Generra Bundt Cake - #BundtBakers

I have had the words for this blog post planned for weeks and then yesterday happened. It started with not getting any sleep on Tuesday night, then there was a really bad fall (I'm OK enough, I think), storms all day which meant a darker than usual house for pics (but water for the drought-stricken county!), a hard drive that did not want to cooperate, missed meals, and three stores that did not have the specific ice cream that I needed to soothe my weary soul. I was going to ditch the previously planned words and be really whiny as I sat typing up this post on my phone. But though the day really really sucked, there was cake and eventually, 5 minutes before one supermarket closed, I found the ice cream that I wanted. Whining can wait. Let's talk about this cake - generra cake.

I learned about generra a couple weeks ago - it is a coffee beverage that has orange rind and chocolate. From my research, it seems that this is a Singaporean thing. I found a coffee shop or two in Australia mentioning it and then another couple in Seattle. But most of the mentions were in Singapore. The cake  could be called "Orange Mocha Bundt" but one generra description made it seem that it was more about the coffee than the chocolate so I kept the name.

I could have also called this "Headache in a Bundt" because 3 of the 4 main ingredients have at some point triggered migraines or headaches for me. Living dangerously, folks. But I call it research. I have known for the last couple years that peanuts may be off the migraine-trigger list. I've been sneaking handfuls here and there and there's peanut butter in the cupboard. I have been too scared to touch or be in the same room as oranges since the 1990's so it was definitely time to do some testing.

As for coffee... sigh... I'll tell you more about my lack of a relationship with hot beverages and milk in October. (Yes, I said October.) The short story with coffee is this. I LOVE coffee flavoured desserts - especially ice cream. Hello, Starbucks Java Chip Ice Cream! I still remember the first day I tasted you. There were embarrassing sounds as I tried to lick the carton clean. The coffee ice cream at Devon House in Jamaica is pretty amazing too. However, I just cannot fall in love (or even like) with a cup of coffee. The first sip usually gives me an instant headache but I keep trying - hoping that one day it will taste like ice cream. Oh and then there's the fact that coffee makes me sleepy. Yeah, I'm wired a little differently. Conversely, sleeping pills and antihistamines do not make me sleepy. Google said I'm not abnormal. Well, what Google said was that there are "others". It's possible that that does not translate to "Kelly, you are normal."

So the verdict? I ate a whole lot of cake and there were no headaches. I did feel a twinge here and there but it wasn't anything serious and there were several confounding factors. I'm still not ready to jump back on the orange train though. It's been so many years (decades!) that I don't miss it enough to risk it just yet. Maybe in another couple years, the researcher in me will do some more orange-tests.

By the way, peanuts are not a part of the generra. Our theme for Bundt Bakers this month is fruits and nuts. I had the fruit covered and needed a nut. I could have easily used so many other non-migraine inducing nuts to complement the generra. I'm just ridiculously stubborn sometimes. If you love coffee flavoured desserts, give this one a try. You may even want to add more espresso to give the coffee flavour an extra boost. I was actually surprised at how well the orange worked and the coffee did not overpower it at all. If you use instant coffee instead of espresso powder, you're going to want to use a few more tablespoons.

Scroll down to see how the other Bundt Bakers used fruits and nuts this month! Thanks for hosting, Shilpi!

.

Generra Bundt Cake

Recipe by: Kelly

Yield: 1 large Bundt or 12 one cup sized minis

Ingredients Cake  1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used peanuts) 4 tablespoons espresso powder 1 teaspoon hot water 1 cup milk 2 3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup cocoa  2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 eggs zest of one orange Orange Whipped Cream 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar 1 tablespoon orange zest, finely minced

Directions Cake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Thoroughly grease and flour Bundt pan(s). Sprinkle the nuts at the bottom of the pan(s). Dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water and then add to the milk. In a separate container, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a third container, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla then add each egg one at a time.  Add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the coffee mixture in two additions. Start and end with the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Scrape the batter into prepared pan(s). Bake the large Bundt 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The mini Bundts should be finished within 15-18 minutes.  Cool for ten minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.  Orange Whipped Cream - Beat the whipped cream to soft peaks then slowly beat in orange juice, sugar and zest. Beat to stiff peaks.

Notes If substituting instant coffee for espresso powder, you may want to double the amount.Taste your batter! Make sure it's really strong.

Fruits and Nuts

 

• Almond Rhubarb Bundt Cake from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Aloha Bundt Cake from Olivia at Liv for Cake
• Apple Pecan Bundt Cake from Bea and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes
• Apricot-Almond Bundt Cake from Cali at Cali’s Cuisine
• Banana Peanut Butter Bundt Cake from Jana at Jenny and Sweets
• Banana Monkey Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs at Los Chatos Chefs
• Banana Pecan Bundt with Bananas Foster Frosting from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Banana Split Bundt Cake from Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food
• Blueberry Cherry Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel from Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Cherry and Almond Bundt Cake from Lara at Tartacadabra
• Cherry and Nuts Bundt Cake from Diego at La Mejor Manera de Hacer
• Cherry and Sliced Almond Mini Bundt Cakes from Teri at The Freshman Cook
• Cherry Pistachio and Honey Bundt Cake from Ethel at eating in instead
• Cinnamon Raisin Coffee Cake from Vonnie at My Catholic Kitchen
• Eggless Mango Almond Bundt Cake from Shilpi at Simply Veggies
• Generra Bundt Cake from Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• Lemon Lime Pistachio Bundt Cake from Rocío at kidsandchic
• Orange and Pecan Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache from Deepti at Baking Yummies
• Orange Blossom Honey Nut and Blueberry Cake from Anshie at Spice Roots
• Peach and Pecan Bundt from Catherine at Living The Gourmet
• Peach Coffee Cake from Julie at Eat, Drink, Be Mighty
• Pineapple-Pecan Bundt Cake from Kathya at Basic N Delicious
• Pineapple Sundae Bundt Cake from Colleen at Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Pomegranate and Pistachio Kugelhopf from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
• Roasted Banana and Black Walnut Bundt Cake from Terri at Our Good Life
• Summer Fig Bundt from Margaret at Tea and Scones
• Vegan Orange Ripple Rhubarb Cake with Pistachio Sauce from June at How to Philosophize with Cake

#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 our of 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.