Bundt Cake
 

I'm making a Bundt cake for Christmas, and the Americans seem to have the best moulds, the best recipes and the most exciting combinations.

So this is a prior warning that I will need plenty of help over the next few weeks.

Starting with - what are semi-sweet chocolate chips?
I can see them online, and I'm pretty sure I can find an American supplier in the UK, but it seems silly if I can pick up an English equivilant. Is it the difference between dark and light chocolate (ie milk and plain)? Or do they really have less sugar. I wouldn't want to upset a balance. This is for a Kahlua cake, which is only one I'm considering.

Also - what is instant pudding?
Does it come under any other name?
I think it might be the same as Angel Delight, but again I don't know how the quantities needed would differ.

Amd finally - has anyone used a silicone mould for Bundt cakes? They are SO much cheaper. But I thought one of the major selling points of Nordice Ware was that the moulds are heavy and designed to transfer the heat to get a perfectly cooked cake. Argh.

Oh and if we have a Christmas Fayre I'm tempted to make Bruce's Castle Cake (the chocolate one). I reckon we can raise some money in a Guess the Weight of the Cake competition. If not, I'll hold it in reserve until the Spiring Fayre, as it's not Christmas related.

You don't have to cook instant pudding. It's a powder that you mix with milk and refridgerate - 20 minutes later, it's pudding.

According to wiki "Semisweet chocolate is frequently used for cooking purposes. It is a dark chocolate with a low (typically half) sugar content."

I think it's firmer than regular chocolate as well.

You don't have these in England?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mV3XDTa4tr...Chips_Full.jpg

Nope, not by that name.
I figure it might be dark/ plain chocolate.

Also thanks for the info Spexx - I think I'm going to order some Instant Pudding from an American store - too much uncertainty otherwise.

"semi-sweet" are regular (dark) chocolate chips in the UK. Don't buy anything special. American chocolate is generally sweeter than British chocolate, so not as good for baking, but chips are generally sold for baking purposes anyway, so Sainsbury's will do the trick.

yup, Angel Delight. But if you're using it as a powder in the mix, it might be safer to go American, i'm not sure how exactly they compare, apart from both..... :vomit:

(but i'd just risk it and use Angel Delight, tightwad rebel that I am)

Don't say that! I'll waste more in the testing phase if I decide to wing it!
And it's a bloody big cake to be wasting....

Then again, don't bake what you can't afford. I may be tempted to experiment because online reviews suggest the Bacardi cake (another I am considering) is the best cake they have ever made and are begged to make again and again for special occasions/ potluck suppers/ charity events. It would be far better to use an ingredient from the local supermarket than pay shipping charges.

Have you tried using the letter 'k' instead of the letter 'c'?

Don't be silly foot, no one wants to eat kake.

Oh yes. I made a golden rum cake that was so damn good. The purpose of the instant pudding is just to add a lot of moistness.

These days, any mention of Bundt cakes reminds me of the scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Semi-sweet chocolate is usually 75 - 80% coco. It's almost bitter, but not quite. Don't go over 80% though or it will be.

If you can afford it, silicon moulds are good for those types of cakes (and jelly and icecream things too)

Thanks, Ali - silicone is much cheaper than the metal moulds over here. I just wanted to check it was as good for producing the details/ distributing the heat.

Classic - no such mix exists here. I might sweet-talk Monster into getting her MIL to bring some back with her. I'd rather not rely on an imported mix if it turns out well though.

Pico - I figured it was important in a cake that size, as the majority of recipes I've looked up include it. It's a completely new one on me - most people here do bake cakes from scratch and I'd never even thought of using a dessert mix as an ingredient!

I'm leaning towards the Bacardi cake right now, as I can buy much smaller amount sof rum than I can Kahlua. Turns out the school does not have a Christmas sale or Fayre - their main fundraiser of the year is in May. So the chocolate castle is on the backburner for now.

Bundt is on!

I was mostly kidding SG - Sometimes its just so much easier to buy & make a box cake...

Don't bother with a mix SG, although I'm sure we can arrange that but ...ugh.

Gotta say, though, I'm biased, I prefer British cakes to American, and I'm not a fan of packet cakes in either country

Mrs. Z makes cakes from scratch from time to time. I generally ask for a carob cake on my birthday and that has to be made from scratch.

Around here, though, it's hard to find cake flour. Some stores don't carry it anymore.

cake flour? We just use self-raising. Or are you talking wheat-free?

More than you could possibly want to know. :lol:

Mrs. Z has always used this for cakes. I dunno if it's better than plain flour, but she makes some pretty delicious cakes.

http://www.prestoflour.com/Portals/S...down%20box.jpg

http://www.prestoflour.com/Portals/S....aspx?tabid=15

You merkins are weird. We just use self raising or plain flour for baking here too (like in the UK).

You could just as easily add corn starch to the flour if that's what you wanted for your cake flour. Some sponge cake recipies call for corn starch, and the reason is pretty much what Bruce's article suggest. It gives the cake a different texture. Personally I don't particularly like those particular recipies, but some people do.

eta: packet cakes are moderately popular over here, but most people these days seem to buy cakes pre made if they're not going to make them from scratch. Maybe I'm naive about how many people use packet mixes though. I really feel like it's a cheat, but then, I was lucky to be raised by a woman who had 'baking day' every Monday and we'd come home from school to house with at least one nice fresh cake, and the cookie jar topped up. (My Mum would flip in her cannister of ashes if she saw me using a packet mix)

Self rising flour just is flour with leavening added to it. Usually baking powder I believe. We have that, but it isn't common. Not sure why.

Cake flour has a low protein content 8-10% -- less gluten means a lighter texture
Bread Flour has a high protein content 11-14% -- more gluten makes chewier texture
All Purpose flour has a protein content of 9-12% -- a medium amount of gluten that is too much for cake and too little for bread, yet somehow perfect for everything.

It makes a difference.

I've got to say that the self raising flour we commonly get on our shelves over here turns out pretty good cakes.

For bread, the best thing is plain flour with bread improver which are all the extra bits that make the bread taste good. Either that or just buy bread flour.

All purpose flour would be what we would call plain flour. There are no rising agents in it.

Yes, self raising flour is basically cake flour (8% protein) with baking powder added to it. So it should make much better cakes than plain flour.

We really don't use packet mixes here much either.
I've used them this year for the first time to try and produce something different, that people haven't had before. I can't use Mum's tried and tested recipes for that! I'd had fairly recent failures with random recipes found on the internet, so for big occasions (my cupcakes for the Coffee Morning and Mum's birthday cake) I've resorted to packet.

They worked out just fine, so I'd use them again.
But I admit to an Old World hateur about cakes that I don't have about things like dried pasta, ready made sauces or pre-chopped frozen veg.

In this case I want a tried and trusted recipe to be used in a specific mould.
And the highly starred recipes out there involve packets. I did smile wryly at one comment on a board though, "I came here for a recipe, not assembly instructions. Using a packet mix is not baking."

But hey - the name of the cakes make my salivate, and they're supposed to be robust enough to freeze, send overseas and keep for as long as you can resist them, so I'm drawn to them... helplessly... step into the light Carol-Anne...

I haven't used silicone yet but they seem great.

Nestle is a dark or plain chocolate. I like them fine but it seems any good chocolate would work. I think Ghiradelli is better. If I were making a cake I would use cocoa powder anyway.

A link to where American's in the UK are finding US products.

I don't know where you are located so these might be out of reach.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/732...n_module_small

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/746...n_module_small

Instant pudding? * shudder* There are other ways to make a cake moist.

Okay, so this is the one I've kinda settled on.
Don't worry, I have my cup measure from a generous Cellar source.

I'm still tempted by this one though, as the ingredients are more accessible - I can get Devil's Cake Mix in my local supermarket and am tempted to experiment with Angel Delight rather than imported instant pudding. The only issue is the three different alcohols - vodka is available in miniatures, but I'd have to buy full size bottles of the others. I spose I can ask Mum to look after them for me... But does everyone love a coffee cake...? No.

Below are two moulds I'm considering.
One pretty much traditional, one really fancy.
Still not decided on silicone of aluminium, but will prolly go for silicone just because it's cheaper.

Here in the US, we can get minis of almost any booze that's made.
Know any stewardesses?

Turns out I can get miniature Kahlua from thedrinkshop.com. It's 10ml short though :(
Haven't found creme de cacao either.

So I think the best bet is to buy yellow cake mix online and make the Bacardi cake.
I'll cheat by buying Sainsbury's Basics dark rum - dark Bacardi isn't easily available in this country (when we say Bacardi we mean white rum) and it's much more expensive.

Sainsbury's (70cl) = £8.11
Bacardi (70cl) = £19.59
I mean it's not for a tasting panel of rum experts - it's going to be cooked.

I figure as it's just 1 cup for the whole recipe, I can afford to experiment a little. I'm thinking buy the instant pudding at the same time as the cake mix and compare it like for like with Angel Delight ie ingredients, finished products, texture and taste.

Ordering commences Tuesday. Pudding making and tasting commences as soon as things start arriving... :yum:

You could make up the extra Kahula with vodka and maybe a little extra coffee, I reckon.

But those molds make me apprehensive. What's wrong with a basic round mold? Seems to me like you want to run an olympic-time mile before you've mastered walking. I just feel a mold with fewer crevices would set you up for a better chance of success. You know how upset you'll be if it doesn't come out properly and looks like a pile of rubble. although I'm sure you'll be consoled by it being yummy tasting rubble.

And while I'm wearing the bad cop hat, how much is this cake going to end up costing? :eek: I mean i know that it's a hobby rather than just groceries for the family, but hot damn that's going to be one expensive cake!

Well actually, you could make up the whole lot of the kahlua with an esspresso shot, or even just some strong instant coffee with lots of sugar in it.

I was actually thinking the same thing about the points on the moulds pictured. You'd have to be pretty lucky to get the whole thing out without breaking at least one peak. I don't think I'd go for those moulds personally. The other thing is that the points are likely to overcook if you're not careful. You'd need to shield them with foil I'd think.

On another note, I was interested to see that silicon is cheaper than metal in the UK.

Holy crap booze is expensive where you live. A fifth (750ml) of Bacardi over here isn't close to $31.

I like the exciting moulds [whiny voice]. I've been reading up on how to get cakes out of them - other people seem to manage... And after all, why not go for something no-one has ever sween before...
Ah but it's not just going to be one cake. The mould is the expensive thing, and I intend to make many, many many over the years. This will be mt signature dish. I have learned that if you put the word "signature" in front of things they can never be wrong, just a way of making the same mistake over and over again.
Sigh. Am I going to have to bow down to common sense and buy a simpler ring mould first? I am aren't I :(

How about these? (below) probably still a bit ambitious?
It certainly is expensive - which is why I'm going for the cheaper option. Not all of which will be going into the one cake of course. As I said, I'll get Mum to store it for me - I know I'd only drink it otherwise.

BTW I am not sulking about the advice I have been given. It's extremely useful to me and I am taking it on board. I accept I may need experience in baking the actual cakes before I start making them look stunning too.

Can you borrow a mold or get one from a thrift store for your first attempt? I'm seeing 35quid on ebay! or less if you're willing to wait a couple of months to get a silicone one shipped from Hong kong. I'd really want to know the recipe worked and i liked it before i invested that sort of $$ in my signature dish...

We had a silicone bunt pan given to us as a Christmas present a couple years ago. We used it once. I don't remember the cake being a disaster, but I don't remember it being particularly great either. What I do remember is that we couldn't clean the silicone bunt pan after using it. We had greased the pan, as instructed, and after removing the cake, there was this weird greasy grimy cake coating on the silicone bunt pan that simply wouldn't come off. Didn't matter how hard you scrubbed or what cleanser you used. It wouldn't come off. We threw the pan away.

We have silicone spatulas, and they are great. Easy to clean. But I can't recommend a pan of any kind made of silicone. If you do buy one, consider it a disposable, one time use item. sorry.

I'm not going to buy one that expensive - there are bargains if you shop around. Funnily enough, I have been hitting up the charity shops recently, but it's just not that common a cake here for people to be giving them away.

I'll look for a really plain one to start with, and concentrate on getting the cake right.

when are you making this cake? I bet it wouldn't be all that pricey for me to ship you something or have you found a seriously cheap option?

I wanted my first official one (barring practice) to be before the end of Christmas term, for the Staffroom. So this gives me until Friday 17 December. I'm not sure if I'd have enough time to practice if waiting for one to arrive.

I've found a simple silicone one for £6.95 or a metal one for £8.98 (both inc P&P). They're pretty much the same - minor fluting, but otherwise a standard ring. I'm considering what Glatt said - it might be worth the extra £2 or so not to worry about whether I can use it in future. That said, I'd had no complaints about my silicone mini-muffin pans.

Oh, thanks very much for the offer - perhaps when I'm more practised I'll strike a deal with you to get a fancy Nordicware mould to come back across with your MIL - they're almost half the price over there. P&P to be agreed in advance of course.

9 quid's a lot better than 35 but still, ouch. I'm such a skinflint :lol:

That's 'cause you're a Mom. :p

Children are essentially walking money sinks unless at least one parent has some sense *grins*

I've got better as I've got older (and had kids) actually. Probably had more to do with moving to the states and being slightly better off, though...

As admitted in another thread, I got the castle mould.
Christmas present to myself...?
Got the traditional bundt as well, have been experiementing in recipes. My stock in the staffroom has soared. I am considered creative, innovative, artistic AND generous. Haha.

Vanilla Pudding is CUSTARD! Bloody hell - after all the trouble I had finding it then chasing the delivery, then having to get a refund on extreme postage... Sigh.

I have 3 packets to use. I hope they last years, because we don't even make custard that way at home any more (boiling milk and endless stirring I mean).
But the good news is I used Angel Delight successfully in my Devil's Food/ Kirsch cake. And also learned I can quarter the kirsch - everyone commented on the potency of the taste, and yet I already used half kirsch and half cherry juice rather than all kirsch as per the recipe.

I am on my way to The Ultimate Cake.
And enjoying every attempt.
As are my staffroom guinea pigs (Mum bowed out after the first cake, so it's a wider audience now)

What No Pics ???

How did the Castle Mold work out ??