Happy National Bundt Day!!!

One of my favourite food blogs, The Food Librarian, takes on the daunting task of preparing a bundt a day for the month (check out the aptly named “I Like Big Bundts” pages!) leading up to National Bundt Day. Needless to say, I wish I worked in her place of employment! Whenever I’m looking for a bundt cake to make, I always check out her blog first, and her countless number of bundt recipes. Last year, I made a lemon bundt cake. This year, to celebrate National Bundt Day, however, I went with a bundt from Baked’s cookbook, the chocolate root beer bundt cake.

I wish the photos captured this cake better; now that it’s daylight savings, I no longer have the joy of natural daylight during the week to take photos in. Add to that the fact that chocolate cakes are already pretty hard to photograph…and you’re left with this dark brown chocolate blob of a cake. It really is a tasty cake though! I can’t say that the root beer adds any flavor to it; it pretty much is just a rich, deep, moist, decadent chocolate cake with an enormous layer of smooth, fantastically chocolatey frosting. This is one powerful chocolate cake, and the perfect cake to celebrate National Bundt Day with.

Chocolate Root Beer Bundt Cake
From Baked: New Frontiers In Baking

CAKE
2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

FROSTING
2 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

CAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively, butter it, dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.

FROSTING
1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.

2. Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the Bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving.

I am definitely a quickbread fan! While banana bread will always be at the top of my list, I am open to pretty much any sweet bread. The last bread I made was a rather mild-tasting, not too sweet, walnut-date bread. It has all the qualities of a banana-nut bread, but with a taste similar to date squares. It’s a great breakfast bread, and I loved toasting a slice and smearing it with some creamy brie. Because the bread isn’t (surprisingly, considering all the sugars in it) that sweet, it’s prefect with all sorts of cheeses!

I love the chunks of date in it, as well as the crunch of the candied walnuts. And one of my favourite parts? This bread is made in only one pot! If you’re looking for something a bit different from the usual banana bread, give this one a try!

Walnut-Date Bread
adapted from Honest Cooking

250g pitted dates
1 cup water
60g unsalted butter
180g granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
180g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
cup candied walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Butter 4 small loaf tins or 1 standard loaf pan.

2. Place dates in a saucepan with water and bring to the boil, then decrease heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and the dates are mushy. Mash to break up any big pieces, then add the butter, sugar and golden syrup. Stir until the butter has melted, then remove from the heat and stir the baking soda into the hot mixture.

3. Cool slightly, then stir in the egg.

4. Fold in the flour and baking powder, then the candied walnuts.

5. Spread the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool slightly in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Looking for a 10,000,000 calorie dessert that’s bound to please pretty much anyone with a sweet tooth? No need to look any further!

I stocked up on cans of condensed milk last time I traveled over the border; $1.97/can vs $4.50/can? Sounds like a deal to me! I thought this would be a fun Thanksgiving dessert, and a great way to use up some of my stockpiled cans of condensed milk. They are decadently sweet, rich and perfect. The shortbread crust is so buttery, it’s great all on its own. The caramel layer, made from heating and stirring the condensed milk over low heat it extremely boring and time-consuming, but the end result is worth it. Eventually, the condensed milk thickens, then thickens more, and turns an amber colour and becomes so sticky, sweet, and heavenly! The chocolate layer (you can use any chocolate you like, but I prefer bittersweet to milk, as that caramel is sweet enough as it is, and needs something like bittersweet chocolate to cut the sweetness down) has a nice “snap” to it.

All together, every layer is gorgeous and each one plays into the other. It’s like a gigantic Twix bar, only better.

SHORTBREAD
2 sticks butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for preparing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for preparing pans
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

CARAMEL
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter

CHOCOLATE
3/4 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter

SHORTBREAD
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter 2 (8-inch) square nonstick pans and coat with flour, tapping off excess.
3. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse once. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles peas. Press the shortbread mixture into prepared pans and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

CARAMEL
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the condensed milk and 2 tablespoons of butter. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Continue stirring over the heat until mixture becomes thick and amber in color, about 15 minutes.

2. Pour the caramel over the cooked shortbread and spread evenly using an offset spatula.

3. Cool to room temperature.

CHOCOLATE
1. In a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter.

2. Once chocolate has melted, pour it over the cooled caramel layer. Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, and then place in the refrigerator to cool completely, allowing chocolate to slightly harden but not get hard.

3. Cut into 2-inch squares and enjoy, or store in an airtight container, at room temperature.

One of the dishes I request most is tuna salad. I think this happens about twice a month, and I think it’s when my body is deprived of protein. This salad always satiates my body, and it’s an ever-changing recipe, depending on what’s in season and what’s in the fridge.

Celery and carrots are always in the fridge. Therefore, they are always in the salad. However, the last time Soli made this, he decided to lightly cook the veg instead of just adding it all raw to the salad -what a difference! There was still a crunch, but a subtle one; instead, all the textures blended together in harmony, as did the flavours.

I could offer up a recipe for this, but I think a tuna salad is better if you just add the stuff you love. Here’s what we just made, but feel free to adjust to your tastes accordingly.

By the way, did you know that you should “peel” celery before you cook with it? If you peel it, then those stringy bits no longer exist! Just pass a veggie peeler over each stalk, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Amazing!

What You Love Tuna Salad

1 pound dry pasta (whatever shape you love)

3 cans tuna, rinsed and drained
2-3 slices bacon, cubed (optional; if not, use 2 tbsp butter)
3 stalks celery, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
(whatever other veggies you love: peas, white onions, red peppers, etc)
2 green onions, sliced
2 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and cubed
3 tbsp. fresh dill
3 eggs, hardboiled, and diced
whatever else you would like to add (sweet or dill pickles, red onion, etc. all diced)

DRESSING (all to taste)
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt
pepper
(can add anchovies, red pepper flakes, etc)

1. Boil pasta, then rinse immediately in cold water.

2. Heat non-stick pan over medium heat. Add bacon (if not using, add 2 tbsp butter instead). Melt butter or cook bacon over medium heat. Remove bacon (if using). Add celery and carrots. Cook until slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

2a. If using, dice bacon.

3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, tuna, potatoes, egg, vegetables, fresh dill and green onions and bacon (if using).

4. Mash garlic and salt (via mortar and pestle); add olive oil and lemon.

5. Pour dressing over salad. Add seasoning (more garlic, lemon, oil, pepper) to taste.

6. Chill and serve.