Chocolate and Salted Caramel Bundt

Apologies, for many things. Firstly, may blogging laziness, and secondly the quality of this photo. Honestly, I forgot to take a pic until the cake was almost gone (which wasn't long!)
Here it is: my little invention...

It honestly does look better in one piece!

I love my Bundt tin, and I decided it should house a combo of salted caramel and chocolate cake. Who wouldn't want to?! Plus I made a caramel to drizzle all over the top in it's grainy, sludgy saltiness. Yum yum indeed. Serves 10.

Ingredients:
Group one...
350g plain flour
200g golden caster sugar
100g dark brown soft sugar (or muscovado, just something fudgy and dark)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb
1/2 tsp salt

Group two...
3 eggs, lightly beaten
150ml cream, sour cream, greek yogurt or other dairy style wetness
125ml sunflower oil
170g melted salted butter
300g chilled water

Extras...
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder

Caramel topping...
100g butter (salted)
100g dark brown sugar
good slosh double cream
sprinkling maldon sea salt or other nice big flakes of salt

Method:
Preheat your oven to 170 (fan) and butter your big Bundt tin (approx 28cm diameter). SMaller ones will suffice.

Add group one of ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until any lumps of sugar are broken up.
Whisk group two together until well combined, then beat into group one until a smooth batter is formed. Then, divide the mix into two, and add the cocoa to one half and flour and vanilla to the other. You will then have one beautifully dark and mysterious bowl of batter, and one lightly tanned one, like it's been on holiday. Yum in itself.

Pour the two in whichever way you fancy into the tin and marble them together (slightly) with a teaspoon or any other favourite kitchen implement. I like to have a gently marbled cake, but you could mix it more thoroughly if you like. Then, bake it for 55 minutes or so until your skewer comes out clean. Leave it to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes, then turn it out.

To make the caramel topping, melt the butter and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved, then bubble gently for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the cream (careful, it will bubble!), a pinch of salt, then set aside after stirring well until it's slightly thickened and a little cooler. hen, pour gently over the cake and sprinkle salt over to taste.

Bloody lovely.

JB x

Around the world etc... Argentinian alfajores!

Yummy yummy yummy... When searching for an Argentine recipe these little puppies jumped out at me. They are shortbread style buttery cookies sandwiched with dulce de leche... And sometimes tolled in coconut for good measure. 

I found a few recipes and concocted my own as I always think I know best... But these were an out and out success and absolutely deeeelish!

I made the dough and left it in the fridge, well wrapped, overnight. Once warmed up it is a dream to work with, silky and forgiving, and the biscuits remain beautifully short and melty even when you've re rolled it for the billionth time.

The recipe here makes a lot, I got about 40 out of mine. But don't let that put you off. Just share the love...

Just out of the oven...

Rolled in coconut...

Salted caramel version...... Phwoar!!!

Ingredients

250g salted butter, softened 

2/3 cup caster sugar

2 egg yolks plus one whole egg from happy chickens 

1tsp proper vanilla extract or seeds from a pod

1 cup cornflour

2 cups self raising flour

2 tbsp milk (dependent upon egg size!)

1 tin carnation caramel (or similar)

Optional: 

Flakes of sea salt

Dedicated coconut

Icing sugar

Equipment: 2 big baking trays lined with non stick paper and a cutter of your choice (I used a round 5cm cutter)

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar really well until pale and fluffy. 

2. Add the eggy and vanilla bits and mix it up until nice and evenly combined

3. Add about half of the flours and mix in, then add the other half. It should create a pretty soft dough, if it's a little stiff then add the milk.

4. Pat it into a kind of disc, wrap will and chill the dough until it's Alfajore'o'clock (at least 2 hrs I reckon, until then it was still too squidgy to work with).

5. When you want to bake, preheat a fab oven to 160, and get your dough out of the fridge. Break it into a few pieces and knead it on a floured surface a few times until it warms and becomes pliable enough to roll without cracking.

6. Roll it to about 4-5 mm thick, cut into cookies and bake for 10 mins (they will still be pale - also you may need to do a few batches as you get a lot of dough!)

7. Cool on a rack, then sandwich 2 cookies together with a dollop of caramel/dulce de leche. If you like (and I LOVE) salted caramel then add a few salt flakes sprinkled over the caramel before sandwiching. Yummy tummy! You can then roll in coconut as the picture, sprinkle with icing sugar, drizzle with chocolate, or just bury your face straight in. Which I did, unashamedly.

I think I might move to Argentina...

JB x