Birthday Bundt Cake

Specifically, a chocolate orange bundt cake - specially requested by one birthday husband and so it was made. 

When he asked for chocolate orange, I wanted it to be chocolate-y (cocoa-rific in his words) and orange-y. I didn't want the flavors to be lost in each other so there was a massive amount of orange zest that went into the batter and the glaze was made entirely with orange juice.

I combined a basic pound cake recipe with an altered glaze recipe and the result was great! It was a dense, moist chocolate cake with delicious orange flavors strewn throughout.  Plus, bundt cakes just look fun - it kind of tasted like a huge donut. Unfortunately, the only down side is that the birthday boy ate about half of it within a night and I immediately became worried for the sake of his arteries - so we had to give some away...

Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
Adapted from allrecipes


For the cake
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups white sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 cup milk (2% to lighten the recipe)
Zest of 2 big navel oranges
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 325 and grease a 10 inch bundt pan. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in your eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Then add in your vanilla followed by your dissolved coffee and zest!

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Now to your butter/egg mixture - alternate adding your flour mixture with the milk until everything is completely incorporated.

Bake in your bundt pan for 60-70 minutes until the a toothpick comes up clean or until it springs back at you when you touch it (my favorite method, mostly because I never have toothpicks). Flip your cake over onto a cooling surface and get ready to glaze!

For the orange glaze (you can always double this if you like glaze)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup orange juice

Just mix and pour over your hot bundt cake! YUMMY!! Once it sets the glaze will get that cracked  look and the only thing left to do is eat!

Enjoy!

Sam

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