Thursday, September 17, 2015

Pumpkin s'mores bundt cake (#BundtBakers)


It’s that time of the month again. No, we’re not talking about feminine bodily functions—this is your monthly Bundt Bakers post, this time featuring a totally adorable, delicious pumpkin s’mores bundt cake.

Our host this month? From Gate to Plate, with a rather creative theme, so creative in fact that it has creative in the name: creative s’mores! Forget about just graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate—think nutella s’mores, caramel s’mores, fruit-infused s’mores, peanut butter-stuffed s’mores, candy-filled s’mores. Basically whatever your younger self would have loved to stuff in your chocolate-graham cracker-marshmallow sandwiches, if only your parents would let you.

Fall being around the corner, I sought ought a flavor that would represent the impending cooler weather. Something that would make an interesting contrast to traditionally summery s’mores. What else could I have chosen besides pumpkin? It was inevitable. 

Or at least that's what I tell myself.

I blended two recipes from two cookbooks to get the desired effect. From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, I took a graham cracker cake recipe; and from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook, a recipe for pumpkin ganache. Together, with the cutest little graham-chocolate sandwiches on top, you have a pumpkin s’mores bundt cake.

Basically.

 I thought about making vegan marshmallows to assist with the s’mores theme, but it was a school night and I was tired as fuck and not in the mood to fuss with ever-finicky vegan recipe testing. Because vegan recipe testing is stressful, yo. There’s nothing like spending all of this time and effort on a recipe only to find that alas, it does not work—something that has already happened in the realm of marshmallows. Like, three times.

And I am pretty fucking sick of trying to make vegan marshmallows and having them fail on me. Not fun. Especially since a failed batch of marshmallows isn’t exactly...edible. Unlike, say, a failed cake.

But enough of that negativity. Let’s celebrate the cake we do have here today. 

Live in the moment, June!

One note about the pumpkin ganache—or, actually, two. First of all, if you want to make a 100% vegan ganache you must use nondairy white chocolate. It’s super easy to make and so worth the extra time spent in the kitchen. And secondly, I must say that the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook claims that the pumpkin ganache must be made with an immersion blender, something that I know a lot of people don’t have. We’re lucky enough to have one on hand, but if you don’t, feel free to try using a regular ol’ blender. It might work. I, personally, don’t see why it wouldn’t work, but I’ve not tested it so I have no idea if it does. All I know is that the immersion blender does indeed make a splendid ganache. I may be using it for ganache glazes in the near future...

Anyway. I’m done talking for today. Here’s the recipe.

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Pumpkin s’mores bundt cake

Ingredients

Graham cake (adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

250 grams • light brown sugar • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons

154 grams • vegetable oil • ¾ cup

60 grams • maple syrup • 3 tablespoons

90 grams • nondairy yogurt • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons

458 grams • nondairy milk • 1 ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons

6 grams • vanilla extract • 1 ½ teaspoons

204 grams • all-purpose flour • 1 ½ cups

6 grams • baking powder • 1 ½ teaspoons

3 grams • baking soda • ¾ teaspoon

2 grams • ground cinnamon • 1 teaspoon

3 grams • salt • ½ teaspoon

64 grams • graham cracker crumbs • ¾ cup

160 grams • chocolate chips • 1 cup

Pumpkin ganache (adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi)

150 grams • vegan white chocolate • 5 ¼ ounces

25 grams • vegan butter • 2 tablespoons

18 grams • corn syrup • 1 tablespoon

55 grams • coconut milk, full-fat • ¼ cup

75 grams • pumpkin puree • 1/3 cup

4 grams • kosher salt • 1 teaspoon

1 gram • cinnamon • ½ teaspoon

Toppings

4 graham crackers, cut into 16 small squares

8 squares of dark chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan and dust lightly with flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a separate medium bowl. Add graham cracker crumbs to dry ingredients and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache, start by combining white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe dish and gently melting them in a microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between. Be careful not to over-heat your chocolate.

Transfer chocolate to a container that can accommodate an immersion blender, preferably something tall and narrow. Place corn syrup in a small bowl and warm in the microwave for 10 seconds, then immediately add to chocolate mixture and blend with an immersion blender. After a minute, stream in the coconut milk, keeping the blender running.

Add the pumpkin puree, salt, and cinnamon and blend. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool at room temperature.

To finish the cake, pour ¾ of the ganache over the top of the cooled bundt cake. Using the graham cracker and chocolate pieces, make 8 little pumpkin s’mores sandwiches with two graham cracker squares, one piece of chocolate, and a smear of pumpkin ganache. Place sandwiches on top of cake as decoration.

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Those mini sandwiches though.

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 of our 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


Autumn S'more Bundt Cake by The Freshman Cook
Caramel Apple S'mores Bundt by Taking on Magazines
Carrot Graham Mini Bundts with White Chocolate Chips and Marshmallow Glaze by Passion Kneaded
Chocolate Bundt with Marshmallow Graham Filling by Basic N Delicious
Chocolate Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Roasted Strawberry Marshmallow Filling by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Cookie Crumble Peanut Butter S'more Bundt Cake by Baking in Pyjamas
Deconstructed S'more Bundt Cake by Cali's Cuisine
Graham Cracker Bundt Cake S'mores by Magnolia Days
Graham Cracker Bundt with Chocolate Ganache and Toasted Marshmallow Frosting by Food Lust People Love
Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bundt with Marshmallow Topping by Our Good Life
Inside Out S'mores Bundt Cake by Liv for Cake
Key Lime S'more Bundt Cake by Patty's Cake
Mexican Chocolate S'more Bundt Cake by Tartacadabra
Nutella Glazed S'more Bundt Cake by I Bake He Shoots
Nutella S'mores Bundt Cake by Brunch with Joy
Oreo Grasshopper S'more Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Pretzels Crown in a S'more Bundt Cake by Los Chatos Chefs
Pumpkin S'mores Bundt by Living the Gourmet
Pumpkin S'mores Bundt by How to Philosophize with Cake
S'moreo Caramel Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
S'mores Bundt Cake by From Gate to Plate
S'mores Bundt Cake by La mejor manera de hacer
S'mores Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes
S'mores Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Marshmallow Frosting by The Spiced Life
Salted Marshmallow and Graham Crack S'more Bundt Cake by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

25 comments:

  1. Sounds delicious and perfect for fall.

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  2. Work and school gets in the way of the important things like making vegan marshmallows!

    Your bundt creation looks perfect. Love the pumpkin twist for fall.

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  3. I am storing this pumpkin ganache away for ulterior motives! Love your fall s'mores Bundt!

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    1. Thanks Stacy! That pumpkin ganache is great, I'm definitely going to use it again :)

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  4. That pumpkin ganache sounds really delicious! :)

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    1. it's probably the best part of this cake! Thanks Maikki! :)

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  5. Yummy!! That pumpkin ganache sounds great!! XO

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  6. Pumpkin Ganache.....what more could one ask for in life?

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  7. Oh my goodness, pumpkin ganache? with coconut milk in there? sounds amazing, as does the cake <3

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  8. Happy fall! I'll definitely share this recipe with my vegan friends.

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    1. Happy fall to you too! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)

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  9. bring on the pumpkin! love the s'mores on top. #BundtBakers

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  10. Looks absolutely divine your vegan pumpkin s'more bundt cake!! And love the spiced ganache (I made spiced dulce de leche and it was a great success ;-) )! See you again next month, June - Sunshine from Spain XX Lara Tartacadabra

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  11. That pumpkin ganache! Omg, I'm going to need to try that, but probably a non-vegan version ;). Your Bundt sounds delicious and I love that you added the pumpkin! <3 Fall.

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    1. Feel free to un-veganize the pumpkin ganache :P I'm already imagining the treats I'm going to put that stuff on :)

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  12. Great minds think alike, aye? ;D

    Your bundt sounds wonderful...s'mores and pumpkin were meant for each other. Would love to try a slice of yours :)

    Toodles~

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