange zest preferably from organic oranges, from 4 small oranges
• 3 large eggs

Chocolate orange glaze:

• 4 oz dark chocolate 115g
• ½ cup heavy cream 120 ml
• ¼ cup orange juice or 1 teaspoon smooth orange jam

Instructions

  All ingredients should be at room temperature! (especially the eggs and butter).

1.     Generously butter a 21 cm / 8-inch bundt cake pan, set aside.

2.     Add the cream and orange juice into a small pot, bring almost to the boil, remove from the heat, add the cut into small pieces chocolate, wait 1 minute, then stir until the chocolate has melted, add the orange liqueur/jam and vanilla extract, stir until combined, set aside.

3.     In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, sift into another bowl, set aside.

4.     Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4, no fan (if using a convection over reduce the temperature by 25 degrees).

5.     Add the butter to the mixer bowl; beat for about 2-3 minutes at medium-high speed until fluffy.

6.     Add the sugar and orange zest; beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

7.     Add the eggs, one at a time, beat up well, next egg can be added when the previous one is incorporated into the batter, after adding each egg scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.

8.     Reduce the speed to low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating just to combine, add ½ of the chocolate mixture, followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture, another ½ of the chocolate mixture, and finally the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing only until just combined after each addition. In the end, gently fold the batter with a silicone spatula (as the dry ingredients tend to sink to the bottom).

9.     Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula (try to put just a little less batter in the middle of the pan than on the sides), tap the pan slightly, put in the oven.

10. Bake for about 50 minutes, a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake doesn’t have to come out perfectly clean, the cake should be a little under baked (but just a little).

11. Place the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cake over onto the cooling rack and leave it to cool. The baking time may slightly vary from oven to oven.

12. Prepare the glaze: pour orange juice into a small pot and cook over medium heat until its volume is reduced to about 1 teaspoon (it will boost the orange flavour), you can also use a smooth orange jam, but I didn’t want to buy the whole jar only to use 1 teaspoon. Pour the cream into a small pot and bring almost to the boil, remove from the heat, add finely chopped chocolate, wait 1 minute, mix until the chocolate is dissolved, add the reduced orange juice, mix until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cake.

Notes

How to store chocolate orange bundt cake: Store the cake in a tightly closed container for up to 4 days. It will be still delicious for the next 2 days.

AuthorAleksandra

 www.everyday-delicious.com

Fashion. Power Dressing.

 

TODAY’S STORY: The Snake And The Axe

 A carpenter went home after shutting down his workshop, a black poisonous cobra entered his workshop.

The cobra was hungry and hoped to find its supper lurking somewhere within. It slithered from one end to another and accidentally bumped into a double-edged metal axe and got very slightly injured.

In anger and seeking revenge, the snake bit the axe with full force. What could a bite do to a metallic axe? Instead the cobra’s mouth started bleeding.

Out of fury and arrogance, the cobra tried its best to strangle and kill the object that was causing it pain by wrapping itself very tightly around the blades.

The next day when the carpenter opened the workshop, he found a seriously cut, dead cobra wrapped around the axe blades.

WHAT WE LEARNT

The cobra died not because of someone else’s fault but faced these consequences merely because of its own anger and wrath.

Sometimes when angry, we try to cause harm to others but as time passes by, we realise that we have caused more harm to ourselves.

For a happy life, it’s best we should learn to ignore and overlook some things, people, incidents, affairs and matters.

Words of the Wise - All that glitters is not gold. English Proverb

What is important to consider, I think, is the difference between what is imaginary and what is real--and the fears are real. Fred Rogers

I realised a long time ago that a warrior in search of his dream must take his inspiration from what he actually does & not from what he imagines himself doing.  Paulo Coelho

Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.  Brene Brown

Anyone can possess, anyone can profess, but it is an altogether different thing to confess.   Shannon L. Alder

Never apologize for what you feel. It's like saying sorry for being real.       Lil Wayne 

If you don't like my words, don't listen. If you don't like my appearance, don't look. If you don't like my actions, turn your head; It's as simple as that.     

Be who you are and say what you want, for those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.    Dr. Seuss

Ride the energy of your own unique spirit.     Gabrielle Roth

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.    

Italian chocolate cake

  

 Ingredients

• 200g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 100g light soft brown sugar
• 100g dark soft brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 100g self-raising flour
• 75g ground almonds
• 25g cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 200g sultanas
• 50g cut mixed peel
• 50g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 50g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
• 50g pistachios, roughly chopped
• 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Step by Step            

1.   Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm spring form tin. Beat the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer with the ‘K’ attachment (or with an electric whisk) until well-combined and fluffy about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each, (if the batter starts to split add 1 tablespoon flour) then on a slow setting fold in the flour, ground almonds, cocoa and baking powder.

2.   Add all the remaining ingredients, and using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix. Scrape into the prepared tin, level the top, and bake for 1 hour 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. (Be careful not to hit the pockets of melted chocolate, as this will look like raw cake batter, go in again if you are unsure.)

www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/

 

Wise Words - Be content to seem what you really are.

  

"Prayer is simply talking to God like a friend and should be the easiest thing we do each day." - Joyce Meyer

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. - Mark 11:24

Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all                                                    that you are not.                 Henri Frederic Amiel                       

The strongest force in the universe is a human being living consistently with his identity.   Tony Robbins

Forget about being impressive and commit to being real. Because being real is impressive! Jonathan Harnisch