Cake Disaster - Chocolate Orange Marble Bundt

Bundt cakes are my favorite, when they actually come out of their tins properly. It's so annoying when you have taken the time and lovingly mixed a cake and greased the bundt pan and floured it like you always have only to have the cake stick.

In fact it's infuriating.

When I tell people this they act like it's the craziest reason to be annoyed and/or angry. According to them it's just a cake. In reality that's exactly what it is, cake. But yet it's not just a cake.

You know the saying "it's not the destination, it's the journey' and that's the same for baking. It's not just about the delicious treat at the end it's about the process.

To start with there is a craving or a need to use up an ingredient or two in your cupboard, so there is a need to bake. Then it's gathering, measuring, and mixing all the ingredients in a specific order to make a smooth batter that gets poured into a tin and baked to a perfectly risen golden cake that springs back when gently prodded.

So, after all that time and effort to have your cake ruined because it didn't come out of the tin as expected it's annoying. Then if you are a blogger and like to write about these things you have this pressure that it should be perfect.

Life isn't perfect, but on the internet we like to portray it as such.

Like life this cake isn't perfect either, but it was delicious. There is a perfect balance of orange and chocolate. Because it was a marble cake it pretty much came out in half as you can see below. One half I ate as cake and the other half I made Cake Bombs - want to know more check out the following post.

Chocolate Orange Marble Bundt Cake

228g butter
300g sugar
4 large eggs, separated
340g flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
160ml milk
grated zest of 1 orange
1/4 tsp orange extract (optional)
60g cocoa powder
60ml of water

Heat the oven to 170C/350F - grease the bundt pan with butter or a tasteless oil (veggie/sunflower) and sift a little flour to cover it and gently tap it out, leave to the side.

Then beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs, trying to leave the egg yolks in tact and then beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, leave the egg whites to the side and add the egg yolks one at a time and beat until just combined between each one.  Mix the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt together - then add 1/3 of it to the butter mixture mixing until just combined, then add half of the milk again beating until combined, then the flour, milk and lastly the flour. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.

Split the batter into two - add the zest and extract to one batter and gently fold in and then mix the cocoa powder and water together before adding to the other half of the batter. Alternate adding to your well greased and floured bundt pan - resist the urge to mix them together.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, using the skewer test to make sure it's cooked through. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes before inverting the bundt pan on a wire rack to cool completely - if using a proper Nordic Ware bundt pan they can take a while to cool so just leave it until cool to the touch.

As mentioned above the cake is actually delicious and worth a go. I have not tested this cake in cake pans, but it is an option, I would stick to the same oven temperature, but would vary the baking time depending on what size cake pans you use. But if it all goes wrong you can make cake bombs! Post to follow on how to make them! Because even after a cake disaster, there is always a way to turn it into a happy accident.

Fruity Cookie Cups

It’s like I’m a grown up now. When I was younger if something didn’t work out I’d just move on to the next thing. I didn’t really care nor want to know why it didn’t. If felt easier to just move forward then trying to stay put. 

Now I am more curious to why something didn’t work and how do you fix it. Sometimes it’s something simple sometimes it’s a combination of things and that starts the trial and error. 

I bought this novelty cookie pan thinking how great it was going to be to make cookie cups for everything for the rest of my life. Of course it sat on the shelf for ages before I finally got around to using it. I thought right away that I would try the recipe on the packaging as they should know what they are talking about. 

However, they failed and when I say failed I mean they didn’t turn out at all! So, the trial and error began. I tried keeping the dough in the fridge I tried greasing and flouring the pan, but at the end the dough was just not right. I have read that American butter has more water in it and that European butter has more fat and that can cause issues when baking. As the pan hails from American then I have to assume the recipe was tested in America…that and it is in cups and stuff. 

So, I tried the sugar cookie recipe you see below and I managed to get results, but not after changing the method as well. Instead of making balls and squishing them down I ended up rolling the dough out and cutting out circles and making sure the pan was greased properly I succeeded in making cookie cups filled with whipped cream cheese and topped with fruit. 

After all that here is officially how I finally made these super tasty fruit cookie cups! I am glad I didn’t just move on, the effort was worth it! See, I’ve grown up a bit. Also if you don’t have one of these fancy pants novelty cookie pans then just cut your cookies into circles and follow the instructions below!

Fruity Cookie Cups

cookie cups
200g unsalted butter
280g golden caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium egg
400g plain flour
salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Beat the butter and sugar together light and fluffy. Mix in the egg until combined. Add the flour, salt, and cream of tartar and mix well! Separate into two parts and wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30minutes or so. This is when I heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas3.

Grease your novelty cookie cup pan with butter, if you don't have one turn your muffin pan upside down and grease the the outside cups. Roll out half of the cookie dough and cut out circles that match whatever pan you're using and place on the greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should only be slightly brown on the edges. Take off the pan as soon as you can touch them, otherwise even though properly greased they may stick as they cool. 

filling:

280g cream cheese 

2 tablespoons of sugar

various fruits, chopped

Whip it up together. Put in a piping bag and pipe into your cookie cups. Top with your chopped up fruits! 

notes: recipe is adapted from the hummingbird bakery cookbook - the novelty bake tin can be seen in this Five on Friday post. Check out my instagram (@unitedcakedom) for all the failed attempts! 

challenges: Treat Petite hosted by The Baking Explorer with Cakeyboi 

Blurred Lines (advertising & my blog)

Last week the ASA wrote a statement regarding ad rules and why bloggers should be aware of them. This is my personal response to that statement and how I feel it affects my blog and myself.

I have been writing my blog for a couple years now and only recently have been contacted by PR agencies and companies. 

Developing my blog into what I want it to be has taken time. I used to just write out recipes and show a few pictures without adding any thoughts or stories to my posts.  It’s changing as I grow in my baking abilities; my blog and I have come a long way.

When I was an art student at university/college it was in my art classes that I learned a process of creatively thinking out how I wanted my piece of art to be portrayed. It’s the same process that I use today when I am deciding what to bake/make next. 

First I decide what I want to make, then I research recipes and how others have made them. After choosing a recipe that is the easiest to adapt to my needs, I go shopping for the ingredients that I don’t already have. I do all of this before I make the recipe. It's a process and it takes time. 

So, when I get sent an ingredient to try out for exchange of a review, it’s not always an equal payment for what goes into what I do. Not only adding in the time, but ingredients. One free ingredient doesn't always make up for the other ingredients.

Sometimes the recipe doesn't always work out the first time. I have made donuts twice now and neither time has it turned out how I wanted, so hopefully third times a charm. I wanted to make them to fill with a jam that was sent to me to bake with. 

I am not trying to sound like I’m complaining, as I have a choice, I could say no. 

When it’s just a simple exchange of product for review it gives me more freedom and less pressure to do what I want with the product. As a general rule I usually ask the questions of the company before I accept anything so that we are on the same page. I have to assume when it’s paid content you have less say in what it’s about.

I will say here and now I have never been paid for a positive review. Nor will I ever accept payment for a positive review. I will always state if something was provided for me. I will also not accept anything that is unrelated to my blog and that I wouldn't use myself. 

However I will accept payment for ads, advertorial or sponsored content, if that opportunity ever arrives. If I do receive that opportunity it will be stated clearly in the note section of all my posts. 

I further want to elaborate that from here on out I will clearly state if I bought something myself so there is no confusion or question in the matter. However if the post is older then this one, if it is not stated that it was sent to me, than I purchased it myself. 

I have stated most of this in my contact/policy tab above. I just want to write it here again as it’s recently being talked about.  

Overall, I write my blog as a type of journal for myself. It is a bonus that I have lovely readers who comment and share what I do. It’s also a bonus to occasionally receive an opportunity to try products, but it’s not why I write my blog. Baking is my current form of art and blogging is my way of sharing it.

notes: ASA stance on advertising and blogs. My blog contact/policy tab. Hopefully jam filled donuts will be up on the blog soon! The pictures of these donuts were edible, but were too brown and crunchy to fill with the jam. Which is what happened to my first batch, I took pictures, but cannot find them anywhere! I think I need to reconsider what oil I'm using and frying time! The recipe for these were adapted from the current issue of the Jamie (Oliver's) Magazine.