Bundt de Noël ~ #BundtBakers

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  

This month the #BundtBakers are making Christmas Bundts.  My first though was the beautiful Bûche de Noël - a genoise that is filled with cream, rolled into a log, and then covered in chocolate buttercream.  I wondered if I could make it as a bundt cake?

I'm pretty sure that the Bûche de Noël gods hate me for playing with their original recipe and turning it into a bundt.  At least that is how I felt when I was making the cake, because everything that could have gone wrong did in fact go wrong.  Where do I start? Let me just say that the chocolate cake by itself is one I will make again and again as it was delicious - chocolatey, moist, and soft. Maybe the problem was that I used three different recipes to create the Frankencake.

The trouble started when I made the filling and the frosting.  When I made the filling the mascarpone and the other ingredients separated into a mixture resembling scrambled eggs. Some bad words were said as the mascarpone cost way more than I wanted to spend.  I got out my hand mixer and tried to beat it into separation, but it would not concede.  So I grabbed some cream cheese and beat it into the curled mixer and it actually worked! Next was the mocha buttercream, which remained a runny mess no matter what I tried.  There were seven egg whites in it, so there was no way I was giving up that easily.  I grabbed way more powdered sugar than any person should use and just kept adding it until the frosting held its shape.  It then went into the refrigerator to firm up a little more before I spread it over the cake.  Honestly, I thought that there was a chance that it would just slide off the cake, but it held up just fine. I have listed the recipes below and maybe you will have better luck than I did.  At least you have the solutions I used if something goes wrong.  Despite all of the trouble my family really liked this bundt.

If you would like to know more about #BundtBakers and see what the other bakers made for our Christma Bundt theme please scroll down below the recipe.


Bundt de Noël

Recipe Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

Cake ~

• 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 230g (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 64g (¾ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa preferred
• 400g (2 cups) sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 240g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 120ml (½ cup) buttermilk
• 115g (½ cup) sour cream

Coffee Mascarpone Filling ~

• 12 ounces mascarpone, at room temp
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• Pinch salt

Mocha Buttercream Frosting ~

• 7 egg whites
• 260g (1⅓ cups) granulated sugar
• 130ml water
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened

Cake ~

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ℃ (350°F).
2. Place the coffee, butter, and cocoa in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, heat, stirring, until the butter melts.
3. Remove from the heat, and whisk until smooth.
4. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
5. While the chocolate is cooling, put the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking to combine.
6. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix until thoroughly combined., scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, and mix again to incorporate any residue.
7. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs, and sour cream or yogurt.
8. Mix into the chocolate batter, stirring until thoroughly combined.
9. Thoroughly grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan, preferably non-stick.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. 
11. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a long toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. 
12. While the cake is baking, make the filling and frosting.
13. Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and turn the pan over onto a cooling rack.
14. After 5 more minutes, lift the pan off the cake, and allow to cool completely
15. Carefully cut the cake in half, and place the top half aside.
16. Using a melon baller, create a channel all the way around the bottom half of the cake.
17. Fill the channel with the Coffee Mascarpone Filling and place the top half on top to make a complete cake again.
18. Frost the entire bundt with the mocha buttercream and place in the refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes.
19. Once the frosting is hardened, remove from the refrigerator, and gently pull a butter knife or small, offset spatula through the frosting to give the appearance of rough tree bark.

Coffee Mascarpone Filling

1. Heat the cream to a bare simmer and turn off the heat.
2. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla bean, and instant coffee, stir and let steep for 20 minutes.
3. Add to the room temperature mascarpone and stir to combine.

Mocha Buttercream Frosting ~

1. In a clean, completely dry bowl beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form; set them aside.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil, then allow it boil until it has reduced into a slightly thickened syrup.
3. Begin beating the egg whites on high speed again, and pour the hot sugar syrup into the eggs in a slow, steady stream.
4. Pour the melted chocolate, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into the egg whites and continue beating them until the meringue has cooled completely, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the softened butter to the meringue, 2 tablespoons at a time, while beating on high speed, until all of the butter is incorporated into the frosting.
6. If the buttercream becomes runny during this process, refrigerate the meringue until it has chilled through and continue the process of beating the butter into the meringue.

#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. Our theme this month is Christmas Bundts, and mahalo nui loa to Sneha from Sneha's Recipe who is our host.


And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month ~

• Almond Nougat Bundt Cake   Nunca es demasiado dulce
• Bundt de Noel   All That's Left Are The Crumbs 
• Baileys Hot Chocolate Bundt Cake  Making Miracles 
• Chestnut Praline Coffee Bundt Cake   The Queen of Scones 
• Christkindl Gluhwein Bundt Cake   I Love Bundt Cakes
• Eggless Semolina Tutti Fruity Cake    Sneha's Recipe 
• Gingerbread Bundt Cake  Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Italian Cream Bundt Cake  Palatable Pastime
• Mini Chocolate Ganache Bundts with Peppermint Crunch  Cookaholic Wife 
• Maple Walnut Bundt Cake  Bizcocheando 
• Pineapple Upside Down Bundt  A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Polenta Bundt Cake   Katin špajz 
• Rich Chocolate Bundt Cake wtih Cake Truffles    Sweet Sensations
• Sorrel Mini Bundts   Passion Kneaded 
• Spicy Gingerbread Bundt    Food Lust People Love
• XMAS BUNDT CAKE   La mejor manera de hacer