How to Philosophize with Cake: Gingerbread bundt cake with chocolate ganache and truffles (#BundtBakers)

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Gingerbread bundt cake with chocolate ganache and truffles (#BundtBakers)

vegan gingerbread bundt cake with chocolate ganache and chocolate truffles

It’s that time of the month again—Bundt Bakers time, that is! I may have missed last month’s post, but don’t worry, I’m back, and boy oh boy do I have a bundt cake for you today!

This month’s host is Olivia, owner of the perfect and beautiful blog Liv for Cake, and her theme is “naughty or nice”. Gingerbread, citrus, or mint? Perfectly nice winter-centric flavors. Chocolate or booze? Those are naughty. Pretty clever, huh?

I chose to make a gingerbread cake and top it with some insanely rich chocolate ganache and chocolate truffles, the ultimate naughty-nice combination.

Just look at that layer of ganache.

And honestly, I’d say the gingerbread cake belongs firmly in the “naughty” column as well, given its reliance on a whole cup of vegetable oil, a cup of maple syrup, and two-thirds of a cup of molasses to give it its rich, moist flavor.

But the flavor is SO worth it.

With the warm, familiar wintery spices in this cake, I’d imagine this would work perfectly at a Christmas party. Just be sure to keep extra truffles on hand, in case they start mysteriously disappearing (as happened at my house).

They're just too tempting.

One note about the ganache—for some reason, my ganache came out more like whipped ganache than pourable ganache. This is probably because I waited until the ganache had firmed up a bit to try “pouring” it, which didn’t work, obviously. So I heated up some more coconut milk and whisked that in, in hopes it would soften up the ganache a little. Instead, I got a somewhat whipped-looking ganache, with a light, fluffy texture and a spreadable consistency. Not a bad thing, as it’s still delicious; but if you want pourable ganache, pour that shit right away and don’t wait for it to firm up.

Ahh. Baking can be so unpredictable at times, you know?

Anyway. Here’s the recipe.

_________

Chocolate truffles

Adapted from About.com

Ingredients

128 grams • bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped • 4.5 ounces

84 grams • coconut milk, full-fat • 1/3 cup

2 grams • vanilla extract • 1/2 teaspoon

20 grams • cocoa powder • 1/4 cup

Directions

Place the chopped chocolate in a large heat-safe bowl and set aside.

Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan and scald until bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the pan. Don’t bring to a full boil.

Carefully pour heated milk over the chopped chocolate in the bowl. Allow to sit for one minute to soften and melt the chocolate. Slowly begin stirring with a whisk, not going so fast you’ll incorporate air bubbles, until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer to the fridge to firm up, for about 2 hours. Once firm, remove from fridge and use a cookie dough scoop (or your hands!) to scoop out little balls of chocolate. Sprinkle cocoa powder over a plate and roll the truffles in the powder. Chill finished balls until needed.

________

Gingerbread bundt cake with chocolate ganache and truffles

Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Ingredients

Gingerbread bundt cake

340 grams • all-purpose flour • 2 1/2 cups

8 grams • baking powder • 2 teaspoons

4 grams • baking soda • 1 teaspoon

8 grams • ground ginger • 1 1/2 tablespoons

6 grams • cinnamon • 2 teaspoons

1 gram • cloves • 1/2 teaspoon

2 grams • salt • 1/4 teaspoon

210 grams • vegetable oil • 1 cup

224 grams • light molasses • 2/3 cup

322 grams • maple syrup • 1 cup

62 grams • nondairy yogurt • 1/4 cup

Chocolate ganache

112 grams • semisweet chocolate, finely chopped • 4 ounces

120 grams • coconut milk, full-fat • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons

14 grams • coconut oil • 1 tablespoon

22 grams • light corn syrup • 1 tablespoon

Directions

To make gingerbread bundt cake, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and greasing a 12-cup bundt pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into a bowl and mix. Whisk together remaining ingredients (those under “gingerbread bundt cake”, anyway) in a separate, larger bowl until well-incorporated. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix just until smooth.

Pour batter into bundt pan. Bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the surface springs back when poked. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make chocolate ganache, start by placing chocolate in a medium, heatproof bowl. Whisk together coconut milk, nondairy margarine, and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and whisk until butter is melted and the mixture just begins to boil.

Remove from heat and pour mixture into chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then whisk until smooth. Let cool completely at room temperature before using.

To finish cake, top the bundt cake with chocolate ganache. Add a few truffles (see recipe above) for a finishing touch.

__________

*reaches for a truffle*

For more bundt cakes, click these links below.

Apple bundt cake with brown sugar glaze. Use up those last few apples in this cake.

Blueberry bundt cake with lemon glaze. For the hardcore blueberry lover.

Coffee bundt cake. A classic at this time of year, perfect for gifts.

Orange rhubarb ripple bundt cake with pistachio sauce. That pistachio sauce is CRAZY good.

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

Amaretto Almond Bundt Cake by I Bake He Shoots

Angel Food Bundt Cake with Cranberry Filling and Lemon Glaze by Taking On Magazines

Boozy Chocolate Root Beer Bundt Cake by From Gate to Plate

Bundtcake Especiado by La Mejor Manera de Hacer...