Zucchini Bundt with Chocolate Ganache - I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Day 9

Zucchini Bundt

I Like Big Bundts 2013 - Day 9

Hello! Do you have some great neighbors with a green thumb? Do they leave fresh tomatoes on your doorstep every summer?

And do they leave boatloads of zucchini on your porch and run? Oh, zucchini. I love you, but I know that sometimes you go and multiply for gardeners. If you do get some zucchini, make this bundt from The Kitchn (love this website!)

I added some chocolate chips and ganache to the bundt, but it is lovely as is too. Since zucchini can be a watery veggie, you squeeze out as much water as possible before adding it to your batter. Great tip!

Of course, you can enjoy this plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar. Or...

...you can add some ganache. I happened to have some leftover ganache in the freezer and just let it thaw in the refrig until soft enough to spread on the bundt. You can also heat it to get it liquefied and pour it over the bundt.

You may wonder...What happened to Day 8 of I Like Big Bundts? Um...I went out with friends for lunch at Canter's (famous Jewish deli in Los Angeles) and we had a lovely time on our day off. When I walked back to my car, I couldn't find my keys (I've never lost a set of keys!). Nothing like dumping the contents of your purse on the sidewalk! Luckily, one friend didn't drive off yet (we came from three different areas of town) and was able to search the sidewalk, restaurants and bakery (of course we stopped in at Diamond Bakery) for my keys to no avail. So he drove to my friend's work where I hung out and shredded documents for her (hey, what are friends for?) until the end of the workday. Then we went to my area of town, had dinner, drove back to my house for my extra set of car keys, then drove back to Canter's, and I picked up my car. Thus, my 1:00 pm lunch took me until 9:30 pm to get home. Lovely to chat with my friends for an extended period of time...but no time to Bundt!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway for cool Snapware Pyrex food containers. See this post - deadline 11/13/2013.

P.S.S. If you bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on Nov 15, I'm doing a round up (with a giveaway for an awesome bundt pan for those who bake). Submission info will be up soon...I've been delayed in getting that together but never fear...we'll be celebrating! :)

P.S.S. Need ideas of what Bundt to make? Check out my I Like Big Bundts page with lots of links, and here are this year's so far...

I Like Big Bundts 2013 (so far)
Day 7: Cranberry Crème Fraîche Bundt
Day 6: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day 5: Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt
Day 4: Moosewood's Fresh Apple Spice Bundt Cake
Day 3: Butterscotch Bundt Cake
Day 2: Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake Bundt
Day 1: Orange Marmalade Jubilee Bundt

Recipe: Zucchini Bundt with Chocolate Ganache 
Adapted from The Kitchn, How to Make Zucchini Bread by Emma Christensen

Bundt:
1 pound zucchini (about 2 medium-sized)
3 cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) white sugar
1/2 cup (50 grams)  brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup olive oil or canola oil (I used olive oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional extras: 1 cup chopped nuts, 1 cup raisins, or 1 cup chocolate chips (I used one cup of chocolate chips)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan by spraying it with Pam with Flour or Baker's Joy, or greasing and flouring the pan.
2. Shred the zucchinis on a box grater. Place shreds in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of cheese cloth and squeeze to press out as much moisture from the zucchini as possible.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sugars, olive oil, and vanilla extract together to combine.
5. Add the squeezed zucchini and the optional nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips into the flour mixture and gentle combine with a spatula. Add the liquids to the flour/zucchini mixture. Fold the batter together, being careful not to overmix.
6. Place batter in Bundt pan and smooth out top with an off-set spatula or spoon. Bake 45-50 minutes until skewer inserted in the center come back clean, and the top springs back when touched.
7. Let cook in the Bundt pan for 15 minutes and then invert and cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Optional: Add some ganache to the top (either pour over ganache or spread on)

Ganache - This makes a cup or so of ganache. You will have extra and can freeze it or use it on another baking project!

1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1. Ganache is a combination of heavy cream and chocolate. So easy and so delicious. You can use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (or a mixture of both). The ratio is heavy cream (in fluid ounces) : chocolate (in weight)
2. Therefore, I used 8 fluid ounces (1 cup) of heavy cream to 8 ounces (weight) of semi-sweet chocolate.
3. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a light simmer. Turn off heat and slowly pour the cream over the chocolate.
4. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Then slowly whisk the liquid and chocolate together. Mix slowly...you don't want to incorporate extra air into the mixture. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
5. You can use ganache in different stages of "set". When it is warm, you can pour it over a cake or cupcake. When it firms up a bit more, you can spoon it on the treats. A bit more settling and you can frost with it. You can also whip it up for a lighter frosting. Oh, the possibilities of ganache.

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Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Sometimes I make recipes into bundts.
This time, I made something from a bundt.


I took my favorite cinnamon chocolate bundt and make them into cupcakes... topped with ganache. Easy peasy and delicious.

For this batch (above and below photo), the ganache was allowed to set for about an hour before use.


This recipe is really simple to make. Boil the ingredients, pour it over a flour mixture, stir in some buttermilk, eggs and other things you already have available in your kitchen, and in a few minutes you have a cupcake.

I think the best compliments are the ones overheard. My co-worker said she heard two colleagues talking about how much they enjoyed the cupcakes I bought to a meeting that day...while they were in the ladies room!


You don't need to drag out KitchenAid mixer and just a couple bowls will do you fine. The resulting cupcake is very moist because it uses both butter and oil.


So, I made this recipe twice in two days (I had two meetings to attend). The first day, I made the ganache in the morning and let it sit for about an hour before using an offset spatula to apply it to the cupcake. As you can see in the photos labeled "one hour ganache", the ganache was still pretty soft. After I glazed those cupcakes, I put plastic wrap around the remaining ganache and placed it in the refrig. That night, I came home, pulled out the ganache to put it on the counter, walked the dog, and then made the cupcakes again and let them cool. The ganache was set up more than the previous day so these cupcakes had more of a "frosting" look. I placed the frosted cupcake in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, the ganache looked dull on the cupcake - see the left photo above. I remember a hint from a cookbook (was it Dorie Greenspan?) to lightly blow dry the ganache for a few seconds with a hair dryer and the gloss would come back! I did that...and it totally worked. Don't go crazy with it...you don't want to completely melt it...just a few seconds do the job. Imagine that - your cupcake gets a blow out.

Cupcakes
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 c plus 1 T (or 5 T) cocoa (I have used both Dutch processed and natural cocoa with fine results). I used 30 grams of Hershey's Cocoa.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 c buttermilk
1 t baking soda

2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine together with a whisk: flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon

2. Bring to a boil in a pot: Water, oil, butter and cocoa. Once it reaches a boil, remove from heat.

3. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour and whisk by hand until combined.

4. Add the buttermilk and baking soda and mix.

5. In a small bowl, combine the eggs and vanilla. Add to the batter and combine.

6. Pour batter into 24 cupcakes cups lined with paper liners (or sprayed with Pam with Flour).

7. Bake at 365 degrees for 16-20 minutes (depending on your oven), until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. While it is baking, make the chocolate ganache and let it set up before use. Frost with chocolate ganache.

Ganache
1 cup (8 ounces) heavy cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Ganache is a combination of heavy cream and chocolate. So easy and so delicious. You can use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (or a mixture of both). The ratio is heavy cream (in fluid ounces) : chocolate (in weight)

Therefore, I used 8 fluid ounces (1 cup) of heavy cream to 8 ounces (weight) of semi-sweet chocolate.

Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a light simmer. Turn off heat and slowly pour the cream over the chocolate.

Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Then slowly whisk the liquid and chocolate together. Mix slowly...you don't want to incorporate extra air into the mixture. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

You can use ganache in different stages of "set". When it is warm, you can pour it over a cake or cupcake. When it firms up a bit more, you can spoon it on the treats. A bit more settling and you can frost with it. You can also whip it up for a lighter frosting. Oh, the possibilities of ganache. It rocks. (It also freezes really well so you should always have some on hand for chocolate emergencies!)

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Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze - Day #3 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze

I Like Big Bundts - Day #3

Chocolate and Bundt are perfect together. Really. Like true love.

We're on Day #3 of I Like Big Bundts marathon of Bundts. I'm actually in beautiful Monterey, CA for the Internet Librarian conference!

Today's Bundt is from Food & Wine. It's Double chocolate (melted bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder) with a chocolate gananche.

Have you circled November 15th on your calendar? It's National Bundt Day and I hope you make a Bundt for someone you love, like, or just tolerate...everything will be better with a Bundt. Last year, about 90 bakers made Bundts around the world - I hope you can join me again! (Submission instruction will be posted next week)

This bundt doesn't require your Kitchen Aid mixer! You can make it with a few bowls and a whisk. Sometimes my Kitchen Aid needs a break.

I was running around the kitchen when I made this (most of my baking is done in the morning before work...about 4:30 am) and missed the butter in the ganache. I also think I let it sit for a little too long so it wasn't nicely pourable. But it still worked out!


See you tomorrow for...wait for it... another Bundt! :)

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan
Adapted from Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze from Food & Wine's website

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Flour Bakery Yellow Birthday Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Flour Bakery Yellow Birthday Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Ganache Frosting

My friend Rosie came over to bake! We were supposed to bake together...but somehow I ended up making Jello (that post is coming soon), lying on the couch, eating Red Vines and watching Top Gear. Anyway, I took photos of Rosie making a cake in my kitchen. That's close enough, no?

Rosie's been on the blog in the past (Lessons from a Pastry Chef and Challah) and is a recent graduate of the Baking and Pastry Arts program at the prestigious Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. She's heading back to finish her BS degree in a couple weeks...and guess who's going to Parent's Weekend?! Road Trip! (Well, JetBlue red eye trip to be exact). My friend Helen (Rosie's mom) and I are going to J&W Family Weekend in early October. I've known Rosie since she was three years old, picked her up from pre-school, been the emergency contact on her school forms, and watched her grow up - so I earned my place at Family Weekend! Can't wait to see Rosie in situ at her college. We have other day trips planned too...more on that later. ;)

I've made Flour Bakery's Yellow cake in the past (cupcake form) and I did make the ganache for the frosting. But frosting it? Rosie did all that...while watching Top Gear. Somehow, it took us all day to make this cake, but I'm sure if you are more efficient than us, you will get this done in a jiffy.

We had about one cup of frosting remaining. We planned to pipe a nice border, but time got away from us and we needed to head out. I dropped off a slice to my friend JustJenn and she said it needed more frosting. I hate frosting so I thought she was crazy (hee hee)...but you might want to use all the frosting.

We decided to put little ball decorations on the edges - chocolate balls, pearl balls from NY Cake Company, and silver nonpareils dragees. These silver balls aren't sold in California due to a lawsuit so my friend Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet mailed me some from the East Coast. Thanks Mary!

Anyone would love this for their birthday!!

Cidney the Girl Dog helped (?) out too by just being cute.

 

Thanks Rosie for coming over and baking! And thanks for helping me reorganize that pesky junk drawer in the kitchen. See you at Family Weekend at Johnson & Wales!

Recipe:
Joanne Chang has very detailed directions in her book. You should really purchase the book Flour Bakery because it is way awesome, or get the book at your library. The Daily Meal posted the recipe.

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Flour Bakery Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Flour Bakery Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

There's nothing better than yellow cake. Serious. I love yellow cake. And with a chocolate ganache? Sit down and have a blast.

For my co-worker's birthday, I made these cupcakes. As you know, I don't care for frosting (which is why, I'll say it again, the Bundt Cake is the most perfect food product on the planet with a perfect cake to frosting ratio!) But I like the chocolate ganache because it isn't overly sweet with butter and powdered sugar. Just pre-butter (aka cream) and chocolate. 

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate ganache are like a little hug. A nice bite of fun and yum. The ganache chilling takes the longest... you need to wait until it is spreadable (and you can freeze any leftovers). You can either let it sit at room temp or put in the fridge and stir every 15 until the right consistency. I frosted mine with a small off-set spatula.

Do you have a special occasion coming up? Or want to celebrate making it to Friday? Then make these!

These were adapted from the Flour Bakery's Yellow Cake recipe. One day I want to make their proper yellow cake with chocolate ganache buttercream frosting.

Recipe:
Yellow Cake recipe
Joanne Chang has very detailed directions. You should purchase the book, Flour Bakery or get the book at your library. The Daily Meal posted the recipe.
Notes: I used powdered buttermilk. I added 1/4 cup of the powder to the dry ingredients, and used 1 cup of water instead of the 1 cup buttermilk.
Yield: 24+ cupcakes (I had extra batter but tossed it because I ran out of time - I was baking before heading off to work!)


Chocolate Ganache (learned this in my New School of Cooking class)
Equal parts chocolate (by weight) and heavy cream (by volume).
I used 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate and 8 ounces (1 cup) heavy cream. Heat the cream (not to boiling) and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for five minutes then slowly whisk until smooth. Cool until it is spreadable for the cupcakes.

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Abuelita Bundt - Day #24 of I Like Big Bundts

Mexican Hot Chocolate Bundt made with Abuelita

Holy smokes! We are inching closer and closer to National Bundt Day on November 15th! It is Day #24 of I Like Big Bundts: The Food Librarian's crazy quest to bring you 30 Bundts in 30 Days.

It is freaking cold in Los Angeles. Last week it was 90 degrees. Today, I wore gloves on my drive to work. (Now, for those who experience "real weather", please note that said gloves come out when it is 50 degrees. That is FREEZING in Los Angeles).

Therefore, with these near freezing temperatures, it's time to pull out the hot chocolate. And what's better than Mexican Hot Chocolate? Nothing. It's time for a Mexican Hot Chocolate Bundt.

I was inspired by Mario Bosquez's Mexican Chocolate Cake on Martha Stewart's website. Instead of using cocoa powder and cinnamon, I chopped up Abuelita tablets, skipped the cinnamon and reduced the sugar (because Abuelita is sweetened). I made a semi-sweet chocolate and Abuelita ganache to top the cake. I should have let the ganache thicken up more...but I needed to get this done and get to work! :)

I used Abuelita Mexican Chocolate (it's sold on Amazon for an obscene price...please look for it at Target and other grocery stores). You can use Ibarra as well, but I'm a sucker for any product with a grandma on the cover.

I used this Nordic Ware Bundt to make some mini bundts. My cousin went to the Williams Sonoma outlet shop in Las Vegas and got this cheap! Score.

Don't forget to enter my Amazon giveaway for my 39 11/12th birthday. I'm less than one month away from my 40th birthday so please help me celebrate! :) The giveaway ends Sunday, November 14th (yes, that is ONE day before National Bundt Day!)

Also, if you make a Bundt for National Bundt Day, I'll send you a JustJennDesign's I Like Big Bundts button! (head over to JustJenn's site for her free shipping week!) They are small and stylin'.

You will need to email me: (1) Link to your blog post (I will use one photo from your post for the round-up) or (2) One JPG photo if you don't have a blog, (3) Your name and title of your Bundt (4) Mailing address for the button. I'm going to do a round up after National Bundt Day (Nov 15th) so this stuff is due by Monday, November 22nd. Please don't rummage through your archives for an old Bundt, you need to bake something fresh for National Bundt Day to qualify for the button (doesn't have to be a new recipe, just something made this month please :) Your family, friends and co-workers will thank you! :)

See you back here tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary the food librarian

Recipe:

Mexican Hot Chocolate (Abuelita) Bundt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut up
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 discs of Abuelita, chopped (Mexican hot chocolate disc, each disc is 90 g/3.15 oz) You can also use Ibarra discs)
1 cup milk (I used milk but you can also use water)

2 cups all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups sugar (11 ounces or so) (Abuelita is sweetened so you can use less sugar than Mario Bosquez's recipe)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Prep your Bundt pan. I use Pam with Flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the butter, oil, Abuelita and water or milk in a small saucepan until it boils. Use a whisk to make sure the Abuelita is melted.
3. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until blended. Don't go crazy, just until smooth.
4. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to combine.
6. Pour into pan and bake! Large bundt is about 25-30 minutes, and the mini bundts are 15 minutes. Depan after 15 minutes and let cool completely before applying ganache.

Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 disc of Abuelita (chopped)

1. Heat heavy cream.
2. Pour over chocolate and Abuelita.
3. Whisk until melted and smooth.
4. Let it sit until the consistency is thick enough to pour over the cake.

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Peanut Butter-Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Butterfinger Ganache Glaze - Day #3 of I Like Big Bundts 2

Peanut Butter-Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Butterfinger Ganache Glaze

It's Day #3 of I Like Big Bundts 2! I'm writing this Monday night and I'm tired. Long weekend. So, I'll just give you the facts.

Peanut Butter. Chocolate. Bundt. Candy. Together.

This is from the cookbook, Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman (page 130). I've made the Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake Bundt earlier this year and it is a winner.

Do you like Big Bundts too? My friend JustJenn is selling a line of Bundt related items! Everything but the pan! You can buy cards and pins. Check it out here.

I was unable to taste this cake (long story) but someone said it was good. Give it a try and let me know!

Chopped Butterfinger tops this cake. Bart Simpson would like it.

Peanut Butter-Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Butterfinger Ganache Glaze
Adapted from: Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman (page 130)

1 c sour cream
3 large eggs
2 t vanilla
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
1 c smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 c light brown sugar

1. Preheat over to 350. Prep a 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. Whisk sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in measuring cup.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder & soda, and salt in a bowl.
4. Using the paddle attachment, cream butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy (3-4 minutes). Scape down the sides.
5. With mixer on low, alternate 1/3 dry ingredients with the 1/2 sour cream mix; beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Scape down the sides of the bowl. Turn mixer onto medium-high and beat for 1 minute.
6. Put into Bundt. Bake for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes then invert onto cookie sheet until completely cool.

The book has a Glaze recipe of 8 oz semi or bittersweet chocolate, 2 T butter, 3/4 c heavy cream. However, I still had ganache leftover from Day #2's Bundt so I melted that down and poured it over this cake!

One chopped Butterfinger bar is sprinkled over the glaze/ganache. Let cake set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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French Macaron Class with Tartelette

Tartelette in the house! (Well, at least in Southern California).

Thanks to the efforts of Rachael, Gaby and Jenny, Helene Dujardin (Tartelette) came out to Los Angeles to conduct macaron and food photography classes. Whoo hoo!

Having never made French macarons before (but eaten plenty), this class was great. Who knew aged egg whites, almonds, powdered sugar and granulated sugar could make such pretty treats!

The class was fun because I also got to meet a bunch of food bloggers and catch up with ones I met at BlogHerFood.

This is the best "to go" box ever.

Thank you sooo much Rachael, Gaby and Jenny for setting up these classes!
Both classes totally rocked!

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