Time flies fast, especially when you want it to slow down. It is already mid July and for the life of me I cannot figure out where did the last 15 days go! I tentatively started packing about a week ago and there are still so many things I have to do in the house before the movers come at the end of the month.
Those next few days are going be full of last times. The last time I am going to have coffee with my best friend Maja and play with her baby daughter Masa; the last time I am going to gather with my wine tasting buddies at Mario's place and have a marathon 15 bottle blind tasting of whatever each of us has in his or hers wine collection; the last time we are going to go for a Saturday morning stroll at Zagreb's Flower Square, what the natives call špica, followed by a very indulgent lunch at a different restaurant every time with our very good Greek friend and travel companion extraordinaire Giorgos; the last time we'll be having wonderful, delicious home cooked food from our kind Ambassador and her husband who have been like a second family to us.
And this post follows in the same motif as it is going to be the last one I will be publishing from Zagreb. Since I am lousy at saying goodbye I will refrain from writing about all the things and most importantly about all the good friends I will be missing when we leave.
I am just too emotional to write about anything like that; I am blocked. Shut down...
I am just too emotional to write about anything like that; I am blocked. Shut down...
Instead I will be writing about the last cake I've baked in my small yellow Zagreb kitchen. It is a Plum, Chocolate and Orange Bundt Cake. It is, as always, gluten free and I baked it last Saturday morning, while waiting for George to come back to Zagreb from a business trip in Dubrovnik.
It was sunny and warm for the first time in days. Inspiration just seemed to pour in through my windows...
It was sunny and warm for the first time in days. Inspiration just seemed to pour in through my windows...
The dried plum-chocolate-orange combination is not one I've tried before but I needed one of the cake's main ingredients to be in accordance with this month's Bundt Bakers theme which is stone fruit. I chose dried plums because I had a bag of them sitting in my cupboard and in the general spirit of utilising all of my cupboard "residents" before the move, I decided that they were going to be the star of the cake. Then I though that chocolate would complement their sweet flavour even more and anyway I am not one to say no to anything with chocolate.
The addition of orange came more from necessity rather than inspiration. I run out of baking powder and needed some type of acid to activate the leavening effect of baking soda. I used a little bit of maple syrup to supplement this and it worked really well. The cake rose beautifully and it remained light and very moist.
The addition of orange came more from necessity rather than inspiration. I run out of baking powder and needed some type of acid to activate the leavening effect of baking soda. I used a little bit of maple syrup to supplement this and it worked really well. The cake rose beautifully and it remained light and very moist.
Many thanks to Felice from All That's Left Are The Crumbs for choosing the theme and hosting this month's bake.
For more information on the #BundtBakers and how you can join in the Bundt Baking fun please scroll down below the recipe.
For more information on the #BundtBakers and how you can join in the Bundt Baking fun please scroll down below the recipe.
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Plum Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
Makes 1 23cm/9inch bundt pan and 1 13cm/5inch smaller bundt mould
Serves 12 - 14
Ingredients
- 1 cup (220 gr) butter at room temperature
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (140 gr) brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (140 gr) caster sugar
- 1/8 cup (80 ml) maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 cup (210 gr) yoghurt
- 3 cups (600 gr) gluten free flour plus about 1/2 cup more for flouring the chocolate and the plums
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup (130 gr) chopped dark chocolate
- 1 cup (130 gr) chopped dried plums (prunes)
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 - 4 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Butter and flour a bundt pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer, until they become light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition, scrapping down the sides of the bowl.
- In a smaller bowl mix the orange zest, orange juice, yoghurt and maple syrup.
- Mix it in with the egg butter mixture.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour and baking soda and stir it gradually into the butter mixture until they are combined. You might have to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to get better results.
- Put the extra 1/2 cup of flour in a medium bowl and mix in the chopped chocolate and prunes.
- Shake off any excess flour and stir them into the cake batter using a spatula.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan(s).
- Bake for 50 minutes (25 - 30 for the smaller pan) until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before you unmold it.
- Make the glaze by stirring the orange juice into the icing sugar to the consistency you prefer and spread over the cake when it is completely cold.
Cook's Tips
- This recipes makes one large (23cm/9inch) bundt pan and there is enough left to fill one smaller (13cm/5inch) pan or two small silicon moulds..
- I used my favourite brand of gluten free flour but you can use yours or even normal wheat all purpose flour.
- To prevent the chocolate chunks and the prunes from sinking to the bottom of the pan coat them with flour before you mix them into the batter.
- If you decide to make a smaller cake together with the big take care if you bake them together. The smaller is going to bake sooner than the larger - it needs about 25 - 30 minutes
#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send me an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.
Here is a list of what everybody has baked for this month!
- All-American Chocolate Cherry Pie Cake from Lauren at So You Think You Can Cook
- Black Forest Bundt Cake with Cherry Ganache Topping from Teri at The Freshman Cook
- Cherry Almond Ginger Bundt from Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Cherry Carrot & Banana Bundt from Kelly at Passion Kneaded
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake from Renee at Magnolia Days
- Chocolate Avocado Bundt Cake from Terri at Love and Confections
- Cinnamon Peach Bundt Cake from Bea and Mara at I Love Bundts
- Peaches n Cream Melba Bundt Cake from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
- Peachy Bundt from Margaret at Tea and Scones
- Plum, Chocolate and Orange Bundt Cake by Maria at Box of Stolen Socks
- Roasted Cherry Kugelhopf with Cherry Bourbon Glaze by Tux from Brooklyn Homemaker
- Upside-down Apricot Butter Bundt from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
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Για 1 φόρμα κέικ 23εκ και 1 μικρότερο κέικ 13εκ
Για 12 – 14 άτομα
Υλικά
- 220 γρ βούτυρο σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου
- 4 μεγάλα αυγά σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου
- 140 γρ καστανή ζάχαρη
- 140 γρ ζάχαρη λευκή ψιλή
- 80 ml σιρόπι σφενδάμου
- 2 κουταλιές της σούπας ξύσμα πορτοκαλιού
- 2 κουταλιές της σούπας χυμό πορτοκαλιού
- 210 γρ γιαούρτι
- 600 γρ αλεύρι χωρίς γλουτένη + ½ φλιτζάνι για το αλεύρωμα
- 2 κουταλάκια του γλυκού σόδα
- 130 μαύρη σοκολάτα κομμένη σε κομματάκια
- 130 αποξηραμένα δαμάσκηνα, κομμένα σε κομματάκια
- 1 φλιτζάνι ζάχαρη άχνη
- 2 - 4 κουταλιές της σούπας χυμός πορτοκαλιού
- Προθερμαίνουμε το φούρνο στους 180 βαθμούς στον αέρα.
- Βουτυρώνουμε και αλευρώνουμε τη φόρμα ή τις φόρμες του κέικ.
- Στο μπολ του μίξερ χτυπάμε το βούτυρο με τη καστανή και τη λευκή ζάχαρη μέχρι να ενωθούν καλά και να αφρατέψουν.
- Προσθέτουμε τα αυγά ένα – ένα. Προσέχουμε να έχει αναμειχθεί καλά το κάθε αυγό πριν προσθέσουμε το επόμενο.
- Σε ένα μικρότερο μπολ, αναμειγνύουμε το γιαούρτι με το ξύσμα και τον χυμό πορτοκαλιού και το σιρόπι σφενδάμου.
- Το ρίχνουμε σιγά – σιγά στο μίξερ με το μείγμα βουτύρου.
- Κοσκινίζουμε το αλεύρι μαζί με τη σόδα και προσθέτουμε σιγά – σιγά στο μίξερ. Αναμειγνύουμε σε μεσαία ταχύτητα μέχρι να ενωθούν πολύ καλά τα υλικά. Ίσως χρειαστεί να χρησιμοποιήσουμε μια σπάτουλα για να πάρουμε όση ζύμη έχει κολλήσει στις πλευρές του μπολ.
- Βάζουμε ½ φλιτζάνι αλεύρι σε ένα μέτριο μπολ και ρίχνουμε μέσα τα κομματάκια της σοκολάτας και τα δαμάσκηνα. Ανακατεύουμε καλά και κοσκινίζουμε για να φύγει το επιπλέον αλεύρι.
- Τα ανακατεύουμε ελαφρά με μια σπάτουλα στο μείγμα του κέικ.
- Βάζουμε το μείγμα στις φόρμες και ψήνουμε στον προθερμασμένο φούρνο για 50 λεπτά (25 – 30 λεπτά για τη μικρότερη φόρμα) ή μέχρι το κέικ να πάρει χρυσαφί χρώμα και να ψηθεί εσωτερικά (βάζουμε ένα μαχαίρι μέχρι το κέντρο του, αν βγει καθαρό έχει ψηθεί, αν υπάρχουν υπολείμματα ζύμης ψήνουμε για 10 ακόμα λεπτά και τσεκάρουμε ξανά).
- Αφήνουμε το κέικ να κρυώσει στη φόρμα για 15 λεπτά πριν το βγάλουμε.
- Φτιάχνουμε το γλάσο αναμειγνύοντας το χυμό πορτοκαλιού με τη ζάχαρη άχνη. Το κάνουμε όσο παχύρευστο θέλουμε ελαττώνοντας ή αυξάνοντας την ποσότητα του χυμού.
- Αλείφουμε το γλάσο στο κέικ όταν έχει κρυώσει τελείως.
- Η συνταγή είναι αρκετή για 1 μεγάλη φόρμα 23 εκ και περισσεύει αρκετή ζύμη για μια μικρότερη φόρμα 13εκ ή δύο μικρές φόρμες σιλικόνης
- Αλευρώνουμε τα κομματάκια σοκολάτας και τα δαμάσκηνα για να μην πέσουν στον πάτο της φόρμας καθώς ψήνεται το γλυκό.