Bundt cakes

Apple cinnamon bundt cake

August 9, 2018 By linda 16 Comments

Whilst it’s not a good year for blueberries, it’s definitely a good year for apples which makes me super happy since apples are amongst my favorite things to bake with. And most of all, I needed a good reason to use some of my thrift store finds in a shoot, like that bundt pan, the pretty cake stand I bought at a flea market on our way to the Norway workshop, the broderie Anglaise apron (I’m absolutely obsessed with broderie Anglaise!), that vintage bicycle basket and the new hand carved beautiful utensils from Grain and Knot.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably recognize some of these finds from my stories and know that I’m sort of obsessed with thrift shopping. More on this soon, hehe. Anyway, this apple bundt cake reminds me a of a soft gingerbread cake. Perhaps that’s why I love it so much? I was very tempted to add some cardamom too, but I already add cardamom to basically everything I make so cinnamon had to suffice. I mean, cinnamon and cardamom are basically two of the best flavour out there. Especially together. I’m thinking of cinnamon and cardamom buns which is preeeetty much the best thing ever, right?!

APPLE CINNAMON BUNDT CAKE

Serves 8

This cake is basically a Swedish ‘sockerkaka’ which, roughly translated, means sugar cake. It’s very fluffy and quite light in texture. Feel free to add other spices, like cardamom or cloves. Or replace the lemon with orange, so good! Note that I baked this cake in a vintage cake pan which usually takes a little longer – make sure to start checking doneness around 30-35 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

100 g (1 scant stick) salted butter
100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) milk
finely grated zest from 1 lemon
180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2-3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 apples (about 280 g)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
3 large eggs, at room temp
180 g (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) granulated sugar
Powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a 4 1/2 – 5 cup (about 1 – 1.2 litre) bundt or loaf pan.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the milk and lemon zest. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Core, peel and dice the apples (to about 1 x 1 cm dices). Toss them in a bowl with lemon juice and 1 tbsp flour.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the flour mixture and stir gently until combined. Add the butter mixture and stir until completely smooth. Should there be lumps of flour left in the batter, beat until just combined. Stir in the diced apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 40-45 minutes (start checking doneness around 30 minutes) or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Lemon poppy seed bundt cake with a lemon syrup & blueberry glaze

February 9, 2018 By linda 35 Comments

I’ve struggled to come up with something to bake for the blog lately, but when I saw this pan in a second hand shop, I knew immediately what I wanted to make. Inspiration is a funny thing. It comes and goes, and usually it comes when you least expect it.

I have to act on it when it comes, which means a lot of other important things get pushed to the side. You know, as in eating well, taking care of myself, seeing friends, responding to calls and texts (who am I kidding, I never respond to calls), wearing something other than yoga pants. I started doing yoga almost every day though so at least I have an excuse for the yoga pants.

I think I’ve been in hermit mode since I quit my nine-to-five job, almost five years ago. I thank my friend Carey for encouraging me to take the mbti-test (16 personalitites) which has been sort of life changing for me. It made me understand myself, as an infp, and other people (yes, I forced everyone I know to take the test!) so much better.

But I digress. Cake! I made another version of this cake almost one year ago but was never happy with the recipe. Up until now, I haven’t had a proper lemon cake on my blog. HOW is this possible?

I adore lemon cake, especially with poppy seeds. And what a lemon cake it is, the best one I’ve made – by far! Soaked in lemon syrup and with a blueberry glaze. And how beautiful is that pan? I might make a pudding in it next time. Wouldn’t it be perfect for that?

LEMON POPPY SEED BUNDT CAKE WITH A LEMON SYRUP & BLUEBERRY GLAZE

Serves 8

You can also bake this cake in a loaf pan! If you’re baking in a vintage cake pan, make sure to check doneness before removing the cake from the oven. I had to bake it for almost 70 minutes when using a vintage pan, , whilst in a new pan it only took 47 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

BUNDT CAKE

210 g (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
225 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
125 g (slightly more than 1 stick) softened salted butter
3 large eggs
100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) heavy cream
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. poppy seeds

LEMON SYRUP

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
55 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

BLUEBERRY GLAZE

3/4 tsp. freeze dried blueberry powder
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
75 g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk
Poppy seeds, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

Preheat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a 6 cup (1 1/2 litre) bundt or loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Place the sugar in a large bowl. Add the finely grated lemon zest and rub together until sugar is fragrant and zest is incorporated. Add the butter and beat until mixture is light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
In a small bowl, combine heavy cream and lemon juice. Add the flour mixture and cream mixture in additions to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour, and stir until batter is smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 45-50 minutes (start checking doneness around 35-40 minutes, and cover the top with foil if the cake is browning too much) or until a cake tester comes out clean. While the cake is baking, you can prepare the syrup (instructions below). Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.

LEMON SYRUP

Combine lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan. Place over medium high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Brush the cake with the syrup while the cake is still warm, then let the cake cool completely. Place the cake on a cake stand or serving platter.

BLUEBERRY GLAZE

Place blueberry powder in a small bowl. Add a little splash of the lemon juice and stir until a paste forms. Stir in the rest of the lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Add milk to desired consistency.
Drizzle glaze over the cake and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.

A trip to Norway + Brownies with salted caramel and toasted meringue and a gingerbread bundt cake

December 22, 2017 By linda 56 Comments

Last week, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in winter wonderland… errr, I mean at Melgården in Norway with some wonderful friends, Olivia of Adelasterfoodtextures, Samantha of The Botanical Kitchen, Kati of Blackwhitevivid and of course, the lovely lady of the house, Live of Melgården. Only sweet Krissy of Cottage farm missing!

Melgården truly looked like my idea of winter wonderland, SO cold (-19°C one day, brrr) and lots and lots of snow. Rolling hills, fog and frost on the windows. Like a dream come true. It made me feel like a kid again on so many levels. My fingers and toes weren’t as excited as I was though, nor was my camera gear or my phone battery which died within 10 minutes outside.

Melgården is like something out of a fairytale, or possibly a Wes Anderson movie, and I dare to say it’s every food photographer’s dream with all the rustic backdrops and props, and that GORGEOUS scenery. We drove through a snowy Sweden all the way up to snowy Rena, Norway, with the car full of fresh vegetables and props. We almost couldn’t fit in there!

I couldn’t believe how efficient we were. With about 5 hours of daylight each day and in two days, I shot FOUR cakes (I can only share two of them here though.. 🙂 ) and a whole bunch of other beautiful things that you can see in this post. That’s why I love working in a team so much, especially this team <3

And this is why I’m delighted to share that Olivia, Krissy and I will be hosting a workshop again, at Melgården in 2018! I literally can’t wait!! If you’re interested, make sure to subscribe by e-mail for more details and prerelease. You can fill in your e-mail address in the sidebar on the right 🙂

I’d also like to take the time to thank you for your continued support this year! It wouldn’t have been the same (or at all!) without you. Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a very Happy 2018!

BROWNIES WITH SALTED CARAMEL AND TOASTED MERINGUE

9-12 servings

Some notes about this recipe: If you’re not a fan of hazelnuts, you can definitely make these brownies with walnuts, pecans or almonds (I’ve tried all and they’re all delicious!). The brownies are also super delicious without caramel and meringue if you prefer that. When test baking, I baked my brownies for 32 minutes – it was almost set, slightly wobbly in the middle and it came out gooey and delicious. After a day in the fridge it has exactly the consictency I like in brownies! Make sure to have a look HERE in case you’d like to make an edible gift out of this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Brownies

100 g (3.5 oz) hazelnuts
150 g (about 1 + 1/3 stick) salted butter
4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) coffee
150 g (1 cup) all purpose four
1/2 tsp. baking powder
30 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. flaky salt
135 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
110 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.) light brown muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
150 g (5.2 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

Caramel

110 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
50 g (3 tbsp.) salted butter, in small cubes
75 ml (1/3 cup) heavy cream
1/4 tsp. flaky salt

Meringue topping

2 large egg whites
90 g (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
zest from 1 orange

INSTRUCTIONS

Brownies

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Place the nuts in a baking dish and toast for 10-12 minutes or until fragrant and slightly browned. If the nuts aren’t already skinned, wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub until most of the skins come off. Let cool completely, then chop them coarsely.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and set aside to cool.
Butter a baking pan, approximately 17 x 17 cm (measured at the bottom of the pan, the top is 20 x 20 cm) and cover it with baking paper.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the melted butter, coffee, eggs, chopped nuts and chocolate and stir until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake is almost set but the center wobbles slightly.
Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan.

Caramel

Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium to high heat until the sugar starts melting around the edges. Turn the heat down to low and stir gently with a wooden spoon until sugar is completely melted and golden brown. Be careful not to burn the sugar! Stir in the butter, piece by piece, stirring between each addition.
Little by little and very slowly pour the cream into the saucepan with the melted sugar and butter (it will bubble up so make sure to be careful as this stuff is hot!). Stir until smooth. Pour caramel into a heat proof bowl and let cool completely.

Meringue topping

Place egg whites, lemon juice and sugar in a clean and heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel or glass).
Put the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. The bowl should fit snugly, and the simmering water should not be touching the bowl. Whisk the sugar and egg whites constantly with a whisk until the mixture reaches about 65°C (about 140-150°F). If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, just rub some mixture between your fingers. If the sugar has melted and mixture is hot to the touch, it’s ready.
Remove the bowl from the heat, beat until white, fluffy and cool to the touch with a stand- or electric mixer. This step can take about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the orange zest.

Assembly

Place the cake on a plate or serving platter. Drizzle/spoon caramel on top, then spread the meringue over the caramel. Brown the meringue using a kitchen torch.

GINGERBREAD BUNDT CAKE

Makes 1 bundt

Some notes about this recipe:I used a 10 cup bundt pan to bake this cake and it was actually slightly too small for the batter so I would suggest putting a piece of baking paper underneath the pan while baking so the batter doesn’t end up on the floor of your oven, or reserving some of the batter to bake some muffins. A 12 cup pan would probably be more suitable.

INGREDIENTS

Gingerbread bundt cake

540 g (3 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. flaky salt
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
2 tsp. freshly ground cloves
1 tsp. ground bitter orange peel (can be omitted)
4 large eggs
240 g (1 1/4 cup) light brown muscovado sugar (or regular light brown sugar)
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) cane syrup
250 g (2 + 1/4 stick) salted butter
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) heavy cream
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) milk

Cream cheese glaze

120 g (3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp) powdered sugar
100 g cream cheese
1-3 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Gingerbread bundt cake

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a large bundt pan with 10-12 cup (preferably 12 cup) capacity. Set aside.
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, spices and ground bitter orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add cane syrup and beat until smooth.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in cream and milk.
Add dry ingredients and butter mixture to the egg mixture in additions, and stir until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the lowest oven rack for 55-65 minutes, but start checking doneness after 50 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake during the whole baking time so the top won’t brown too fast (if it does, carefully place a piece of baking paper or aluminum foil on top).
Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely. The cake will most likely come out domed, so feel free to even that out with a sharp serrated knife once the cake is cool.

Glaze

Combine powdered sugar and cream cheese in a bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
Stir in orange juice to desired consistency. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake.

Cheesecake filled chocolate bundt cake with white chocolate matcha glaze

November 14, 2017 By linda 34 Comments

I knew from the moment I opened the box to this bundt pan that I was going to bake a chocolate bundt cake in it, and then top it with a matcha glaze. The cheesecake filling idea popped into my head as I was making the batter for the chocolate cake. It was a good idea, to say the least. This is probably my most favorite chocolate cake ever, it’s like a fudgey, delicious brownie in consistency. Mmmm. And I swear it gets even better after a couple of days in the fridge, which is awesome because to be honest, who can eat such a huge cake in one go?

And guys, I bet you already know them, but if you don’t, you need to know about Nordic Ware bundt pans (they did not pay me to say this, I just adore their pans and want to share). Now, I love my vintage cake pans but I’ve had so many cakes stick to the pans and it’s just such a waste of time and good ingredients. I’ve not had a single cake stick to the pan with my NW pans. So there you go.

Anyway, if you’re making this recipe, make sure to read up on the notes right before the ingredients and instructions in the recipe. 🙂

Cheesecake filled chocolate bundt cake with white chocolate matcha glaze

Yields one bundt cake, serves 10-12

Some notes about this recipe: I suggest using coffee in the cake as it heightens the chocolate flavor, but water works as well. I used a white chocolate with lemon flavor because I couldn’t find regular white chocolate, and I think that made the cake taste even better! So adding some lemon or orange zest to the cake, cheesecake batter or glaze definitely wouldn’t be a bad thing. If you don’t like matcha, you can absolutely omit it from the glaze. If the cake isn’t eaten the same day, wrap it well and store it in the fridge, I actually find that the cake becomes better after a day or two in the fridge!

Ingredients

Cheesecake filling

200 g full-fat cream cheese
1 medium egg
60 g (~1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 tsp. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder

Chocolate cake

200 g (~1 3/4 sticks) butter
125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
240 g (1 2/3 cups) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
68 g (2/3 cup) cocoa powder
300 g (barely 1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium eggs
150 ml (2/3 cup) sour cream or thick yogurt
125 ml (1/2 cup) hot coffee or water

White chocolate matcha glaze

100 g (3.5 oz) white chocolate, finely chopped
100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp.) heavy cream
1-2 tsp. cooking grade matcha powder

Instructions

Cheesecake filling

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Beat together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, flour and vanilla. Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.

Chocolate cake

Grease one 10-cup bundt pan (2.4 liters) and dust with flour or cocoa powder.
Melt the butter, add milk and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Add the butter mixture, eggs and sour cream to the dry ingredients and beat until just smooth.
Add the hot coffee and stir until smooth (batter will be quite runny).
Pour about 1/2 of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Spoon about 1/2 of the cheesecake filling over the cake batter, trying to not let it touch the pan (a little bit is ok though, just make sure to use a high quality pan so it doesn’t stick to the pan). Pour a little bit of the chocolate cake batter over the cheesecake mixture, just to cover it. Spoon in the rest of the cheesecake mixture, and then cover with the remaining chocolate batter.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool inside the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

White chocolate matcha glaze

Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
Pour the cream into a saucepan and whisk in the matcha powder. Place the saucepan over medium high heat until cream is very hot but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate – make sure all the chocolate is covered with cream, if not, press chocolate down with a spoon. Let stand for 30 seconds, then stir until chocolate is melted and glaze is completely smooth.
Let glaze cool completely, then drizzle over cake.

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Coconut coffee cake with caramel glaze

March 8, 2017 By linda 52 Comments

I think it’s officially spring, guys! I mean, except for the fact that it snowed the other day. Snowflakes big as snowballs. And today, I woke up to even more snow. I guess spring will wait a little longer here in Sweden. Hopefully not too long though as I can’t wait to get my hands on some rhubarb. I’m already fantasizing about all the yummy things I’ll be making with it.

On another note, how beautiful is this cake? I found this old cake pan and immediately, I imagined all the beautiful cakes I could use it for. I simply had to have it.

I try to be a bit more concious with what I buy these days (and where I spend my energy as well) and only get things that I truly love or serve a purpose. Preferably second hand, vintage or hand made. I’ve come to realize that too much stuff clutters my mind, and diminishes my energy and inspiration. Quality over quantity.

Anyway, back to the cake. I imagined topping the cake with pretty, long candles. Beautiful handmade beeswax candles with multicolored wicks from OVO Things to the rescue! Seriously, decent candles are so hard to find here so I was beyond excited to find these. You can have a look at the Birthday candles HERE in case you’re interested!

COCONUT COFFEE CAKE WITH CARAMEL GLAZE

Yields one cake, serves 8-10

You can make this cake with either shredded coconut or coconut chips that you grind in a food processor. I used the latter since I didn’t have shredded coconut at home. If you’re not a fan of coffee, you can use milk or water in place of it – but I highly recommend trying it with coffee! Note that this caramel sauce can sometimes get a little grainy after cooling, but it’s not noticable when you serve it with the cake.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

150 g (about 1 1/4 stick) butter
80 g (a scant cup) shredded coconut
180 g (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
280 g (1 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
150 ml (2/3 cup) strong coffee

GLAZE

112 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
150 ml (2/3 cup) heavy cream
1 tsbp. butter
1 tbsp. light syrup (golden syrup/corn syrup would work too)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. cocoa powder
Chocolate sprinkles, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 6-7 cup (1 1/2 litre) bundt pan.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together shredded coconut, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla powder until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the dry mixture and stir until smooth.
Add in the melted butter and coffee and stir until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 55-65 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

GLAZE

Mix sugar, cream, butter, syrup and salt in a saucepan. Stir together and let come to a boil.
Let mixture simmer for 20 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir every now and then (but don’t stir too often, this can make it grainy). Sift in the cocoa powder and stir until completely smooth.
Let cool for 10 minutes or so, then pour on top of the cake and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are as always, my own! 🙂 Recipe adapted from an old cookbook named ‘Bildkokboken’.

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Saffron bundt cake with white chocolate coconut ganache

December 5, 2016 By linda 24 Comments

So the second Sunday of advent passed by in a flash.. the whole month of December goes by so quickly. And suddenly it’s a new year. I feel like I’m not as efficient as I used to be. Maybe it’s just the fact that I’m trying to be at bit more mindful of where I spend my energy. I know I mention this every year but it’s just so DARK. You kind of forget!

In December, baking Lussekatter (saffron buns) is an absolute must for me (and for maaany other Swedes of course). But this year I wanted to try something a bit different. Namely a soft saffron cake. So I baked this cake twice. One with “regular” milk and one with coconut milk and both turned out incredible. The one with regular milk is possibly a bit fluffier. Just ever so slightly. Both delicious. And then I made a white chocolate ganache with coconut milk instead of cream. Oh my! So good! I will definitely be trying that again with dark chocolate as well. Maybe for another blogpost!

SAFFRON BUNDT CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE COCONUT GANACHE

Yields one bundt cake, serves 8-10

I highly recommend making this cake with coconut milk (full fat), but if you’re not a fan of coconut, you can use regular milk in the cake in place of coconut milk and heavy cream in the ganache. I’ve tried it and it works beautifully! I usually soak my saffron for about a week before baking with it to extract as much flavor as possible, but doing it an hour or so before is better than not doing it at all. If you don’t have dark rum, you can use any hard liquor. If you don’t want to use any type of alcohol, you can let it soak in 1 tbsp. warm water for an hour before using. Cake recipe adapted from here.

INGREDIENTS

BUNDT CAKE

0,5 g (approximately 1/4 tsp) saffron
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. dark rum
200 g (1 3/4 sticks) butter
150 mL (2/3 cup) coconut milk
240 g (1 2/3 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
270 g (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar

GANACHE

50 g (1.8 oz) white chocolate, finely chopped
60 mL (1/4 cup) coconut milk
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
Powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

BUNDT CAKE

Grind the saffron with 1 tsp. sugar and put in a small jar. Add dark rum and cover with a lid or plastic wrap and leave it in room temperature for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 4 1/2 – 5 cup bundt pan (recipe makes approximately 4 cups of batter).
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the coconut milk and saffron mixture and set aside.
Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in its pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

GANACHE

Put the finely chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds.
Stir with a small spoon until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Leave to cool until slightly thickened (it won’t thicken a lot though). Dust cake with powdered sugar and drizzle with ganache.

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Croatia + a banana bundt cake with hot butterscotch sauce

October 15, 2016 By linda 22 Comments

You know when you go to a place that you’ve been to before, and your expectations are extremely high because your first time there was so perfect? I figured Croatia (to be more precise, Istria) would not live up to the high standards I’d set for it. But it was equally amazing this time. I’m a nostalgic person and I get so sad every time I have to say goodbye a place. Last year I said goodbye to this beautiful place and the kittens… oh the kittens! I didn’t expect to see them ever again, but they were still there this year with the addition of two (or three?) more, very shy kittens. Everything was exactly the same, as if time had stood still. I’m not much for change, so seeing that this place I fell in love with last year was exactly the same made me so happy.
And of course, meeting the wonderful group of people is the very best part. As introverted as I may be (like 94%, hehe), I really love meeting and hanging out with all of these amazing ladies, eating delicious food, talking about life, taking photos, truffleforaging and drinking lots of wine. And waking up to beautiful sunrises and morning fog. I mean, doesn’t that sound like a dream? So thank you again to the ladies of First We Eat, Carey and Eva, for bringing me along on this journey. And to Laurie, Inge, Christiann, Marta, Gia, Anya, Dasha, Maja, Tamara, Anja, Nikole and Joelle for being such an awesome group of people.
I made this delicious, moist banana bundt cake to style and shoot one of the days, and let’s just say it was appreciated by everyone. Even the cats snuck a taste.

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Gingerbread bundt cake with lingonberries

November 26, 2014 By linda 50 Comments

Bundt cakes make me nervous.
The cake doesn’t, but the unfolding part does. That freaks me out every time. I can feel my heart beating faster every time I’m about to do it. I think it’s because I’ve baked in some seriously bad bundt pans before. But this one is just awesome and the cakes come out perfect every time.
More than anything though, bundt cakes make me happy. There is just something so… simple about them that makes me love them. Simple and beautiful.

This truly is the best soft gingerbread cake I’ve ever had and it made our apartment smell like incense. Speaking of our apartment, those of you who follow me on instagram already know that I painted our kitchen in a lovely grey (though the color changes throughout the day) color. One layer of white and three layers of grey, with a paintbrush might I add, and there is almost no trace of that wallpaper left. Finally. I’m a huge procrastinator so deep inside, I knew I was never going to paint that wall. But this weekend I decided it was going to happen. I know it might seem weird to be so excited about a grey wall. I mean, it’s just a wall?! Well, for me it’s more than that. First of all, I finally painted it! That alone is pretty huge. And second, my inspiration hasn’t really been there lately and the light in our living room is sparse this time of year. So I’m more than happy to be able to work in a “new” room with new light.

This recipe is actually based on the gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting from last year. Strangely enough I always seem to begin my christmas baking with some kind of soft gingerbread. It’s almost tradition now.

Gingerbread bundt cake with lingonberries
Makes one large bundt cake

Note that I used a 10 cup bundt pan to bake this cake and it was actually slightly too small for the batter so I would suggest putting a piece of baking paper underneath the pan while baking, or reserving some of the batter to bake some muffins. A 12 cup pan would probably be more suitable.
You can easily halve the recipe for a smaller pan (a 5-6 cup pan) and bake it for about 45 minutes.

Gingerbread spice mix
This recipe makes more than you need for this recipe but I figure why not make some extra for other uses? I highly recommend grinding cardamom and cloves with a pestle and mortar instead of buying ready made. It does make a huge difference!

4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp freshly ground cardamom
3 tsp freshly ground cloves

Soft gingerbread cake
3 3/4 cups (540 g) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp gingerbread spice mix
1 tsp ground bitter orange peel (can be omitted)
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup (240 g) light muscovado sugar (or light brown sugar)
3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (200 ml) cane syrup
250 g (2 sticks + 1/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (200 ml) heavy cream (about 35-40 % fat content)
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) milk
1 cup (150 g) frozen lingonberries (can be omitted)

Glaze
2/3 cup (90 g) powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp milk

Instructions
1. Mix together ground spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves) in a small jar.
2. Heat oven to 175°C (350F). Grease and flour a large bundt pan which holds about 10-12 cups (preferably 12 cups). Set aside.
3. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, 3 tsbp gingerbread spices and ground bitter orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add cane syrup and beat until smooth.
5. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add cream and milk.
6. Add dry ingredients and butter mixture to the egg mixture in additions, and stir until smooth.
7. Stir in the lingonberries, then pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 55-65 minutes, but start checking doneness after 50 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake during the whole baking time so the top won’t brown too fast (if it does, carefully place a piece of baking paper or aluminum foil on top).
8. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Mix together powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Pour glaze over the cake.

Peach bundt cake with lemon glaze and lavender

July 8, 2014 By linda 43 Comments

I think the weather changed about 10 times during the short time in which I shot these photos. Rain, thunder, sun – repeat. It’s been like that lately. You don’t know if there’s going to be a thunderstorm or no clouds in sight. I decided to stay inside today and bake this cake. My mind was set on a thunderstorm and peach popsicles but somewhere along the way I changed my mind and decided to bake a bundt cake instead.

Peaches always make me think of Seinfeld. You know the episode where Kramer and Newman buy Mackinaw peaches (which apparently don’t really exist) from Oregon, and they are only ripe for two weeks every year. Kramer looses his sense of taste so he can’t taste the peaches. How frustrating.

Luckily, I can taste these peaches. They “make the taste buds come alive” as Kramer says. True.
I hate making a mess so I either eat them over the sink or cut them into little pieces and eat them with a fork.

I decided to pair this bundt with vanilla, lemon glaze and lavender.

Peach bundt cake
with lemon glaze and lavender

adapted from Week of menus

Notes on this recipe
-Serves 6-8
-I halved the original recipe because I simply wanted to make a smaller cake. This bundt pan holds about 4 cups batter when filled to the brim. This recipe makes approximately 3 – 3 1/2 cups batter.
-Bring all ingredients to room temperature before baking.
-The original recipe calls for sour cream but I made my own buttermilk by mixing the 1/2 cup (minus 1 tbsp) milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Let stand for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before using.
-I baked my cake for about 50-60 minutes, but the pan I used is made of silicone and I’m not sure if that affects the baking time. Start checking after about 35-40 minutes.

For the cake
1 1/2 cup (210 g) all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter (113 g), softened
3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (190 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 vanilla bean (seeds) or 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream or buttermilk
1 cups diced peaches (150 g or about 1 1/2 peach)

For the glaze
1/2 cup (75 g) powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Edible lavender flowers

Cake
Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter and flour a 4 – 4 1/2 cup bundt pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and beat until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 3 minutes.
Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and sour cream or buttermilk in additions.
Scoop about 1/3 of the batter into the pan, smooth with a spatula and sprinkle with some peaches. Put the rest of the batter and the peaches in layers, smoothing the top.
Bake cake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto another rack. Let cool completely

Glaze
Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Add more powdered sugar if it needs to be thicker, or more lemon juice if it needs to be looser. It should be quite thick but still pourable. Spoon glaze over cake. Sprinkle lavender flowers on top.

Chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache glaze

October 13, 2012 By linda 52 Comments

Den senaste tiden har jag varit smått besatt av riktigt höga sockerkakor. Helst med glasyr. Jag är överhuvudtaget svag för sparsamt och naturligt dekorerade bakverk. Nog för att jag älskar att dekorera, men det är något särskilt vackert med ett enkelt dekorerat bakverk (helst med rinnande choklad ovanpå!).
Det här är en riktigt riktigt chokladig kaka. Jag vet inte riktigt om jag kan kalla den för en sockerkaka. Den är liksom lite för kompakt för det. “Bundt cake” känns mer passande tycker jag. Det låter åtminstone som att en bundt cake skulle vara mer kompakt. Och ja, jag vet att jag gick lite väl långt med glasyren.. men man kan väl aldrig få för mycket choklad, eller glasyr för den delen. Inte sant?!

In English:
Lately I’ve been obsessed with bundt cakes. Especially glazed ones. As you probably already know I have a weak spot for sparsely decorated cakes and cupcakes. I love to decorate but I appreciate the beauty of a natural cake or cupcake so much more than a heavily decorated one.
This is one chocolatey bundt that you just can’t miss out on. Did I go overboard with the glaze? Yes, yes I did. But there can never be too much chocolate, or glaze for that matter, right?!
Click for larger images!

Chokladkaka med chokladglasyr

225 gram smör
3/4 dl kakao
2 1/2 dl kaffe eller vatten
4 3/4 dl mjöl
4 dl socker
1 1/2 tsk bikarbonat
2 stora ägg
3/4 dl gräddfil

Ganacheglasyr:
75 gram mörk choklad
3/4 dl grädde

Färska fikon

Värm ugnen till 175 C. Smörj och mjöla en sockerkaksform som rymmer cirka 2 liter smet, ställ åt sidan.
Blanda smör, kakao och kaffe/vatten i en kastrull och värm tills smöret har smält. Ställ kastrullen åt sidan så länge. Blanda mjöl, socker och bikarbonat i en skål. Tillsätt smörblandningen och rör eller vispa till en slät smet. Tillsätt äggen och gräddfilen och rör till en jämn smet. Häll smeten i formen och grädda ungefär 50-60 minuter. Låt svalna i formen cirka 20 minuter innan du stjälper upp den på ett galler.

Glasyr:
Hacka chokladen och lägg den i en skål. Värm grädden i en kastrull tills den når kokpunkten.
Häll grädden över chokladen, låt stå 30 sekunder och rör sedan tills chokladen har smält. Är glasyren för lös, låt svalna en stund innan du häller den över kakan. Dekorera med några skivade färska fikon.