I’ve been searching for this kugelhopf pan for years, seriously years. They weren’t being made for a while and the second I saw they were available I ordered one and immediately started working on this cake. I just love the dramatic angles and shadows they create, I think it makes an already decadent chocolate pound cake look even more indulgent.
I love the simplicity of the rich butter-based cake with bay-infused dark chocolate ganache. Fresh bay leaf is much milder than dried, and its floral, herbal aroma with hints of clove add complexity to an otherwise ordinary chocolate ganache. I love it with a pinch or two of cinnamon.
Because this recipe is so simple, I recommend using the best cocoa powder and dark chocolate you can, the quality of the chocolate really comes through. You could simplify it further by ditching the ganache and serving it sprinkled with icing sugar, with sweetened whipped cream or with ice cream if you’d like. It’s lovely served warm out of the oven but improves the day after baking (if you can wait that long). Enjoy!
Sources // plate // pitcher // apron
- 2¼ cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (120 g) cocoa powder, plus more for dusting pan
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso dissolved in ¼ cup hot water
- 1¼ cups buttermilk, shaken and at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 5 whole eggs at room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Use cooking spray or butter to grease a 10 cup bundt pan well, dust it with a little cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk well to thoroughly combine, set aside. Combine the vanilla extract, espresso, and buttermilk in a small bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beating to combine between each addition.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan. Place your serving plate on top of the bundt pan, then turn over to release the cake onto the plate. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before drizzling with ganache.
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 4 ounces best-quality dark chocolate (70% works well here), chopped
- pinch of cinnamon, to taste
- Pour the chocolate into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until it is just starting to bubble, but do not allow it to boil. Remove it from heat, add the bay leaves, cover and steep for 10 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves, then heat the cream again. Remove it from heat just before it reaches the boiling point and
pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute before stirring, then stir until smooth. Add a pinch or two of cinnamon, to taste, and cool the ganache to a pourable consistency before spooning over the cooled chocolate cake.
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