The only thing that makes a retirement/birthday party filled with cured meat, cheese, and an open bar better is surprising the guest of honor with a cake. A cake which was carried across town on my lap, in an Uber, over bumps, in the middle of winter in Minnesota and delivered intact on a simple marble stand. Not sure which is more impressive: retirement or not destroying the cake.
Express Chocolate Espresso Bundt
I love to bake from scratch. I love to decorate a cake with flowers and sprinkles. But I also love to eat cake right now/five minutes ago. This is not a new realization but what is new is my decision to [gasp] use boxed cake mixes every once in a while.
My new non-judgey feelings toward cake mixes led me to this recipe: Express Chocolate Espresso Bundt. The recipe drew me in with "express" (because I want cake now), started to get interesting at "chocolate" (because chocolate). The recipe got real at "espresso" (because caffeine holds a special place in my heart) and then the ingredients were already measured and on the counter by the time I read the word "Bundt" (beautiful cake that requires zero decoration).
Add these things together, bake for less than an hour and voila, instantly beautiful cake that can be eaten immediately.
And if you are trying to figure out what to do while the cake is baking, whip up a batch of salted caramel sauce and dip the pieces of the cake directly into the warm caramel. Just a thought...
Express Espresso Chocolate Bundt
from Bundt Cake Bliss
1 box devil's food cake mix (15.25 oz)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cups strongly brewed coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder
Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 10-12 cup Bundt pan using butter or Pam baking spray.
Place the cake mix and pudding mix in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix for 30 seconds on low. Add the remaining ingredients and mix at medium speed for 4 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
This post was done in partnership with Nordic Ware who sponsored this recipe by providing the Bundt pan that was used in this recipe. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
