bundt cake

graham cracker bundt cake with key lime cheesecake swirl #bundtbakers

I’m sorry, but I really hate the phrase, “made it by the skin of my teeth”

A) Seriously, how gross is that?
B) What the heck does that even mean? Teeth don’t have skin.
Unless we’re talking about gums here, in which case, that’s even weirder/grosser/more nonsensical.

Anyway, even though I don’t like or understand that saying, in this case it’s true. I made it. Just in the nick of time.

If you’ve been paying attention, you already know that my oven has been broken (along with my heart). My landlord, in tandem with Brooklyn’s slowest appliance repair company, have been taking their sweeeeeeet time fixing it.

As difficult as going oven-less has been for me, my biggest concern through this whole agonizing experience has been that I might not be able to bake along with the bundt bakers this month. It may have been painful to have cookies taken off the menu and chicken taken out of the oven and put on the back burner (literally), but DO NOT mess with my bundts. I’ve baked a bundt cake each and every month since I found this rag-tag (though truly well organized) team of bakers, and having to bow out because of an ancient apartment oven and a foot-dragging repairman was seriously bumming me out.

Luckily the repair man pulled through at the eleventh hour. On Monday he came through with the backordered fuse in hand and within an hour my baby was back in working order. I was at work at the time, but Russell was filling me in from home and once the oven was purring again we were sending jubilant texts back and forth for the rest of the day. I was like a giddy school girl. 16 days with no oven can do that to a guy.

With no time to spare, I assembled the ingredients for my cake and set to work. The lovely Anshie of Spice Roots is our group’s host this month, and she chose “Hidden Surprise” as our theme (which is appropriate, because my ability to even make this cake was a total surprise!).
The idea was to bake a cake with a filling or ingredient inside that isn’t visible until it’s sliced. From the outside it looks like any ordinary cake, but once sliced a whole universe of delicious is revealed.

At first I was having a really difficult time deciding what to do with this theme. My mind immediately went toward berries and chocolate, but in my experience berries always want to sink through the batter and settle into what, once un-molded, is the top of the cake. That wouldn’t really be much of a surprise would it? I pawed at a few other ideas in my head but nothing really seemed to take.

That all changed about two weeks ago when I caught a nasty bug and couldn’t get off the couch for a few days.

When I was growing up, my grandmother always prescribed the same “medicine” whenever I was sick. The patient always needed canned chicken noodle soup, plain vanilla ice cream, warm ginger ale, and graham crackers. Now that I’m older the chicken soup seems to make sense, but the vanilla ice cream just seems like a bad idea. I don’t really get the warm part of the ginger ale, but I guess the lack of ice was supposed to be easier on the stomach, and I suppose graham crackers are easy on an upset tummy too.
To this day, whenever I get sick, I always crave these things. Once I was well enough to actually eat, I went through an entire box of graham crackers in like two days. All that was left was a small trail of graham cracker crumbs.

That’s when it hit me, what if I made a cake using crushed graham cracker crumbs in place of some of the flour?
And what better flavor to pair with graham cracker crumbs than key lime pie?
Better yet, key lime CHEESECAKE!!!

Surprise!

I can’t accurately describe how amazing this cake is. Words like moist, tender, flavorful, warm, & homey come to mind to describe the graham cracker cake, but really don’t do it justice. This cake is out of this world. Why hasn’t this been done before? If it has, why haven’t I been informed? Graham cracker cake, filling or not, is something I’d like to be buried with. Hillary should choose graham cracker cake as her running mate. Seriously. Clinton/ Graham Cracker Cake/ 2016.

I could have paired this cake with any number of fillings and knocked it out of the park. Chocolate and marshmallow “S’mores” cake would have been amazing, but KEY LIME CHEESECAKE was a real stroke of genius. Seriously, out of this world. I want to use words like tangy, rich, creamy, silky, & decadent; but like I said, words cannot describe the otherworldly levels of deliciousness happening inside this cake.

Go make this. Now.
(you can thank me later)

Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Key Lime Cheesecake Swirl

Servings: 12 to 16-ish
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Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
pinch of salt
1 large egg
4 tablespoons key lime juice
finely grated zest of 1 lime

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for pan)
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs (plus more for topping)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks, plus more for pan)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Glaze:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons key lime juice
pinch of salt
1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 and move the rack to the center position. Generously butter and flour a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan. Tap out extra flour and refrigerate.

To make the filling; cream sugar, softened cream cheese, and salt together in a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer) on high speed. Beat until fluffy and completely free of lumps, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add egg, and mix to combine. Add lime juice and zest and mix to combine. Scrape filling out into a small bowl and set aside. Wash bowl or at least scrape it out well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, & salt. Set aside. In the same bowl as before, cream the butter with sugars on high speed until pale, light, & fluffy; about 4 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating on low to combine after each addition. On low speed, alternate three additions of flour and two additions buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, scraping the bowl between additions. Do not over-mix. Scrape batter out into prepared pan and use your spatula to push the thick batter up the walls of the pan to create a well in the center.
Pour the filling into the center of the well, and use a small icing spatula or butter knife to swirl the filling into the cake batter. Try to avoid scraping the bottom or sides of the pan.
Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before turning out of the pan onto the rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and lump free. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add lime juice and salt. Beat again until smooth and lump free. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. (I used all 3 tablespoons)

Pour or drizzle glaze evenly over the top of the cake and sprinkle a few tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs over the top.
Cake should keep, tightly covered at room temperature, for about 3 days. If you refrigerate it bring it back up to room temperature before serving.

Are your taste buds ready for a few more delicious surprises? There are a whole lot of tasty secrets hidden within these recipes y’all. Check it out.

Almond Crunch Cake – Magnolia Days
Balsamic Strawberries Bundt Cake – Our Good Life
Banana Maple Bundt Cake with Chocolate Star – Un Mordisco Un Pecado
Black and White Surprise Bundt Cake – Patty’s Cake
Chocolate and Vanilla Polka Dot Bundt – Passion Kneaded
Chocolate Bundt Cake with Oreo Cheesecake Filling – Recipes, Food and Cooking
Chocolate Cheesecake Stuffed Peanut Butter Bundt Cake – Sew You Think You Can Cook
Citrus Raspberry Bundt – Noshing With The Nolands
Confetti Zebra Cake – Eat, Drink, Be Mighty
Cookie Dough Bundt Cake – Liv for Cake
German Mozarthupf – A Kingdom for a Cake
Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Key Lime Cheesecake Swirl – Brooklyn Homemaker
KitKat Surprise Bundt Cake –Simply Veggies
Lemon Blueberry Van Halen Bundt – Food Lust People Love
Orange and Strawberry Jam Bundt Cake – Baking Yummies
Pear and Blue Cheese Bundt – Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Polka Dot Bundt Cake – Brunch with Joy
Raspberry Filled Lemon Bundt – A Day in the Life on the Farm
Real Nutella Bundt Cake – Baking in Pyjamas
Savory Monkey Bread Stuffed Bundt – Adventures in All Things Food
Sour Cream Boozy Hazelnut Bundt Cake – Sidewalk Shoes
Spring Break S’mores Cake – Tea and Scones
Strawberry Cheesecake Bundt Cake – Basic N Delicious
Strawberry Twinky Bundt Cake – I Love Bundt Cakes
Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake – Big Rigs ‘n Lil’ Cookies
Surprise Bundt – Mummy & Cute
Surprise Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake – Media Ración Doble, Por Favor
Surprise Inside Carrot Bundt Cake- Making Miracles
Triple Lemon Bundt Cake – Baking and Creating with Avril
Tropical Surprise Bundt Cake – Spice Roots

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Interested in learning more about us? #BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BundtBaker home page here.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. If you are just a lover of Bundt baking, you can find all of our recipe links by clicking our badge above or on our group Pinterest board.

brown sugar coconut bundt cake with dark chocolate ganache #bundtbakers

Have you had your Girl Scout Cookies yet this year?

We got ours, shipped in from Texas a few weeks ago, fresh from one of Russell’s girlfriend’s daughters. He ordered a few different flavors, but of course our favorites are the coconutty caramelly shortbread Samoas. In my experience, these are most people’s favorite choice, unless they don’t like coconut (in which case they’re probably crazy and may need to be committed).

This month Kelly from Passion Kneaded is our Bundt Bakers host and, in the spirit of the season, she chose Girl Scout Cookies as our theme. It didn’t take me more than half a millisecond to decide my cake would be inspired by the incomparable Samoa.
Thank you Kelly!

If you love Girl Scout Cookies (and Bundt cakes) as much as I do, be sure you scroll down past the recipe to see all the other mouthwatering recipes the Bundt Bakers came up with this month!

Rather than recreating the Samoa in Bundt cake form, I decided to just let the flavors and ingredients of the cookie inspire, rather than dictate, the direction I would take my cake.

I just bought a classic 12 cup Nordic Ware Bundt, and wanted to show it off in all it’s beautiful glory so I decided not to cover up the outside of the cake with a thick layer of coconut and caramel.
Instead, I thought I’d try to mix some brown sugar and butter with sweetened coconut flakes and make a sort of “shell” to line the interior of the pan before pouring in the batter. This way the coconut and “caramel” would appear to be on the outside just like the cookie, but it would really be baked as part of the cake. For the body of the cake, I used brown sugar and coconut milk to help emphasize the flavors of the coconut shell.

Mere words cannot describe the otherworldly sublime aroma that filled my house while this cake baked.

When it came time to glaze the cake I went with a thick, rich, bittersweet dark chocolate ganache. I decided on dark chocolate over milk because, A) I personally prefer dark chocolate, and B) real Samoas have dark chocolate drizzled over them too.

Have you ever heard anyone refer to Samoas as Caramel Delites? I always assumed the two names were just regional variations on the same cookie, but it turns out that these are two different types of girl scout cookies and the difference depends on the bakery they come from. Samoas have a richer, darker caramel color and a higher caramel to cookie ratio with a dark chocolate drizzle. Caramel DeLites have a caramel that’s lighter in color and not as thick, so more of the cookie comes through in the flavor. They’re also, oddly enough, actually octagonal rather than round, and are drizzled with milk chocolate instead of dark.

I usually bring at least half of my bundt cakes to work with me every month to share with my coworkers, because a bundt cake is too big for me and Russell to eat on our own (as much as we’d like to). Unless I have a special occasion or celebration that calls for a homemade cake, I’m baking these cakes each month just for the fun of it and because I like the challenge of working within the group’s theme each month.

This time around, everyone LOVED the cake other than one coworker who doesn’t like coconut (lunacy). The one thing that seemed to be a point of contention though was the dark chocolate ganache. Some people, myself included, were crazy for the contrast of light sweet delicate cake and assertive rich dark chocolate, while others thought the dark chocolate was too strongly flavored and overpowered the cake. If you’re not a fan of dark or bittersweet chocolate you can definitely go with milk instead for a Caramel Delite affect, or you could even substitute a powdered sugar and cocoa glaze if you think ganache might be too rich for you.

However you want to glaze this cake is just fine. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or a thin cocoa glaze, it’s all going to be delicious. In the end it doesn’t matter anyway, because the real star of the show here isn’t the glaze, it’s the CAKE!!!

The outside of this cake has a sweet buttery chewy crunchy coconut caramel shell that really drives that Samoa flavor home. The interior of the cake is buttery, tender and impossibly moist with a perfect subtle hint of caramel thanks to brown sugar and a delicate touch of coconut. Oh man.

So good.

Brown Sugar Coconut Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Servings: 12-16
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Adapted from Food Network

Coconut brown sugar mixture:
butter and flour for pan
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted unsalted butter

Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract, optional
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

Ganache:
4 oz good quality dark chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Generously butter and flour a 10 to 12 cup non-stick bundt pan. I recommend one of Nordic Ware’s cast aluminum pans because of their superior non-stick coating. The coconut brown sugar mixture may stick to less non-stick pans or pans that are very intricately designed. Simpler is better in this case. Tap out excess flour and refrigerate.

Mix brown sugar and coconut together until well distributed. Pour melted butter over the mixture and toss to combine. Press into prepared bundt pan and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the cake.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Cream the butter and sugars together using a stand mixer or hand mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Once incorporated, stir in the extracts and the coconut milk and beat until combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in three additions just until the mixture is smooth. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan up to about 3/4 of the way full. If your pan is smaller than 12 cups, you may have batter leftover. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Cool cake 20 minutes before turning it out onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely on the rack.

Once cake is completely cool, make the ganache.
Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a small heat proof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan just until it begins to simmer. Pour cream over the chocolate, add a pinch of salt, and let sit for 2 minutes so the heat from the cream can melt the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir or whisk until smooth and free of lumps. Before the ganache cools, pour it over the cake in a thick even stream.

Cake will keep, well covered and air tight, for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.

Check out all these drool worthy Girl Scout Cookie inspired cakes! I can’t handle this much delicious in one place!!!

- - Brown Sugar Coconut Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache from Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
  - Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Mini Bundt Cakes from Renee at Magnolia Days
  - Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake from Teri at The Freshman Cook
  - Coconut Caramel Samoas Bundt Cake from Anshie at Spice Roots
  - Cranberry Lemon Bundt Cake from Jelena at A Kingdom for a Cake
  - Do Si Do Mini Bundts from Anne at From My Sweet Heart
  - Double Glazed Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge Bundt from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
  - Golden Nut Bundt (Juliettes Bundt) from Tammy at Living the Gourmet
  - Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemonade Frosting from Anna at Media Racion Doble, Por Favor
  - Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake with Limoncello Glaze from Pam at Sidewalk Shoes
  - Lemonade Bundt from Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
  - Lemonade Bundt Cake from Esti at Mummy & Cute
  - Marbled Samoa Bundt Cake from Patricia at Patty’s Cake
  - Mini Samoa Bundt Cakes from Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food
  - Mini Vanilla Bundt Cakes with Lemon Drizzle from Kathya at Basic N Delicious
  - Mint Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake from Sarah at The Chef Next Door
  - Mint Filled Coconut Vanilla Bundt from Shilpi at Simply Veggies
  - Peanut Butter Tagalong Bundt Cake from Mary at That’s My Home
  - Peppermint & Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake from Lara at Tartacadabra
  - Samoa Bundt Cake from Beatriz and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes
  - Samoa Bundt Cake from Jana at Jenny and Sweets
  - Samoas Bundt Cake from Aisha at La Cocina de Aisha
  - “Savannah Smiles” Lemony Bundt Cake from Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado
  - Spiked Lemonade Bundt from Kelly at Passion Kneaded
  - Tagalong Cookie Core Bundt from Julie at Eat, Drink, Be Mighty
  - Thin Mint Chocolate Bundt Cake from Rebekah at Making Miracles
  - Toffee-tastic Bundt Cake from Linda at Brunch with Joy
  - Trios (Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip-Oat) Bundt from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
  - What’s your favorite Girl Scout Cookie? (Tagalong Bundt Cake) from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
  - Whole Grain Oats Bundt {Rah-Rah Raisins} from Rocio at KidsandChic

chocolate orange bundt cake #bundtbakers

Have I ever mentioned the fact that I LOVE chocolate?

Well, it’s true.
I do.

I know that it’s probably hard to believe, but you’re going to have to get used to the idea.

When I found out that Tanya of Dessert Stalking had chosen chocolate as the theme for this month’s #bundtbakers, I was over the moon. Thank you Tanya!!! I’ve made a lot of bundts in this group, but this whole time I’ve only made one other chocolate cake. It’s a cryin shame is what it is, and I promise that I’m appropriately ashamed.

I usually prefer dark chocolate over milk or white, but to be honest I’ll take any and all of the above given the opportunity. I’m the kind of person who keeps a dark chocolate bar (or two) hidden in a drawer in my night stand just in case of emergencies. I only need a few squares at a time when I need my fix, but when I need it, I really need it.

I know I inherited that trait from my mom, who’s secret chocolate stash is kept in the drawers of her vanity. When I first found out about it I couldn’t believe that she would dare to withhold chocolate from me and have the audacity to keep some for herself. These days, I get it.

When I was trying to decide on a chocolate bundt to make this month I was totally overwhelmed by the possibilities. There are just too many delicious things you can do with chocolate and I couldn’t even begin to narrow it down.

Every time I’d think of something, my mind kept wanting to wander back to a chocolate orange bundt that I made when I was just getting this blog off it’s feet. That cake was so moist and tender and brightly flavored and super duper chocolatey that it might just be one of my favorite bundts I’ve ever made.

Now, I don’t want to get into the habit of repeating recipes around here, but I knew this cake deserved to be revisited. I originally made it way back in the beginning, back before I’d found out about and joined up with the #bundtbakers gang, back when I was still using an iphone to take my photos, and most importantly, back when I didn’t really have many readers other than my mother. Not only is this recipe new to the bundt bakers, but I also think it deserves to be highlighted with better photos and to be seen and shared with as many people as possible, which simply wasn’t the case the first time around.

I’ve done this with a small handful of my other favorite recipes from the first few months of Brooklyn Homemaker, and I saw no reason not to revisit this one too. So, chocolate orange bundt cake it was.

I made a few minor adjustments to the original recipe from back in 2013, but for the most part little has changed. This cake is rich and dark and sublimely chocolatey with an assertive cocoa flavor backed up with soft and melty morsels of finely chopped dark chocolate. The orange zest and juice in the recipe, along with the orange glaze poured over the top, elevate this cake and give it a boost of sweet fruity brightness that can be unusual with chocolate cakes. The crumb is soft and tender, and the cake is so moist that it stays perfectly delicious for several days if covered well. I took half of the cake to work with me and my coworkers devoured it and raved about how wonderful it was. One of them loved it so much that she took a slice home to her roommate, and has been asking me ever since when I’d be posting the recipe so she could try it herself.

If you’re into chocolate, this is a cake you really gotta try. If you’re not, you need your head examined.

Another thing you gotta do if you’re into chocolate is make sure to scroll down past the recipe to check out all the other mouth-watering, craving-satisfying, unbelievable chocolatey creations the other bundt bakers came up with this month. I myself can barely handle all this chocolate in one place.

Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake

Servings: 12ish
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adapted from Joy the Baker

For the Cake:
1 1/4 cups orange juice
zest of 3 large oranges
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup peanut oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup finely chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips

For the Glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
zest of one orange

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Generously butter and flour a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.

Whisk orange juice and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together the sugar and orange zest until the zest is well distributed and has turned the sugar orange. Add the salt, eggs and egg yolk and mix on low for about 1 minute. Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.

Add the flour and baking soda and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Mix in chopped chocolate on low. The batter will be very loose. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 55-65, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool completely.

make the glaze:
Whisk confectioner’s sugar, orange juice and zest until free of lumps. I like to do this in a glass measuring cup with a spout so you can pour the glaze easily.

Place a sheet pan under the rack with the completely cooled cake. Pour the glaze over the Bundt cake, covering it completely. If you have leftover glaze pour it from the pan back into the measuring cup and go back in for another coat. Transfer to a cake plate or platter by gently sliding the cake off the rack, use a thin spatula to help lift it if necessary. Leave at room temperature until ready to serve. The glaze will harden and form a sort of candy shell and keep the cake nice and moist.

It’s probably a good thing that I’m not able to taste all of these cakes because I’d probably eat until I burst given the chance. All this chocolate sure has me drooling guys!!!

Apricot Almond Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache by Cassandra at Cassie’s Kitchen
Blackforest Bundt Cake by Anshie at SpiceRoots
Chocolate and Almonds Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious
Chocolate and Lavender Bundt Cake by Aisha at La Cocina de Aisha
Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Beatriz & Mara at I love Bundt Cakes
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bundt Cake by Julie at Eat, Drink, and Be Mighty
Chocolate Crumb Bundt by Catherine at Living the Gourmet
Chocolate Custard Floating Island Bundt Cake by Jelena at A Kingdom For a Cake
Chocolate Honeycomb Bundt by Sue at Just Sew Sue
Chocolate Irish Cream Bundt by Anne at From My Sweet Heart
Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
Chocolate Pound Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days
Chocolate Rose Bundt Cake by Lara at Tartacadabra
Chocolate Strawberry Pound Cake by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
Cider White Chocolate Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Glaze by Patricia at Patty’s Cake
Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy
Devil’s Food Chocolate Bundt Cake by Tanya at DessertStalking Blog
Double Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake by Carola at En La Cocina de Caro
False Chocolate Bundt Cake by Anna at Media RaciÛn Doble, Por Favor
Guava and Chocolate Bundt by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
How the Grinch Stole Valentine’s Day by Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
Kickin Chocolate Bundt Cake by Kaylin at Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Lemon Glazed White Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake Mini Bundts by Laura at The Spiced Life
Mars Bar Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands
Marshmallows Chocolate Bundt Cake by Shilpi at SimplyVeggies
Quadruple Chocolate Bundt by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
Red Velvet Bundt with White Chocolate Roses by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
Sacher Bundt Cake by Esti at Mummy & Cute
Spicy Chocolate Mini Bundt Cake by Rocio at Kids & Chic
Triple Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook
Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles
White Chocolate & Raspberries Bundt Cake by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado

toasted coconut lime bundt cake with chili lime glaze #bundtbakers

I’ve been in a bit of a funk so far this year, and I think the first BundtBakers of 2015 is just the thing to pull me out of it.

The theme this month, chosen by the amazing Terri of Love and Confections, is Coconut! What better inspiration to get me back into the swing of things than a delicious and versatile tropical fruit? Thank you Terri! I needed that!!!

The first thing that I thought of when I saw this month’s theme was an idea I had last year for a cake that didn’t really pan out the first time around.

The theme in June of last year was “tropical”, and at the time I was going through a bit of an Asian food phase. I thought it could be really fun and interesting to try to translate the savory flavors of tropical southeast asian Thai curry into a sweet bundt cake, so I went to work experimenting. I love Thai coconut curries with lime and ginger, so I used that flavor profile as my inspiration for a bundt with coconut, lime, and ginger as the stars of the show. I also really wanted to see how far I could push the idea of Thai curry in dessert form, so I wanted to use some curry paste too.

Thai curry paste usually consists of things like lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal (a spicy Asian type of ginger), chilies, and spices. If I had an unlimited source of time and money I probably would have made my own paste using these classic Thai ingredients. Although these flavors might be sort of unusual and unexpected in a cake, I think it could have worked out really well.

Without unlimited time and money though, I decided to grab a jar of store-bought Thai green curry paste which, unfortunately, also contains ingredients like shallots and garlic. Needless to say, shallots and garlic don’t really work well in desserts, even if you’re trying to be inventive and avant-garde.

I knew the minute my experimental bundt came out of the oven that something wasn’t right. Despite having only used two teaspoons of curry paste, when I opened the oven door the first thing that hit my nose was garlic. The flavor of the cake wasn’t quite as off as the smell, but that hint of garlic and shallot was still lurking in the background of every bite.

There were a few elements of the cake that worked really well, especially the flavor combination of coconut and lime, and the spicy Thai chili infused lime glaze that I used on top. In the end though, I decided to ditch the idea, and a few days later I came up with a hibiscus lime bundt that was met with rave reviews.

Fast forward to 2015, and I’ve finally found a good reason to revisit that ill-fated Thai curry cake. I decided to forego the curry paste altogether, and I actually skipped the ginger too. I knew that I loved the combination of lime and coconut, so this time I toasted the coconut and paired it with coconut milk and lime zest and juice.

As a nod to the Thai cake, I decided to keep the chili infused lime glaze. Thai bird’s beak chilies are SUPER spicy, so a little goes a long way to add a nice heat to this sweet glaze. I sliced a few chilies in half and steeped them in a combination of lime juice and coconut milk, then I removed the chilies and mixed in some powdered sugar. The resulting glaze actually is quite spicy, but there’s so little glaze in each bite of cake that the heat is barely noticeable.

I’m so glad that I decided to revisit this cake. I took some of it to work with me and let the compliments rain down upon me. I’m actually TERRIBLE at receiving compliments, unless they’re food related. “Moist!”, “Delicious!”, “Bursting with flavor!”. Keep ’em coming folks!

The toasted coconut and coconut milk take center stage in this moist, delicious, bursting-with-flavor cake; and the lime juice and zest help to brighten things up and emphasize the tropical feeling. The crumb is soft and tender, thanks to the addition of corn starch, with a pleasant density indicative of any good bundt cake.

The glaze is fruity and tropical with a really interesting heat and flavor from the Thai bird’s beak chilies. If you aren’t feeling as frisky as I was, you can certainly leave the chilies out and this glaze recipe would still work really well. You could also swap them for a habanero if you want the heat but can’t find Thai chilies.

I also want to mention that the pan I used to make this cake is the Nordic Ware Jubilee pan. I love the elegant curves and modern lines of this pan and it’s quickly become one of my favorite bundt shapes. If you’d like to get your hands on a Jubilee pan, check out my latest giveaway for a chance to win one of your very own! Sorry folks, this giveaway is only open to people with a mailing address in the US (within the contiguous 48). Good luck!

Make sure you keep scrolling down past the recipe to check out all the other amazing coconut creations everyone came up with this month. I’m drooling!

Toasted Coconut Lime Bundt Cake with Chili Lime Glaze

Servings: 12 to 16
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adapted from Taste and Tell

3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2½ cups granulated sugar
4 limes
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
6 large eggs
1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups powdered sugar
3 thai bird’s eye chilies *see note

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan.
Spread shredded coconut in an even layer on a sheet pan and toast until golden and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Check every few minutes and stir around if necessary to promote even toasting and prevent burning.
Zest and juice the limes. Reserve the juice and add the zest to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the softened butter and sugar. Cream on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
With the mixer on low add the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla and coconut extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
In a small bowl, measure out and mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and 1/4 cup lime juice. Reserve the remaining coconut milk and lime juice for the glaze. With the mixer on low, alternate additions of flour and coconut milk, starting and ending with flour.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in 2 1/2 cups of the toasted coconut. Reserve remaining coconut for garnish. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and level the batter with a spatula.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 60 to 65 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool until room temperature.

While the cake is baking, combine the remaining 1/4 cup lime juice and 1/4 cup coconut milk in a small saucepan. Remove the stems and slice the Thai chilies in half lengthwise. Add to the coconut lime liquid and place over a medium high flame just until the mixture comes to a low boil. Remove from heat and let steep while cake bakes and cools. Wash your hands well after handling the sliced chilies.
To make the glaze, strain the coconut lime chili liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth and free of lumps. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and immediately sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut.

*cooks note: If you can’t find fresh Thai chilies, you may be able to find dried ones in the asian foods section. If that’s a no go, you can try using another type of very spicy chili, like a habanero, instead. I think 1 habanero chili would be enough. You could also skip them if you want.
Be sure to wash your hands well immediately after handling these extremely spicy chilies.